Virtual World Television Producers on the Importance of Creativity, Connectivity, and

Community in Second Life

CarrieLynn D. ReinhardDominican Universitycreinhard@dom.edu

www.playingwithresearch.com 

Pooky AmsterdamPookyMedia

info@pookymedia.com

Defining Virtual Worlds

Gaming Worlds Social Worlds• User-generated content,

world built through social interactions

• Designer-created content, world built through gaming interactions

Defining Virtual World Television

• Produced by users of virtual worlds, amateurs & semi-professionals

• Recorded before live studio audience or in the field

• Influenced by format, content of traditional television genres

• Example: Giant Snail Races

The Case StudiesFour reasons focused on

Second Life for interviews

1. User-generated controls and intellectual property rights

2. Streaming networks analogs

3. Highest prevalence of television programming

4. Pooky operated as gatekeeper

The Case Studies

Connectivity

Producer

Second Life

Producer

ProducerProducer

Producer

Producer

The Rest

of the Worl

d

Connectivity: Comparing VWTV to TV

Similarities Differences• Extent to which

VWTV producers indicated a desire to connect with people otherwise left out

• Importance of connection to professionals for employment purposes

CreativitySecond Life

Facilitating DirectlySecond Life Facilitating

Indirectly, Forcing Workarounds

Creativity: Comparing VWTV to TV

Similarities Differences• Due to nature of

virtual world, greater ability produce as envisioned without laws of nature & separate CGI programs

• Whether live action or animation, necessity of negotiating with conditions for expressing creativity

CommunityProducers

within Second Life

Crew for a Series

Audience for a

Series

Community: Comparing VWTV to TV

Similarities Differences• Interaction with

audience to point of encouraging input used to impact content during live streaming, recording

• Communities of professionals occur at various levels in TV production (SAG, PGA. DGA, etc.)

• Importance of good working relations with crew

Concluding/Ongoing Thoughts

• Able produce VWTV because…• Connected with others• Ale to be creative• Felt sense of community

• Some differences, some similarities in these elements with traditional television• Similarities due to human nature to

connect, to create, to commune• Differences due to technological

structures, lack of institutionalized production industry

• But need remember producers as agents at heart of productions – not just reacting to structures, as exist or as lacking

Why Does This Matter?

• One example of technologies that arose with Web 2.0• Themes of connectivity, creativity and community

defining characteristics of Web 2.0 • Thus, not surprising would be central to

how described experiences of using Second Life

• Second Life unique because all-encompassing: user-generated production and distribution and exhibition

• Transgressing position as audience within physical world that encompasses this virtual world• Not transgressing content/style, power dynamics• Virtual world permits transgressing audience

position, but human agency of producers enables transgression