Tag: The Drax Files Radio Hour

The latest Drax Files Radio Hour podcast is packed with a lot to take in.

There’s the usual general chit-chat at the start, with references to news that Oculus components are in short supply segueing into ideas for packaging SL with the Oculus – and I’ll be a damp squib here and say even if that were to happen, it likely wouldn’t result in a major uptick in SL sign-ups; not because I feel Oculus doesn’t have a place in SL, but rather because a lot more needs to be done elsewhere in order for this to happen.

The new user experience gets mentioned, and here I agree with Jo: hand-holding isn’t always necessary (or required); it’s getting people connected to the things they are interested in (or that attract them) and people they can interact with, that counts first and foremost.

With the news that the Bitcoin world has (again) been caught in controversy, Karl Stiefvater provides explanation and insight into things – and after the confusion evident within some BBC coverage on the subject, he should be loaning his skills to Auntie Beeb. Then there are the usual links and bits in the blog post itself.

However, the two things that make this episode are the interviews. The first of these is with Pamela from a local sheet music store visited by Drax, and the second with researcher Nick Yee.

In the first interview, Drax attempts to interest Pamela in Second Life, and the ensuing conversation demonstrates just how hard a task it can be when trying to move people away from preconceptions – regardless as to how exposed (or not, as in these case) they’ve been to SL. In this, it’s interesting to hear that while Pamela has heard of Second Life, she admits to not having tried it. Nevertheless, her mind is completely closed to it and its potential; so much so that even when Drax puts valid reasons as to how SL can be both fun and beneficial, her response is to marginalise the positive in what he’s saying.

There’s a huge amount of depth to this interview which may not be immediately apparent from what is said. For example, the idea of the avatar as a mask and how we respond to it being so are strongly contrasted. While those of us engaged in platforms such as SL see the avatar as a mask and the anonymity it gives us as being largely positive, going so far as to quote Oscar Wilde (“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth”); it is equally clear that those outside of SL see that same anonymity as largely negative, something which is used to hide intent.

There’s clearly a complex series of interactions going on here, some of which appear to have been hardwired into us at some point. That this is the case  – something which is very much examined in the follow-on interview with researcher Nick Yee. He refers to this imposed divide between the real and the virtual and how our views from one shape our opinion towards the latter, as “cognitive hardwiring”. He draws a fascinating picture as to how he believes it came about, one which does have merit.

Nick is in good position when it comes to commenting on our relationships with virtual mediums, having been studying it for around a decade, using the likes of SL, World of Warcraft and other platforms – six years of which were spent running The Daedalus Project.

More recently, his work formed the basis of an article in Slate magazine, which also links to his recently published The Proteus Paradox: How Online Games and Virtual Worlds Change Us– and How They Don’t, an examination of our increasingly complex relationships with our digital Doppelgängers and virtual environments. I actually reported upon both the Slate article and the book back in January.

He also touches upon another aspect of our involvement with virtual environments: how they can often perpetuate stereotypical views and attitudes, and his description around use of gender within World of Warcraft is fascinating to hear. In relating this  particular study, he tends to also underline the fact that many of our attitudes to virtual worlds, whether actively engaged in them or not, may well be two sides of the same cognitive hardwiring coin. That is, the same hardwiring which encourages those not involved in virtual worlds to look upon them somewhat suspiciously and / or negatively, also encourages those active within such environments to reinforce artificial stereotypes and attitudes, thus adding another layer of complexity to the discussion.

Beyond this, his reference to the “Malibu Model” and how that may in turn have contributed to the backlash against SL after its 2007/08 expose to the media hype cycle makes for interesting listening.  I’m almost tempted to say when it comes to promoting SL and the Malibu Model (were things to move in that direction – and that shouldn’t be taken as an endorsement on my part that I think it in any way should!),  Nick certainly offers a new potential strap line for SL: “Where The Decadence Comes So Cheap”. OK, maybe not… However, it again tends to point towards external influences shaping perceptions and responses, again underlining the complex series of interactions which exist between the real and the virtual.

Feedback

Another fascinating podcast with two outstanding interviews – I could easily have written a book on both, and have actually only scratched at the surface of the Nick Yee interview. I’m equally aware that I’ve presented Pamela’s conversation from a certain perspective, because I do feel it underlines an issue SL and virtual worlds do face when attempting to reach a broader audience. Therefore, I do encourage you to go listen to both interviews yourself.

I’ll likely be returning to Nick Yee’s work in the future, as The Proteus Paradox: How Online Games and Virtual Worlds Change Us– and How They Don’t is currently sitting in my “to read” pile of books (actually occupying the number 4 slot right now!).

