Scoping Out vLES Alpha2
After what seemed like a really long wait I finally got a chance to take a spin around vLES. It’s a detailed rendering of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and they just opened up the second Alpha.
The big feature of vLES is in indie chique. Clubs and record stores in the Lower East Side hold the promise of undiscovered independent artists that haven’t yet felt the taint of a studio exec’s attempt to dilute everything down to the lowest common denominator. The audio streams work like they do in vSide, allowing you to rate artists on the fly as you walk around and hopefully bring your favorite indie band closer to the recognition they sorely deserve.
Of course, some just think that independent music is a lot like regular music, but with the added bonus that you get to feel smug about enjoying it. Whatever works for you.
It’s still alpha (read “slightly glitchy”) but I really did like it. Think of vLES as a 20- or 30-something’s vSide. Perhaps it was because this was a faithful rendering of real-world venues, or maybe it was that several of the locales had links to Flickr streams from the real-world counterparts themselves, but hanging out in a bar here really did have that “bar feel” (if there is such a thing). There was a sense to the place that you get when you walk into a bar… like everybody is there to unwind, soak up some entertainment, BS each other about their last girlfriend, go home swearing never to drink again… that kind of thing.
I’m looking forward to seeing the place full. People are going to leave other worlds to come here, and a lot of first-timers will come here and blend in with the oldbies perfectly considering how easy the client is to use. vLES looks like a winner.
My only concern? I’ve never seen anything this comfortable and well-done in a user-created content space. Second Life, There.com and Kaneva all have clubs, but none of them have this kind of interface. Would-be independent v-club owners had better give vLES serious consideration when designing their venues, or face looking completely anachronistic.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
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