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Jim Purbrick: Second Life and user-generated content

User-generated content is set to become a big issue in games, and virtual world Second Life has hinted at what's possible. Linden Labs' Jim Purbrick exposed some of its secrets at Develop.

While it's not technically a game, Second Life has a lot to teach the industry about user-generated content in persistent worlds, according to a lecture from Linden Labs' Dr. Jim Purbrick. Dr. Purbrick claimed that users were 30 times more likely to create something for Second Life than they would be in The Sims.

Purbrick, who works on scripting and networking technology for Linden Labs Brighton, quoted figures that suggested that on the whole, users are reluctant to create content online, even on many of the so-called Web 2.0 sites, such as YouTube, that are centered on content made by users. Typically only 5% of those online will choose to create something, only 5% of eBay users will ever sell something, and less than 0.1% of players will modify a first-person shooter. Second Life has managed to buck this trend, with 60% of its users choosing to build something in the world using the tools provided.

While this was partly put down to the financial incentives of creating and selling content in Second Life (one person managed to become a millionaire in the US, and around 150 people earn enough to make a living from purely in-game activities), Purbrick extolled the benefits of this creative force to the attendees. Of the 400,000 man-hours logged in Second Life each day, around 25% are spent creating items for the game world. Purbrick claimed this was equivalent, mathematically, to having an 18,500-strong development team working on the project. This has meant that the game world has stretched to 10,000 regions and six-and-a-half times the size of Manhattan, which is especially good for the developer, given that Linden Labs makes money from selling land.

Talking about how other developers can transfer these ideas to their own projects, Purbrick claims that the most important part of the equation is a low barrier to creation. Rather than being a separate component, the creation tools need to be available in the gameworld itself to offer instant gratification. Other key facets include collaborative creation to let people build things as a group, but also limits to what can be done because people will always try to bring down the system. Purbrick claims that Second Life follows similar social patterns as real life, and for this reason he feels the culture of teaching exists within Second Life, with experienced inhabitants often helping novice creatives add more to the world.

20 Comments

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jul 27, 2007 4:21 pm PT

    User generated content has been in PC games for a long time now, and it really adds so much more value to games..

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  • BewilderedRonin

    Posted Jul 27, 2007 12:31 pm PT

    What he failed to mention is that it's a hell of a lot easier to create graphics and models for Second Life than it is for The Sims 2. Why? Because Second Life's graphics are pretty weak and the models have incredibly low poly counts. You can create crappy content for Sims2, lots of people do it and there's tons of REALLY bad user-made content, but it takes time to make something that looks good. If Second Life had the graphics of The Sims 2, a lot less content would be made because it would require creators to invest more time. Instead of being able to make a shirt in 15 or so minutes, it would require a few hours, and I think that hurdle would deter many people from making there own content.

    There's also the fact that people are easily selling their user-made content for real money, which also (I'm sure) encourages many people to invest their time into making content.

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  • Jazzism

    Posted Jul 27, 2007 2:07 am PT

    I thought this article was going to be about the government taxing peoples property in SL.

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  • axia_777

    Posted Jul 27, 2007 12:26 am PT

    It is not a game. it is an over rated, graphical chat environment. People make games in it, but by it self is not a game.

    And it sucks. It is the epitome of bad game design. It is clunky and ugly. Even on my ripped system that plays Oblivion on max Second Life looks like CR@P. And since it has sh*t for gameplay, as in NONE, that leaves pretty much nothing but cr@p. Oh well. What we gamers need is a game that is as good as World of WarCraft but lets people create content. Then I will be impressed.

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  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 9:05 pm PT

    I don't care much for this game

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  • ElectrolightSH

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 6:06 pm PT

    I won't become interested in Second Life until an Xbox 360 version comes out.

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  • ghsacidman

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 4:55 pm PT

    I recently tried to make my own content for Sims 2... It's difficult... I'd rather download stuff! They really need to figure out how to make user created content... easier to create.

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  • XenoGearOmega

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 4:24 pm PT

    I think the pinnacle of user-created achievement in Second Life is the extremely healthy economy based largely on the manufacture, sale, and use of enlarged neon animal genitalia. Bravo, Linden Labs. Bravo.

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  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    @ Tomdogg

    Maybe because it's not a game?

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  • jogunther

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 2:32 pm PT

    Great ideas. I remember building levels in Timspiltters 2. I had a lot of fun in them too. More content is always better visa vi CounterStrike.

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  • Miroku_of_Nite1

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 2:31 pm PT

    I wish Windward Mark Interactive would stop working with this furry game, and go back to work on Alliance: The Silent War.

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  • Vulpis

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 2:28 pm PT

    Yes, Second Life is indeed a very bad game--that's because it isn't actually a game--it's a communication and content-creation tool. It has far more in common with IRC and the 'TinyMUD' line of MMOs than it does with the 'LP-MUD line that most others like UO, WoW, the EQs, and such are based on.

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  • Tomdogg

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    Second life is truly a bad game. I've seen many of the grotesque things, traveled to the so-called "dungeons" and have met few friendly people. Stay away at all costs.

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  • joeymew

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:53 pm PT

    I love SL. It it a graphics monster though. If you don't have one of the recommended video cards, then you'll get lag/freeze and other performance issues.

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  • EPaul

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    People actually make a living in Second Life

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  • kinglink2

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    You're computer is telling you to run away.

    Seriously Second life has a weak economy, overinflated numbers, and let's just say you don't want to know what half the people on it are doing.

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  • Jatt_Warrior

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:22 pm PT

    every time i log into second life its like ok for 1 min.. then sudenly it freezes and happens every time i log int... anyone know what could be wrong?

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  • silversurfergold

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:20 pm PT

    If it would let me log in, I would try it, but whatever. It sounded like it would be fun.

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  • Dench

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 1:15 pm PT

    They need to fix the lag

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  • Corvin

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 12:18 pm PT

    Of course people are more likely to create content in Second Life; thats nearly all there is to do. Its probably one of the main reasons people go there.

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