Many of us started in Second Life, and came to OpenSim to make our virtual dreams come true. We could create our own space, the sort of space perhaps we always wanted to make in the Big Grid but couldn't afford. It's fantastic. The downside is often deserted communities. People don't need to share land with other people and participate in immersive roleplay or themed regions because they are able to make their very own. Everyone can be their own landlord, their own Game Master, their own town Mayor.
InWorldz was pretty great because although the land was only a fraction of the cost in Second Life, it was still a chunk of change, and there were neighbourhoods, roleplay regions and communities where people joined together to share the costs. Right up until InWorldz closed down, I had some renters in Birchglen that had been there since day one. A good five years at least.
I could be working on the land and a resident would come by and chat, sometimes we'd sit in each others yards and have great conversations, just like visiting neighbours and friends in real life. I spent time in a bustling medieval roleplay community called Chanwood and spent time as a Dornish woman in Westeros. The urban roleplay region I had at the time actually witnessed some great roleplay sessions with a continuing storyline as well as many hours just spent laughing and just goofing off. At one point I had so many residents I needed an additional region just to home people who were disappointed that the parcels were all full.
People started the Great Migration toward the Open Sim non-walled grids, because land was so cheap and many grids had become quite stable over time. People went seeking their own kingdoms.
And now we have many lovely communities built by residents - for residents - that stand empty. Our creative endeavours often seen by no one, because everyone is busy working on their own masterpiece. It's great to have that freedom, but it's lonely. Yes there are clubs aplenty where people can mingle with each other while listening to music, but it's not as immersive as little towns, with valleys and hills, homes and cafe's , streets and pathways . Places where people would come together as virtual neighbours.
In Second Life you still find many people living in communities, visiting each other, and enjoying immersive participation, even among the many thriving clubs and other venues. People are enjoying parks and themed lands, visiting galleries and appreciating the efforts of others while socializing, roleplaying and having a good time.
In the two years of having a (what I consider to be) beautiful region with homes, parks and waterways, I've had one other person join the community and it lasted a week before they wandered off to work on their own land.
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| We partied on into the night, the Grand Opening for Prickle Pear Bay RP in InWorldz |
I have my own regions in DigiWorldz and Taggrid. a 4x4 on each. But recently, as a bit of an experiment, Ive also taken parcels in Coopersville in Kitely, and New England Estates in 3rd Rock Grid, not only because they are lovely - but I feel like I want to recognize the effort of those creators of beautiful spaces.
There are many breathtaking places to explore in many grids and it seems that being so numerous is a downfall in a way because it dilutes the actual traffic to these places. I'm not talking about regions on grids that are just full of copybotted items being distributed to anyone who wants a copybotted Catwa head, Freya body, Roost or Trompe L'oeil home - sadly those places see LOTS of traffic - but rather the places made with love, and with hopes of being enjoyed by others. Those places are numerous and grand. Even though I have my multiple regions in different grids, I still travel about on a regular basis and explore the various places of beauty and creativity .
If you have friends working on such projects, don't forget to leave your own little hidey-hole from time to time and see how they are coming along. There is much potential for lots of social interaction in OpenSim - if one is willing to step out from their own world and explore.
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| Sitting on the shore at Anam Cara in Birchglen, DigiWorldz |