The latest podcast of The Drax Files Radio Hour is live, and unsurprisingly, the focus is the recent meet-and-greet with Ebbe Altberg, which I’ve covered here.

Even if you listened to Ebbe through this blog, the show is definitely worth a listen to as well, as it includes questions as well as Ebbe’s comments and replies.

Since the meet-and-greet, Ebbe has also been active in the forums, commenting upon a range of topics, such as those related to communications. As pointed-out in the show, he’s additionally made reference to the Marketplace, to upcoming new starter avatars (which were likely a work-in-progress prior to Ebbe joining, just as the decision to axed Creatorverse, Versu and dio was something started prior to his arrival), and also on the matter of the August 2013 Terms of Service change.

Harvey Crabsticks makes a welcome return to the show to chat about Ebbe’s comments. Harvey is someone I’ve only known a short time in Second Life, and I have to confess to admiring his insight as well as his (and Canary Beck’s) creative skills, and it was good to hear him to express views he and I subsequently batted around during a conversation we had after the recording for this podcast had been made.

The subject of audience, demographics and marketing is touched upon, which in turn edges towards issues of help and assistance for users. Drax mentions the Ebbe said he was unclear as to what had been done by the Lab along these lines; this may be a part of his learning-curve as Rod Humble (and others) have in the past been pretty clear that the Lab does carry out investigations into demographics, what people do in SL, why the leave, etc., and as Harvey points out, the Lab must have a clearer idea as to what SL users do within the platform just for the wealth of data they can gather on our activities on and interactions with the platform. However, as Harvey – and indeed Ebbe, during the meet-and-greet – also states, it’s unclear as to how scientifically that data is mined and used.

Marketing-wise the question of high-profile campaigns is discussed, with Drax pointing to the very recognisable World of Warcraft TV / Internet spots (I was the one who, entirely tongue-in-cheek, mentioned William Shatner and WoW at the meeting with Ebbe). Harvey suggests that any really high-profile campaign would be better suited to a time when user retention is clearly on the upswing; something I’d tend to agree with, which is not to say all marketing should be held-off until that happens…

The “Ebbe meeting” and the interview with Harvey take up most the show, leaving everything else planned as a series of links on the blog page – which is no bad thing. As I’ve said before, things that fall off the end of the desk due to time constraints can be picked-up again in a subsequent podcast. Again, even if you’ve listened to Ebbe on these pages, I recommend you take the time to hear both questions and answers as recorded in the show, it’s more than worth the time. And don’t forget the links on the blog page!

The sixth episode of The Drax Files Radio Hour  is intriguingly entitled the “reality of the virtuality”. This is presumably a reference to the core of the show, in which the inter-relationship between our real and virtual activities are examined, firstly through a look at One Billion Rising, which features an interview with Saffia Widdershins, followed by a discussion with Peter Ludlow (Urizenus Sklar in SL), looking at issues of trolling, griefing, governance and human nature within virtual environments.

Note that timestamps are given in braces within the text, and refer to the recording available here.

The show opens with a look back to the (in?)famous IBM / Linden Lab experiment in teleporting between Second Life and OpenSim. The video and discussion which follows is more a of preview of the show’s planned expansion into more coverage of OpenSim in future broadcasts rather than a detailed discussion of the attempt itself, although one of the “gridnauts” from that experiment will be featured in an upcoming interview.

Fitted Mesh is covered, unsuprisingly, given the announcement that the code and updated avatar skeleton are now a part of the official SL release viewer. Opinions are gathered from designers Eboni Khan [6:56] and Shai Delacroix [10:38], both of whom make some valid points, although I think Shai is perhaps a little too critical of the Lab when she refers back to the initial blog post on Fitted Mesh made in 2013 as if it were a part of the announcement made this week.

Getting new users into SL is touched upon [14:33], with reference to the Lab’s new CEO Tweeting (prior to joining the company) that he’d signed-up, gone through the initial experience and had not enjoyed it.

The new user experience is something we all have opinions on, and while it is likely to be a controversial statement to make, I’m actually not entirely convinced that established users in SL have any better idea as to what is required than does the Lab, in that the knowledge we’ve acquired over time perhaps unduly filters our perceptions as to what is actually needed. While this may sound counter-intuitive, it is something I’ll eventually get around to explaining in a blog post which is (again) waiting in the wings.

But that said, I do agree something needs to be done in order to ensure more people can enter SL, get a hold of the essentials (especially finding things that interest them and connecting with people), because it is retained, engaged users who will give rise to growth in Second life, not more (or even necessarily cheaper) land.

Turning to VR, mention is made [17:00] of the Sixsense MakeVR / Stem systems to manipulate prims using hand-held controllers (which can also be combined with headsets like Oculus Rift).

