May 15, 2007
Rolling out the virtual red carpet
Virtual worlds are to get their own Oscars and two of the richest and best known in-world characters are behind the new Virtual Academy.
Ansche Chung, a real-estate developer in Second Life, and NeverDie, a nightclub owner in the Entropia Universe, announced the academy on Tuesday and said its first award nominations would be made in February 2008.
The academy’s mission is “to promote the creative community behind the rapidly developing virtual worlds and recognise landmark events and achievements in all areas of Virtual Artistry, commerce and culture; and host an annual awards show, the Virtual World Awards, to enhance awareness of the Virtual art form.”
No word on the categories yet but there will be a Hall of Fame, which Ansche and NeverDie must stand a good chance of being inducted into themselves.
I expect this award ceremony will be held in-world and the Avatar trophy being modeled on the website can probably only be proudly displayed on a virtual mantelpiece.
IBM may be submitting a number of entries based on its hyperactivity in Second Life, with 4,000 employees now active there, up from 800 in December. On Tuesday, it opened its first virtual business centre.
It says: “It will be unique because it is staffed by real IBM sales representatives from around the world, not robots or kiosks, who can chat with visitors in several languages and build business relationships.”
