Tag: The Drax Files World Makers

When you’re in a virtual world, it’s not just your avatar, it’s not just the storyline. It’s the furniture in the room, it’s the building around you, it’s the trees you see. That’s what makes immersion possible; that’s what i create, an environmental space.

These are the words of Isla Gealach, known throughout Second Life for her in-world brand of Cheeky Pea, which open the 34th segment of The Drax Files World Makers. But this is not simply an examination of another’s creator’s on-line life and activities in Second Life; anyone who is familiar with this outstanding series of video shorts by Draxtor Despres will know there is far more of a story to tell here.

While Isla’s creative is a focus of the segment, it shares the time very much with her physical world life, because the two share an inseparable intertwining which demonstrates that – contrary to idea that our on-line lifestyles are increasingly isolating us from the “real” (whatever that is) – there are situations and circumstances which occur every single day where people who know one another on-line are drawn closer together, and that that for some, it evolves into a relationship which spans both the virtual and the physical.

For Isla, this is clearly demonstrated in her relationship with Ewan Mureaux. Starting out as colleagues collaborating together on Second Life products, Isla designing and creating them with Ewan scripting them whilst also working on SL land deals, the two of them struck up a friendship which eventually led to a real-life meeting which evolved into a relationship spanning both the physical world and the virtual.

In some ways, their story almost sounds like an office romance, with both Isla and Ewan noting that the time they spent working together was as natural as being colleagues working together in the same environment, even if they were actually miles apart and (at that time) only seeing one another through their digital personas. Like work colleagues, they came to know one another working together and that naturally lead to spending time in-world together at social events, and so things grew between them, just as relationships naturally grow between people in any aspect of the physical world.

Given this background, both Isla and Ewan are keenly aware of how digital relationships inform us differently when compared to those occurring purely in the physical world; a fact which can lead to people reaching a greater depth with one another than might otherwise be the case. “Second Life can cut through societal constraints,” Ewan notes, “And it gets more to the heart of who you are.” Isla then adds, “You get a feel for the personality first.”

It is this ability to make emotional connections which can be as genuine as anything we experience through any other medium, which Isla sees as the real power behind Second Life. It’s a view I agree with fully, because above everything else – the democratising of content, the freedom of creative expression, the myriad of things we can find to do in-world – ultimately, Second Life brings people together. It doesn’t matter if this is as friends, companions, or lovers, as couples or in groups; the platform allows us to form relationships and connections with other which are quite unique and with the power to outlast anything which might be experience through less immersive on-line social environments.

Within this broader story, we do also gain insight into what it means to be an effective successful creator in Second Life. And contrary to the hype which spread about the platform being a place of instant riches which grew up around Second Life back in 2006/7 and which did much to fuel its rapid growth, the reality is far different – as every content creator knows, and Isla encapsulates perfectly:

The illusion that I sit around in my pyjamas all day and eat cake and look at the sky and get inspiration is … not true. My job requires a lot of self-discipline, which I never thought I was capable of. I’m working from the time my daughter goes to school to the time she gets home, when i have to spend the time with her, doing her homework. Sometimes, when I’m on a deadline, I’m working until she wakes up! I don’t have that luxury of not completing things.

However, it is in the way in which Second Life has the power and ability to hugely enrich both our virtual and physical lives where this segment retains its power. Isla and Ewan’s relationship is almost a personification of the ideal that Second Life is a “shared experience” – although not at all in the manner the Lab might have imagined when applying the term to the platform.

Between them, and with Isla’s daughter, who gets to participate in the creative process as well, Isla and Ewan demonstrate very clearly home the platform can bring people together, presenting new opportunities for them to grow on both sides of the digital divide. In this, they are not unique among Second Life users, and there will be others watching this segment and identifying fully with it.

Such is the power of Second Life, that it really shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for the physical world as some who fail to understand the platform and those like it would all to quickly opt to dismiss it. The truth is that Second Life actually does more to eradicate the digital divide for many of us, allowing us free motion, from the physical to the virtual and back again, enhancing our lives in both. This is something Isla clearly understands and appreciates, as she notes in closing out the segment::

I think that in a world where virtual goods and services are becoming more and more important, we shouldn’t neglect excitement for the physical world in our kids. There are so many things you can do in your community; simple family walks, explore your town [and] its history.

At the same time, it’s not helpful to frame virtual reality as an escape. Because look, i live near Edinburgh, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I still love to go into Second Life, have fun and express my creativity. You can have a balance of both, right?

Absolutely.

Given the subject matter of the segment, The Drax Files World Makers #34 takes a slight departure from previous segments. In part, it reverts to the approach to the early shows in the series in which he appears in his digital self, asking questions and providing an initial thrust to the video. However, with this segment, we also see a very subtle shift, as digital Drax is also joined by physical Drax.

By doing this, he adds a gently underlining of the central theme to the piece, again indicating how, for many of us, our identities – physical and virtual – are one in the same, with each informing and enriching the other.

Note: apologies to subscribers who may have received multiple notices about this post, some of which may have had invalid links when clicked. WordPress SNAFU’d on me when first published, and caused additional issues when trying to correct.

I admit to having something of a personal bias towards The Drax Files World Makers episode #33, which premiered on Friday, October 30th, as it focuses on the work of Hauptmann Weydert (Weydert – also known as Cyberpiper Roelefs within Second Life and Pit Vinandy in the physical world) and his team and their work with the 1867 Project, which recreations elements of the City of Luxembourg as they were at a pivotal point in its history in the 19th century.