The Fin, a wearable ring for gesture-based control of smart devices using bluetooth connectivity, is also touched upon [19:37]. A video is available on the radio hour’s blog page.

Saffia Widdershins is interviewed [21:49] about One Billion Rising, a world-wide event to raise awareness of the extent of violence inflicted upon women, and which is supported from within Second Life. The interview is far-ranging while also clearly focused, with Saffia once again demonstrating why she is the ideal spokesperson on this topic.

Similarly, the interview with Peter Ludlow [31:36] makes interesting listening. Founder of the Alphaville Herald (originally for the Alphaville city in the Sims Online, hence the name, prior to a migration to second Life), Ludlow is a journalist and philosopher in real life and provides some insights into griefing and trolling.

In particular, he offers-up an opinion on the likes of Esteban and those of his ilk which is sure to find favour among many (myself included) in reference to their attempts to justify their actions in terms of “I’m just showing what’s already there” – which runs in something of a parallel to the “other” mentality to which Saffia refers in her discussion with Drax, while being far more passive / aggressive in approach.

There is much food for thought in the chat with Mr. Ludlow on the topics of griefing and governance (and self-governance), and he makes some very valid points, underlining the inherent issues common to virtual communities – including that of vigilantism. The historical context he gives to the issues make fascinating listening, particularly with reference to how different organisations have approached and dealt with matters.

Equally, his comments on freedom of expression (and the illusion thereof) within the Internet and the web make interesting listening, albeit perhaps uncomfortable to some on several levels, particularly when coupled to his earlier comments on people’s need for tools to resolve issues.

Feedback

Another interesting show in which the main interviews again shine and provide much for contemplation and reflection, as indicated above. Both deserve to be listened-to carefully. The opening touches nicely on the plans to expand the show into looking at the broader “metaverse”, presenting a suitable teaser / reflection.

When “tuning-in”, do make sure you catch the opening announcements, rather than jumping to any of the time-stamps. There’s a giveaway this week, with the opportunity to claim a couples dance system from Humanoid animations valued at L$3,200. All you have to do is answer the question asked in the opening segment of the show and e-mail your answer to the show before Friday 21st February.

Unsurprisingly, the fifth broadcast from the attic-over-the-former-post-office-next-door-to-the-police-station studios of The Drax Files Radio Hour focuses on the announcement of Mr. Ebbe Altberg as Linden Lab’s new CEO (profile here,  for those wanting background info).

As well as this, the show takes a fascinating look back at the teen grid through the eyes of two people directly involved in it throughout most of its lifespan, and pokes at Project Spark for the Xbox and Windows 8 (and a few other things).

Communications forms a central theme of the coverage of Mr. Altberg’s appointment as the Lab’s new CEO. Hardly surprising, given it has been at the heart of the vast majority of Tweets and blog posts about his imminent arrival at Battery Street.

Robin Harper, formerly Robin Linden, provides insight into what has contributed to Second Life’s longevity, and offers words of advice for Mr. Altberg. I confess, I’m not entirely comfortable with all that is said, particularly with analogies between the CEO and a “mayor” of Second Life.

But overall, in terms of communications, I agree with sentiments, and very much hope that one of the first tasks Mr. Altberg will try to tackle is the complete reticence within the Lab for broad-based, pro-active and consistent communications with the Second Life user base.

As Vic Mornington points-out in his comments on the show, Mr. Altberg doesn’t have to do it all himself (although the occasional update blog post from him would be nice), just so long as an individual (or team) is put in place to ensure communications are used as an effective, positive and informative means of engagement, one which can go an awfully long way towards preventing upsets, misunderstandings and even miscommunications (which have been somewhat prevalent of late).

Mr. Altberg’s lack of experience (or possible lack thereof in terms of in-depth exposure to VWs and games) has already been pointed to as a “negative”, and the show touches on this. My own feeling is that judges based on his past experience are premature, and I can only again agree with Canary Beck’s comments.   A nice excerpt from an interview with Frank Zappa certainly reminds us that “corporate types” are not necessarily out-of-their-depth just because we perceive them as “not understanding” something.

Elsewhere in the show, Drax (rightly) pokes at Mitch Wagner for referring to Second Life in somewhat derogatory terms which have little to do with the subject on which he is writing.  True, SL didn’t achieve the dizzying heights which it was expected to reach (heights heavily over-hyped by the media as much as anyone else, I might add), but that’s no reason to take a swipe at it in the tone taken. It’s a shame, as I’ve said before,  that noted journalists and commentators prefer to fall back on cliché rather than exercise their grey cells when visiting the subject.

Project Spark for the Xbox One gets a mention. This is a digital canvas on which users can create games, movies and other experiences, either from scratch or using pre-defined levels for the Xbox and Windows 8. As well as providing the ability to create original content, users can download  other user-generated content and mix it into their own work. It offers an interesting on mixing creativity with gaming, and could be one to watch.

