17 Superstars We'd Love to Recruit for Our Metaverse Team

[Maribeth Jolliff]

Ever since Internet became a widely available tool, people always imagined and used it as a virtual universe for chatting, buying and selling or simply socializing. Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become a secondary, virtual life, for many and on this premise the concept of the metaverse was born. The metaverse is a virtual universe that copies, more or less, the real life Universe and one of the clearest ways to express a metaverse is through what is known today as a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Some of these MMO's create a fantasy world of their own (take for example World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online or Everquest) whereas some simply offer a real-world alternative universe, as is the case of Second Life, one of the most popular such phenomenons on the Internet.

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Second Life - Basic Premises

The Second Life metaverse is based on an Earth-like world, known as the Grid. This grid consists of land masses and "free" areas and the world is divided into 256x256 areas of "grid" called Regions. Each of these regions, powered by their own servers, has its own name and a content rating (either Mature or PG), some being more stable than others. The land masses in Second Life are controlled by Linden Research (called Linden Labs in the "game") and each of the program's users are called Residents.

Residents of Second Life have an avatar that can be of either sex, wear different clothing, or have different physical attributes, simulating the "real life" universe entirely. Residents can communicate in this environment by several means, including local chat, which is further divided into normal chat (which can be "heard" in a 25m area), yelling (heard in a 96m area) and whispering (18m area) but Second Life also offers a form of instant messaging for private conversations, regardless of the chatting residents' position in the Grid.

Residents can also buy, sell and manage property and items in Second Life for a currency called the "Linden Dollars" (or simply L$). There's a virtual exchange rate in this metaverse, that fluctuates slightly, but a stable rate seems to be revolving around the 270 Linden Dollars to one US Dollar ratio. You're probably anticipating what I'm going to say next: you can actually make real life US Dollars, using Second Life Linden Dollars. Either by selling land or items, you can cash in some nice income, given the fact that you put some dedication into your Second Life avatar and you can read the virtual economy of its world.

Second Life - Conclusion

So should Second Life be considered a game? Should it be put in the same category as other Massively Multiplayer Online worlds as the ones created by World of Warcraft and the likes? In principle, Second Life doesn't share the same premises that these fantasy worlds offer, for example it has no real objectives, no "levels" and no abilities, which makes many object to the fact that it's a "game" per say. Still, Second Life has the purpose of entertaining its Residents through its simulation of real life, so it's yet unclear whether we should watch it as a game or not. What is clear is that this is becoming a quickly increasing phenomenon that appeals to all genders, all ages and all religions, bringing us closer together in a virtual metaverse than we are in our real lives.

While Americans are starting to feel the effects of the mortgage meltdown, derivatives, inflation, credit problems and a war-based economy, Germany, as of this past year, stepped into the leadership position as the number one exporter of goods in the world, a.k.a. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Yes, little old Germany.

Up until 2005, the average German was working a 35-hour week. Most Europeans are paid for a 13-month year while taking 6 weeks vacation in the summer. The German government along with the labor union party changed the official workweek to 40 hours and within less than 2 years, Germany, with a population of 83 million, became the number one exporter in the world. Do the math. Since the United States, with a population of 350 million, citizens and non-citizens included, the GDP has slipped into second place. U.S. output per person is not very efficient. China is just starting their industrial age and with a population in the billions it won't be long before they outpace everybody. Since we don't manufacture anything but war and construction equipment for the rest of the world, California is no longer the 6th largest economy in the world - sorry Governor Schwarzenegger. The U.S. will now be a service driven economy.

Germany did something else over the past two years - they became the leading e-commerce market in Europe. Of the 438.7 billion Euros generated from online commerce, Germany generated 30% of that. Germany also has the largest percentage of Internet users in Europe, with 56 million Netizen's of their total population of 83 million.

Now that is a sign of prosperity. Try comparing that to the sinking US dollar and you get the picture. We're talking big money - digital money. Europe is predicting 779.8 billion for 2010.

While a large part of our population is complaining about Globalization (something they cannot stop), a shift is happening that is not apparent to the naked eye. A huge part of the global economy is not part of the bottom line,...yet. It is the online economy. I'm not talking about buying and selling - I'm talking about socializing.

Facebook is getting all the attention lately, but lets take a look at Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (a.k.a. MMORPGs) where people just hang out and chat, play or do battle with subscribers from anywhere in the world. Many of you have heard of them: World of War Craft, EverQuest, Half Life. The more sedate, yet just as exciting online pleasure, is Second Life. This Metaverse (a name NFT for any online world) is an über version of the real world where players can build a house, get married, and have careers that, in the real world, would be out of reach. In Second Life, one can become the next great party planner, real estate mogul or clothing designer. This isn't speculative, this has already happened, (Past tense is intentional).

This online world can be had for just under $11 a month. But it's not the subscription-based revenue I wish to talk about here. What I am focusing on is the virtual economy of Second Life. The Linden dollar is their currency and somehow through PayPal you can exchange them for real currency. I believe three Linden's equal one US Dollar. (If the dollar keeps falling the currency exchange could be 1:1). People pay for such services as clothing, new house construction or even upgrade your avatar. The citizens of Second Life pay handsomely to create a fantasy life where they can live out some of the careers and lifestyles they can't readily have in this world. This virtual economy is generating $15 million per month!

And, I apologize for this, what is more amazing is that I am quoting year-old data! $15 million per month! Who knows how much it has grown since last calculation.

Well, the economy has moved and to most Baby Boomers, this makes no sense. It can't be seen! But to those born after 1985, it makes total sense. These are the generations that were immersed in video games AND the Internet. Reaching out in a virtual world and talking to a global community is natural to their process. These young people are not America-centric. Boomers picked up computer skills long after they were out of college.

The other problem is most Boomers (and I am one) see the Gamer as a geeky teenager hiding away in his bedroom. Au contraire - the average gamer, both online and off, is 33 years old with over a third of them female. That means most of today's vice presidents, managers, and workforce are playing games in their spare time. And here it goes: "Brad, what does this have to do with leadership?"

A huge portion of your workforce is playing, buying and creating in a virtual world that we can't see unless we are logged on. This comfort with technology is helping immensely to drive globalization and is creating borderless management. Digital natives like to call this Virtualization - the ability to access servers, data and personnel despite location.

How will you manage morale, productivity or necessary face time when your key people are spread out over five continents? Technology is the answer, but more importantly, those who can handle the technology and people at the same time. Operating locally but thinking globally becomes paramount to every competitive organization. So, it doesn't take a genius to realize that the trends of the future will be to manage a virtual workforce. Actually, it is already happening as IBM builds pavilions in Second Life for the exclusive use of their employees and customers and another major presence in Torque. And this my friends, is old news.

There are two questions for the future of business: How will you manage virtual employees in a Metaverse such as Second Life or Torque? And, if manufacturing is an Industrial Age construct to measure output against the total working population, then how will future GDP or ROI be measured and converted into real world currencies? Traditional branding doesn't work on the Internet nor do traditional leadership skills. A new primer must be developed that works for all cultures, all borders and all currencies as we cross the great divide from the Industrial Age into the Information Age.

What will Best Practices be in this new world? Time will tell.

Thanks for reading,

Brad Szollose

Avatar - a graphical representative of oneself used for virtual reality worlds a.k.a.