Image Issues With Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds are weird places. This can be a problem.
Only now are we leaving behind the notion that virtual worlds are purely for games, but in truth we still don’t have everyone convinced of that. For the executive that was forced into getting an email address a few years ago and still hates having it, this all looks like a lot of fantasy nonsense. You can’t blame them.
For instance, I recently got an invitation to check out the RolePlay Market (Slurl), which is a neat mall selling all manner of unusual decor and fashion, from gothic to sci fi to pirates. It’s a pretty wild place and a good example of virtual world phenomena: the virtual goods mall.
I love it but, at the same time, its the kind of place I’m not going to be bringing executives to. Here are a couple of random images to give you a sense of it:
Imagine spending weeks badgering your company’s decision makers to at least look into virtual worlds, and the first thing they see is a bunch of demons and cat people running around castles being chased by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Think you’ll get approval for your project?
In part this is why an office desk and workspace in your virtual world is important: it gives people something they can instantly relate to. It allows them to begin to imagine having small meetings in spaces like these, and from there you can take them further.
That first experience of the virtual world needs to be handled with care. When you bring your stakeholders in, make sure you plan exactly where they’ll be going, what they’ll be seeing, and how long its all going to take. Dress your avatar according to the company dress code. Plan a follow-up tour to places where similar companies are doing things like what you’re proposing.
It’s a question of focus. Think of virtual worlds like a city: would you bring visitors directly to the costume store? Eventually they may really need to find a costume store, but that’s not really the point.
A good rule of thumb is to watch how much work your stakeholders have put into customizing their avatars. If they’ve spent $50 USD on shopping for clothes for their avatars, they’ve gone native. You can risk sending them shopping for cat ears.
Until then, be ever-mindful that you have an uphill battle with virtual worlds. Giving them a new image in people’s minds won’t happen without some careful planning.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Well, well, well…executives are sensitive to context! Caleb you are a great guy and we work well together, but c’mon why put these sensitive types in VWs where dress code ISN’T an issue? And, actually the primary issue is not face, its security. No enterprise guy is going to allowed to strut his private enterprise stuff in a public (Internet) space. Lets get real: VWs that need to be secure for enterprise collaboration will be behind the firewall. There is no other option.
June 7th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hi Dick! Hey, you’re not wrong - life is easier if you’re bringing these guys into a controlled environment. Forterra’s solution is a good one on that level, and depending on the client’s needs its often going to be the way to go.
You know though, this blog post is a symptom of how busy we’ve been this week - because the point I was trying for (and re-reading the blog post now didn’t seem to actually reach) was just that of overcoming the existing social stigma of virtual worlds in general.
How do you usually do it on the initial approach? Do you bring a raft of screenshots with you, or make sure you have comparable company/organization names on the tip of your tongue?
I must remember to reach out to you as well for an update on OLIVE’s concurrency levels…