The interview with Mike Mikula is a fascinating piece on a number of levels: history of the teen grid, the accidental wonder of “early” Second Life, the issues of copybotting, and the painful realities that can accompany the transition from teens to adulthood aren’t only confined to real life.

Similarly, Barry Joseph offers a unique and informative look at Second Life, past and present, the teen grid and the work of Global Kids within SL.

For me, one of the most fascinating elements of Mr. Joseph’s comments are on the psychological aspect of engaging with Second Life, and he uses his son’s use of Minecraft as an example, noting that his son initially played that game in its creative mode, with all the resources he needed but quickly switched to using the survival mode, in which resources must be acquired. He goes on:

There was something that motivated him to find value in creating and finding things. There is nothing in Second Life that is structured in the same way from a psychological perspective, from a motivational perspective, that helps users engage in the space and find meaning in it. Its magical promise has always been that you can do anything, but i think that’s always been a heavy burden to lift.

Interesting food for thought, particularly when it comes to his follow-on comments about the manner in which young people are being taught today. As i commented on the show’s blog page, there’s enough in this interview for an entire programme.

Feedback

Another well-balanced, informative piece, particularly with regards to the interviews with Mike Mikula and Barry Joseph – both of which really should be listened-to even if you’re not that interested in thoughts and feedback concerning LL’s new CEO.

Announcement

Have you experienced bullying / harassment in virtual worlds? Whether it has happened in-world or through the SL feeds or forums  or in other on-line communities / platforms, TDFRH would like to hear from you via Skype, Draxfiles Resident or e-mail.

The fourth show in this engaging series kicks-off with Rod Humble’s departure, as broken original by Jo Yardley herself (kudos, Jo!), and with interesting insight from Dean Takahashi on what might have happened – primarily focusing on the attempts to diversify, some of which as I’ve commented myself, don’t appear to have come out too well.

There has been a lot of speculation over the reason for Rod Humble’s departure. Many have pointed to it being a case that he “failed”, with the intimation that he was fired.

Jo thinks the decision to leave was his – and I agree with her. As she says, and I’ve alluded to, the Lab’s reaction suggests the move caught them off-guard (or as I have referred to it, they were caught with their knickers around their ankles); they simply didn’t see it coming.

The show also touches on Will Wright’s departure from the LL board, which was likely first noted by Ezra (at least in this context) in an NWN comment as the news about Humble’s departure spread.

In September 2013, news broke that Wright had, together with Avi Bar-Zeev, raised some $5 million to establish Syntertainment, a company which is “dedicated to changing the world through uniquely fun and lasting user experiences” and which will ” focus on the intersection of entertainment and reality. ”

Whether Wright’s departure from the Lab occurred at the time Syntertainment was launched (which would seem likely) or some time between that event and Humble’s departure is unclear. It does, however, lead to speculation in the show that it may be where Rod Humble may be heading. This doesn’t quite seem to gell with his own comments on his future, of which he says, “I am starting-up a company to make Art, Entertainment and unusual things,” suggesting he is creating a company, rather than joining a start-up. But, time will tell; and it may be unwise to discount his bond with Will Wright.

There is a lot of good input on the subject from a number of interviewees, and kudos to Harvey Crabsticks in particular for his comments on market segments, potential reach and on the future – and Rod Humble’s tenure. Well said on all! On a broader scale, Hanno Teitgens offers up insight as to why Second Life and virtual worlds remain hamstrung – although his view on the direction the company should take may upset some, and I’m not sure I agree with his summation of OpenSim, which shares all of the problems inherent with Second Life in terms of growing an audience, which the lower cost of land has failed to demonstrate itself as a deciding factor.

Perhaps the most fascinating interview is with Evonne Heyning and Joyce Bettencourt, who chart the evolution of the Lab and its outlook from the perspective of those who actually dealt directly with the Lab’s management on a professional level.

Beyond Rod Humble’s departure from the Lab, the show touches upon a range of topics, including the buy-out of Cloud Party and where it might lead. This was also touched upon within the interview with Hanno Teitgens, with he and Drax having an interesting exchange of views on the oft-pointed to subject of virtual worlds “needing” to be browser-based for access. 

Feedback

The Drax Files Radio Hour undoubtedly hits a strong stride with this podcast. It provides a good summation of Rod Humble’s tenure from all sides, and an excellent piece with Evonne and Joyce which really puts the evolution of Linden Lab in a perspective many may not have considered.  The depth of the central subject is plumbed to great effect, and the mix of interviews and comments presented a strong narrative of their own which gives the show considerable flow – and considerable food for thought.