I had the pleasure of visiting Fort Thüngen, which forms a part of the project, and then touring  The Virtual Pfaffenthal alongside Hauptmann Weydert (looking resplendent in his period uniform), as we discussed the project in July 2015  – see my article Luxembourg 1867: exploring virtual history in Second Life. So to witness almost first hand through this video just how faithful a reproduction the 1867 Project presents, and gain a greater insight into the Project’s collaboration with Luxembourg City History Museum, comes as an absolute pleasure.

The Virtual Pfaffenthal, (Flickr)

Second Life and environments like it have always been recognised as having a powerful role to play in both education and historical recreation, and this is once again brought home in this segment of the World Maker’s series. In it, viewers are invited to explore the immersive, educational and creative powers inherent in the platform and to catch a glimpse of a fascinating period in European history as well, one which is in turn being shared with the general public in that city through the collaboration with City History Museum.

The immersive power of the platform is marvellously presented through footage filmed in the physical world which has been carefully matched with footage filmed in-world. These differing scenes are then beautifully transitioned between, carrying the viewer seamlessly from one to the other, visually conveying the richness of content and opportunity within the virtual in a manner no amount of narrative could convey. Kudos to Drax for both the filming in Luxembourg and the editing.

The creative power of the platform is beautifully encompassed in just 25 seconds starting at the 1:50 mark, when Pit provides a simple description of the various options for design and building, both in-world and through external tools, as he works on a part of the fort in-world.

Continue reading “The Drax Files 33: visiting the past through Second Life” →

“When you mention Second Life to people,” Maylee Oh, the subject of segment #30 of The Drax Files World Makers says, “they picture the noob avatar from 2007. So what I do is, I show them what creative people can do today.”

There’s probably one pundit out there who may well view this as a “distorted” view of Second Life, as Maylee’s vision of creativity in the platform does not mention a certain three-letter word starting in “s” and ending in “x”. However, for the rest of us, Maylee’s words open the door to another fascinating 5-minute exploration of the creative richness Second Life offers anyone willing to set aside prejudices and simply watch.

Maylee is, without a doubt one of the more interesting success stories to come out of SL’s 12-year history. Indeed, she’s been a part of the platform’s unfolding story for eight of those 12 years, using the time to build up her brand Secret Store to become one of the leading creative lights in Second Life – and a business fully capable of supporting her in the physical world.

“I quit art school during the third year because I wanted to try something different, Maylee adds a little later in the video. “I still don’t regret [it], because Second Life is still my main income. To me, this is being successful.”

Given Maylee made this decision when just 20 years old, one cannot help but wonder how her parents reacted at the time; the idea that one’s son / daughter is pushing away a good college qualification to spend time making imaginary clothes for a “game” probably isn’t something that would have most parents jumping for joy.

In fairness to Maylee’s mother however, and as illustrated in  wonderful series of hand-drawn images in the video, she is now clearly enthusiastic about her daughter’s choice and acts very much as Maylee’s physical world promoter – even if, again as shown in the drawings, explanations of Maylee’s chosen profession does generate sideways glances from those outside of the platform who are being told her story. Nor does the very important element of physical world support end there: Maylee has also had the firm encouragement of both her best friend and her boyfriend.

Another fascinating angle in this piece is the manner in which Maylee demonstrates another way in which the real and virtual can combine to present another fascinating potential – and one which Maylee has perhaps been one of the first to creatively explore. This is through her use of the platform, together with external tools to creating highly effective adverts which stand as much as a demonstration of the sheer versatility offered by Second Life for such work as they do as a vivid visual promotion of Maylee’s secret store.

The sheer creative power presented by Maylee’s ads speaks volumes; one wonders what might have been had those companies who flocked to Second Life had actually recognised the creative potential offered within the platform and leveraged it accordingly, rather than simply trying to translate their brand and goods into digital offerings. Outside of this question, Maylee’s work demonstrates how Second Life can be used to enormous effect within mixed media presentations that go well beyond “simple” advertising.

As is often the case in these segments, the show touches upon the collaborative nature of the platform, and its ability to cross social and geographic divides. In terms of collaboration, Maylee both demonstrates how she contributes to this as well as overcome much of the “secrecy” she encountered when starting-out as a content creator in SL, through the expedient of sharing her workflow on-line as well as more directly collaborating with others in her work,

“Second Life is full of creative minds and talents people,” Maylee also observes of SL’s cultural melting pot, although layer of the platform so often missed by commentators looking in from the sidelines. “Everyone has their own culture and we exchange a lot [of] feedback from all around the world.” This also links into matters of identity, which in turn loop back to people’s reaction to the idea of clothing a virtual character in a virtual world; as she points out, the clothes we choose and wear are as much a statement of our in-world identity as the avatar we use.

Identity is also far more the driving force behind Maylee’s creativity than physical world fashions – which might come as a surprise, given she lives in one of the great fashion centres of the world.

“What I enjoy about Paris is the diversity of people,” she notes. “I love to look at everyone, and everyone’s styles and identity; it keeps getting me inspired. Paris is somehow a bit like Second Life. because it’s a huge mess but it’s also full of amazing things.”

Once again Drax challenges perceptions of Second Life by presenting a story that is – as this continuing series of videos demonstrates – very much the “norm” for those of us engaged in the platform. Maylee is no basement dwelling individual without a “first life” as the media and SL’s critics seem to be ever-willing to believe. She is a young woman who has set-up a successful business which is generating an solid income for her and which is teaching her the fundamentals of good business practice: customer relationships, team management and so on.

Hopefully, in watching her story unfolding in these five short minutes, those from outside the platform will find Maylee’s story challenging their preconceptions on the value of virtual spaces like Second Life, and be more prepared to approach SL with a more open mind, rather than merely looking for the stereotypical memes, or those wishing to peddle them to whoever will listen.