Life is an RPG

For me, RPGs are the ultimate virtual worlds. The rules are clearly defined. Your goals are usually communicated in extreme detail. You know your weaknesses and strengths from the getgo. Usually the intro movie gives you the history of how the world you’re in got to where it is today. When you start a good RPG you really feel like there’s a base to build on. You know who your friends are. Ultimately I think that virtual world and avatar products that don’t take some cues from from RPGs are making a big mistake.

If an avatar is purely about personalization and expression, the users likely to settle into a look they like and be done. The revenue opportunity, if you’re in the microtransaction business, however, is in getting consumers to continually aspire for more. RPGs do this through attributes that clothing can have such as defense and durability ratings. The higher the defense the better protection.

Any virtual environment should be able to figure out a way to incorporate attributes even if the object isn’t to keep from getting killed. There are lots of things a player may wish their character could do better and having a system of progressively more powerful clothing is a great way to keep people upgrading.

This is one reason why I’ve never understood the avatar pureplay products. What’s the point? Look at me I made a cool character? Nobody cares if you were able to throw down $10 to buy a neat outfit. Show up in something that a community of people know took you dozens of hours of playtime to acquire and people will take notice. Otherwise it’s just shopping for things that have no meaning.

First Post — avatars without a soul

Everyone one is talking about virtual worlds. I uncover a new one every week or so myself. What strikes me is that most of the places that are presented as virtual worlds have a distinct lack of what really makes up a world. It’s like what an alien would assume life on Earth was like from a single visit with no concept of the complexity of being human.

Sure they have human-like animated characters — usually in low poly, flat textured 3D. But what they usually don’t have is what makes us human — our goals.

Imagine you are suddenly plopped down somewhere with no “moment before.” The moment before is what actors draw on to guide them through a scene. It’s what they use to give them a starting point that’s not in the script. That’s what beginning life in most virtual worlds is like. You’re 25 years old and this is the first day of your life and you’re in a place that didn’t exist until just now.

You are spawned into a world among dozens of other newcomers with nothing but an empty chat form. Typically the first words out of an avatars mouth are like that of a first computer program — “Hello.” I’m usually at a loss to figure out what to do next so I usually end up running around checking out the environment without much interaction with my fellow citizens.

OK, I’ll admit this is not easy stuff. It’s no small feat to provide the technology to immerse someone in a representation of life. For many products that’s as far as they seem to get — providing the technology. Maybe it’s me. I need something to accomplish beyond getting into a vapid chat with the first person I see.

Anyway, that’s the way this will start. A conversation with myself and whoever stops by about how what makes a compelling virtual world. That should take a while…