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Posts with tag disney

MMO Watch: Bunnytown


All right! More ways to keep your kids indoors and quiet! Disney has announced that its upcoming variety puppet show Bunnytown will launch with its own virtual world, presumably eponymously named. So children can go straight from tv screen to computer monitor with needing to interact with their parents at all. Fantastic.

I'm being slightly ridiculous, of course, but it's all too easy to imagine this happening. In 50 years' time, our bodies will bloat, our limbs will wither, and our eyes will enlarge to better receive visual signals from the virtual worlds that we will all inhabit as a matter of course.

Seriously, this is a huge win for the marketing team responsible. Direct merchandising and monetization of your television show in one fell swoop! Bravo, Disney. Pretty soon, your living room will be the Happiest Place On Earth.

(Via Virtual Worlds News)

$1,000,000,000 Invested in Virtual Worlds Since October 2006

According to Virtual Worlds Management, more than one billion dollars US have been invested in various virtual-world concerns since this time last year. Among the higher valuations are the $700,000,000 that Disney paid for Club Penguin; the $110,000,000 that Intel bought Havok with; and $30,000,000 going to the Trion World Network via a consortium of partners that includes Time/Warner.

Interestingly, the list sent to me by the VWM lists Anshe Chung Studios as receiving an 'unknown' amount by Gladwyne Partners. Isn't Anshe minting money at this point? Why the investment? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

(Thanks, Susie!)


University of New Orleans Hedges Its Bets with SL

This article describes a use for educational facilities in SL that I hadn't previously considered. The University of New Orleans plans to offer two classes this Fall, though class subjects haven't been disclosed. However, given the devastation New Orleans recently endured, having a virtual campus will make it possible for education to continue, as long as a student can reach a networked computer.

The article provides a second example of good use for SL: the creation of a navigable environment, through which students can walk and explore. Such a thing can really bring to life what might otherwise be a static, vague concept, which can only help students understand. I wonder how long it'll be before entire civilizations will be rendered this way, visitable and open for examination? Myself, I'd like to see ancient Mayan life, complete with rituals and architecture. Immersive environments work; just ask Disney.

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