Google launched its long expected virtual environment. “Lively” allows the users to gather in virtual rooms, which can also be integrated in other websites.
A user, which has to be 13 years old at least, has to do a quick download and can also get access from other sites, such a Facebook – other social networks are in the pipeline. One can customize an avatar (gender, species, clothes), create rooms and select free objects from a large catalogue. By the way: one of the rooms I just visited is called “Linden Lab”.
The avatars can display emotions and can chat of course. There are large screens where one can watch YouTube video clips (YouTube is part of Google).
I don’t know which business model is being used or whether there is a business model other than “inciting people to be more online”. Lively has been tested during several months by students from Arizona State University and is now an offering from the Labs department of Google.
Wagner James Au says that Lively is not an immediate competitor for Second Life because it does not offer an immersive, fully user created metaverse. There is no virtual economy and market nor a virtual currency. Users for now can not create content unless they are approved as developers by Google.
Lively might be a good development for Second life, because it can incite people to upgrade to Second Life. Google is a household name and offering Lively through huge social networks could entice millions of people to try out virtual environments, millions who did not feel inclined until now to try out Second Life or other immersive worlds. The fact that the download is quick and easy and that the environment even runs on office computers, is also a good thing.
Here is the videoclip made by Google: