Business in Virtual Worlds News – Apr 27 – May 3 2009
This week’s Big Question:
Why are IT professionals so resistant to virtual worlds?
(Answer in the comments!)
Lots of gaming related news this week that I’m including as it has a glancing application for enterprise, as well as two really good stories about the health care industry.
Important links:
- Archive page of past weeks of Business in Virtual Worlds News
- Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Blip.fm, or in Second Life as Onder Skall
- Suggest stories at info [at] calebbooker.com
Disclaimer: As with everything on my blog, the opinions expressed here are mine and do not reflect on Clever Zebra, the vBusiness Expo, my friends, my family, my blip channel, any of the other “Jack of All Strange” stuff that I do, etc etc etc… k here we go:
Top Stories
New partnerships and collaborations:
- Webosaurs Signs Mod Squad For Moderation
- Double Fusion Partners With PlaceVine For Brand Integration
- Anshe Chung To Sell Cepstral Voice Products In IMVU
- Offerpal Officially Partners With Jolt Online For Legends of Zork
- Unisfair And Cramer Partner To Improve Events
- Viximo Announces Three Partners For New Virtual Goods Network
Worlds.com Partners With Pearson For Educational Worlds
This is the first project Worlds.com has taken on in ages outside of lawsuits. Let’s hope Pearson got a good deal.
Consumer-oriented firms get a Second Life
A variety of Indian corporations covered here.
OLIVE Helping Solve Mysteries On NCIS
Mirror world applications getting a little press here.
Game and virtual world fundings reach $936.8 million in 2008
What? Gee, I thought there was absolutely no hype at all about virtual worlds, thus proving this was all a fad!
World of Warcraft player banned for possession of illegal item?!?!
Funny story, could be re-titled “Horrible Customer Service 101″.
Research play games to study pandemics
Of all the industries using virtual worlds, none have been more innovative than the health care industry.
Rehabilitation system supports stroke patients
Oh, speaking of which…
Events
Want to Hold a Virtual Event of Your Own?
Clever Zebra offers event support and white-label services for anyone interested in a branded gathering in a virtual space. Everything from venue setup and hosting to VIP orientation to speaker coordination.
Red Hat to host Second Life-like virtual JBoss trade show
“Red Hat is stealing a page from the Second Life playbook and will host an online conference for users and partners of its JBoss Java-based middleware products in which people will have their own avatars and can virtually attend a conference as if it was a live trade show.”
Training and Education
Texas State establishes virtual campus in Second Life
Welcome Texas State!
University to Offer Course Within Second Life
Welcome Manchester Metropolitan University!
INSEAD’s MBA without Borders
Welcome international business graduate students! This does a great job of giving a complete picture of how this works, definitely worth a read.
Virtual reality conjures up historic Egyptian temple complex
A very cool rendering of the Karnak, digitally rendered. They even have a downloadable Google Earth render.
Government and Military
Avatars, attorneys in new world of virtual law
The glorious pageantry of virtual property disputes.
Marketing
Jive And Ciara Sign On For Cazmo Concerts
So, now, it’s official ok? Jive and Ciara are for kids.
Build-A-Bear Sold $450k In Game Cards At Holiday Launch
Not too bad for a launch!
Lack Of Virtual World Interest Puts “Planet’s Best DJ” On Hiatus
Crushed before it started. Ah well.
Gaming
‘Wizard101′ Clocks in at Two Million Subscribers
Hmmm, I think we should all give this thing a try. At the very least this indicates their unique monetization model really appeals to people!
Sony Launches Free Realms Virtual World
Sony attempts another MMO. Best of luck this time out guys!
Microsoft Gauging Interest In Virtual Goods Options For Avatars
Micropayments and Microsoft… sounds like a fit doesn’t it?
Nerds Only
The Linden Prize goes to … Studio Wikitecture and Virtual Ability
Gratz guys, well deserved!
Newbs Only
Second Life – a big waste of time?
More foolishness from IT bloggers that can be summed up as “I don’t get it, so let’s all just forget it.” *sigh*…
Sociological Oddities
In Room 100, It’s Sid and Nancy All Over Again
A great re-creation of the Hotel Chelsea that preserves details lost to renovations.
Did I miss an important story? Got feedback? Leave a comment below, or email me at
info [at] calebbooker.com