Online Virtual Worlds: A Mini Guide

The term "virtual world" often brings to mind a 3-D environment that looks similar to the real world, with real-life rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Virtual worlds are usually thought of as a kind of alternative world, conceived to provide online entertainment to users.

In the past few years, however, numerous virtual worlds have begun moving beyond entertainment toward a completely new objective that is likely to extend the abilities of present-day real-time collaborations.

Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools

Nowadays, virtual worlds are equipped with social networking facilities and online collaboration tools (including blogs, personal home pages, and sometimes VoIP), making them highly valuable spaces for e-learning and long-distance collaboration.

Many of these virtual worlds are also promoting a new way of marketing content and products by integrating support for e-commerce, a development that has led to the creation of alternative Internet-based marketplaces where users showcase and exchange products while chatting.

In this mini guide, I have taken a look at virtual worlds by reviewing some of the services available, though this list is by no means exhaustive. Some of these sites are already well known; others, less so. While reviewing these tools, I have taken into account the following traits:

Users can build new environments:

Users can create new entities ― such as new businesses, houses, or products ― beyond the ones already provided by the site.

Property ownership:

The virtual world attributes ownership rights to a user who creates or purchases a product or property.

3-D or 2-D avatars:

The site's avatars are two-dimensional or three-dimensional.

Avatar modification:

Users can modify an avatar and create custom characters.

Text chat:

Users can immediately interact with one another via text chat.

VoIP:

The virtual world offers integrated VoIP features, allowing users to communicate by speaking directly to one another. (This is currently considered an advanced feature.)

Integrated e-commerce:

The site offers integrated support for e-commerce, allowing users to sell their own products within the virtual world.

Local currency:

The site has a currency that regulates economic exchanges within that world.

Community events:

Users can create events and publicly showcase them.

Games:

The site offers single- and multi-player games.

Second Life

Second Life is a highly sophisticated, creative 3-D environment. Its high-resolution avatars are fully customizable, and users can buy new accessories for them. Second Life participants can contribute enormously to the growth of the virtual world itself, and residents retain the rights to their digital creations, which they can buy, sell, and trade with other residents.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

YES

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

Linden Dollars

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free access for one basic account. Additional basic accounts cost $9.95. Premium monthly, quarterly, and annual membership options allowing land ownership are also available. Click here for pricing details.

Habbo Hotel

Habbo Hotel is a virtual world with a hotel theme, complete with a "lobby" gateway and private "guest rooms." Guest rooms can be decorated with furniture purchased with "Habbo credits," which can be bought with several types of real currency in a variety of ways (credit card, mobile phone, prepaid stored value cards). Access to Habbo Hotel is free, and the world is relatively easy to navigate.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

2-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

Habbo Coins

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free access but guestroom furniture and Habbo Club membership must be purchased.

There

There has several exotic virtual locales for visitors to explore. All avatars are human, and can be customized with a wide variety of face and body shapes. A favorite There activity is outfitting avatars with custom-made clothing, which can be purchased with the local currency.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

YES

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

Therebucks

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free basic lifetime membership. An upgrade to Premium membership is available for a one-time payment of $9.95.

Special requirements:

Users need to download special software (Windows only) to participate.

Weblo

Weblo is a virtual world based on the real world. Members earn real money by owning online replicas of real cities, states, famous properties, and Internet domain names. Members create sites and get paid for their popularity via online advertising. Owners of cities and states earn additional money from transaction fees in their territories, and by selling their virtual investment properties for a profit.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

NO

Edit avatars:

N/A

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

NO

Community events:

YES

Games:

NO

Price:

Free membership

Special requirements:

NO

Kaneva

Kaneva is a virtual world that allows users to interact through 3-D avatars. Aside of enabling them to build custom environments, Kaneva provides the user with the ability to share, comment, tag, and search a wide range of media, including videos, blogs, photos, music, audio, and games. Kaneva is in an open beta stage, and currently it is not possible to purchase items through the site.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

NO

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free membership

Special requirements:

Windows only

Moove

Moove's home page highlights room-building and online romantic encounters as the primary activities available to visitors. Moove's avatars are called "actors," and choices range from human avatars to animals and robots. New visitors are given their own collection of rooms, and can decorate their online home with a selection of furniture. Each member hosts and manages his or her own space, which allows a great variety of individual expression.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

NO

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free basic membership. Check out the premium plans.

Special requirements:

Users need to download special software (Windows only) to participate.

Cybertown

Cybertown is a virtual world that provides you with a private 3-D home with your own personal chat, inbox, message board, and email account. You can invite your friends over to hang out, chat, and party. The Cybertown shopping malls and Flea Markets allow you to buy, sell, or trade 3-D objects for your virtual home.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

CityCash

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free basic membership; no registration required.

Playdo

Playdo is a virtual world with a variety of supplemental community-building features, including an intuitive Web-page editor that allows members to create personalized home pages easily. Playdo does not have an in-world economy in the form of points or merchandise, which means that socializing is the central focus of this community. Playdo includes a WAP interface that enables social connections via mobile phone.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or -2D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

NO

Local currency:

N/A

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free

Active Worlds

The Active Worlds universe is a community of hundreds of thousands of users that chat and build 3-D virtual reality environments on millions of square kilometers of virtual territory. Users can shop online in a 3-D virtual reality mall and chat with store clerks while playing interactive 2-D and 3-D games.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

YES

Local currency:

N/A

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free membership

Special requirements:

Users need to download special software to participate.

Whyville

Whyville is an educational virtual world for children and teenagers. Originally established to support an LA Times weekly science education article, Whyville actively engages its visitors and encourages them to participate in fun, educational events that give kids "hands-on" (virtual) experience with science projects.

Users can build new environments:

YES

Property ownership:

YES

3-D or 2-D avatars:

3-D

Edit avatars:

YES

Text chat:

YES

VoIP:

NO

Integrated e-commerce:

NO

Local currency:

NO

Community events:

YES

Games:

YES

Price:

Free