virtual world television in second life
TRANSCRIPT
Virtual World Television Producers on the Importance of Creativity, Connectivity, and
Community in Second Life
CarrieLynn D. ReinhardDominican [email protected]
www.playingwithresearch.com
Pooky AmsterdamPookyMedia
Defining Virtual Worlds
Gaming Worlds Social Worlds• User-generated content,
world built through social interactions
• Designer-created content, world built through gaming interactions
Defining Virtual World Television
• Produced by users of virtual worlds, amateurs & semi-professionals
• Recorded before live studio audience or in the field
• Influenced by format, content of traditional television genres
• Example: Giant Snail Races
The Case StudiesFour reasons focused on
Second Life for interviews
1. User-generated controls and intellectual property rights
2. Streaming networks analogs
3. Highest prevalence of television programming
4. Pooky operated as gatekeeper
The Case Studies
Connectivity
Producer
Second Life
Producer
ProducerProducer
Producer
Producer
The Rest
of the Worl
d
Connectivity: Comparing VWTV to TV
Similarities Differences• Extent to which
VWTV producers indicated a desire to connect with people otherwise left out
• Importance of connection to professionals for employment purposes
CreativitySecond Life
Facilitating DirectlySecond Life Facilitating
Indirectly, Forcing Workarounds
Creativity: Comparing VWTV to TV
Similarities Differences• Due to nature of
virtual world, greater ability produce as envisioned without laws of nature & separate CGI programs
• Whether live action or animation, necessity of negotiating with conditions for expressing creativity
CommunityProducers
within Second Life
Crew for a Series
Audience for a
Series
Community: Comparing VWTV to TV
Similarities Differences• Interaction with
audience to point of encouraging input used to impact content during live streaming, recording
• Communities of professionals occur at various levels in TV production (SAG, PGA. DGA, etc.)
• Importance of good working relations with crew
Concluding/Ongoing Thoughts
• Able produce VWTV because…• Connected with others• Ale to be creative• Felt sense of community
• Some differences, some similarities in these elements with traditional television• Similarities due to human nature to
connect, to create, to commune• Differences due to technological
structures, lack of institutionalized production industry
• But need remember producers as agents at heart of productions – not just reacting to structures, as exist or as lacking
Why Does This Matter?
• One example of technologies that arose with Web 2.0• Themes of connectivity, creativity and community
defining characteristics of Web 2.0 • Thus, not surprising would be central to
how described experiences of using Second Life
• Second Life unique because all-encompassing: user-generated production and distribution and exhibition
• Transgressing position as audience within physical world that encompasses this virtual world• Not transgressing content/style, power dynamics• Virtual world permits transgressing audience
position, but human agency of producers enables transgression