It’s a Friday. It’s time for something completely off-topic.
Over at my work blog, I posted about a new scientific journal entitled The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. Since I’m in a lab that does immunological research, it’s not exactly relevant, but it’s cool.
For the post banner, I used a picture of a virtual meeting in the Second Life. This is because people mainly conjure that particular mental image (other than video games).
My hidden shame
From 2004 through 2006, I was a Second Life Sucker. I payed around $35 in monthly fees to have my virtual property. I occasionally traded cash for Lindens and logged in almost every day.
But I was not the SL-trash of the popular imagination, the virtual sexers, gamblers, and griefers. I was a builder of cool retro-gaming stuff.
Salvage rights
Today, I almost never hang out there. When I do pop in-world, it’s to capture photos and videos of my own creations. To that end, I offer the following footage of two coin-op replicas that I created for my old property: The Mushroom Kingdom.
Above: My two coin-op replicas, Q*Bert & Gauntlet (embedded vimeo video)
Back when these were made, I constructed a giant copyright-violationingist Super Mario castle you ever did see. It was decorated with pixel-art and little interactive doodads. Inside were all sorts of little homages to early gaming and computer culture.
At times, I do miss it. Over the following year, I hope to capture some footage and photos of more creations. I have a few Commodore 64 replicas that display changing scenes on an old 80′s television.
Have a good weekend.
I discovered this thread from 2009 wherein a few old residents reminisce about my build.
