Building content in second life - Issues facing content creators and residents

Abstract

The advent of virtual communities in Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplay Games (MMORPGs) is a relatively recent phenomenon. One such virtual community, the Second Life world, allows its residents to create unique content, such as clothes, hair, buildings, furniture; even vehicles. The variety of possibilities is encompassed by the phrase, "Your World, Your Imagination" which features prominently on the Linden Lab web site. Content authors use tools provided by Linden Lab to create items for their own use, or to be given away or sold to other players. We examine the tools provided to produce content within Second Life, concentrating on issues caused by limitations in the tools, and proposing solutions to some of the more vexing problems caused by these limitations. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.