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It Was Constructed by : [caption id="attachment_198" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Original Is Here. This is NOT my work. I Claim No Credit. ArianeB Is Great "][/caption] I try to keep up with the latest in 3D virtual worlds, but new stuff keeps popping up all the time, so no doubt I will miss stuff. I'm posting a page to keep track of it all. Just a definition. A 3D Virtual World contains the following traits: 1. Its a Massively Multiplayer Online Game. 2. It renders in 3D (ruling out the literally hundreds of 2D flash virtual worlds like Club Penguin and Gaia Online). 3. It allows for multiple types of activities, primarily non-competitive social ones. (ruling out the dozens of MMORPG games as well as single activity games like the golf MMOG Albatross 18). 3D Virtual Worlds should also feature: Customizable avatars, customizable 3D residences, user created clothing, user created scriptable objects, Text/Speech/Gesture communication, Internet integration, multiplayer game launching capabilities. I covered this in more detail in "What is a Metaverse?" Note: Just because it is listed here does not mean I endorse it. I'm trying to make a list as complete as possible. There are some old and lame games on the list. There are also some new ones with potential, but not ready for prime time yet. There are also some special interest worlds that should have appeal for some. Do a little research before you actually join any of these games. The List: Active Worlds Operated By: Activeworlds Inc Built By: Activeworlds Inc Status: Developed 1994 Open since 1997 Customization: Land building is a primary activity. Avatars are too simplistic to customize. User Created Content: Yes Notes: Oldest still in existence. Barely supported anymore. Website: http://www.activeworlds.com/ Blue Mars Operated By: Avatar Reality Built By: Avatar Reality using the CryEngine2 Status: Open Beta since September 2, 2009 Customization: Avatar and Real Estate customization via purchases User Created Content: object and clothing submissions via development program and approval process Notes: Set in a futuristic world on a terraformed planet Mars. Avatars created by e-frontier (makers of Poser). Requires a decent computer with a decent video card. Website: http://bluemars.com/ My Review: A Quick Peek at Blue Mars Club Cooee Operated By: Cooee GmbH (Germany) Built By: Cooee GmbH Status: Open Beta since January 2009 Customization: Avatar customization User Created Content: None Notes: Another 3D Chat Client designed primarily for teens Website: http://www.clubcooee.com/ Empire of Sports Operated By: Infront Sports and Media (Switzerland) Built By: Empire of Sports Ltd. Status: Open since December 2008 Customization: Avatar customization User Created Content: None Notes: Multiple sports games against real players from around the world. Keep a common avatar between them. Website: https://www.empireofsports.com/ Evolver / FriendsHangout Operated By: Evolver.com (Canada) / Friendshangout.com (US Florida) Avatars By: Darwin Dimensions Inc. Worlds By: unity3d.com and arteria3d.com Status: Open beta since May 2009 Customization: Avatar customization through evolver.com User Created Content: Limited to friendshangout.com developer program Notes: Friends hangout is a 3D Chat Virtual World using avatars created with Evolver.com. Create your avatar in evolver and one of the "Transport" options will be friendshangout.com which provides multiple beautifully rendered 3D sites to explore. Each room also has a vehicle of some sort you can ride. Website: http://evolver.com/ or http://friendshangout.com My Review: What if you built an awesome 3D Virtual World and nobody came? Football Superstars Operated By: Cyber Sports Ltd (UK) Built By: Monumental Games Status: Open since November 2008 Customization: Avatar customization User Created Content: None Notes: Sort of a Football (Soccer) MMORPG but with a social virtual world aspect outside of playing games. Website: http://footballsuperstars.com/ Free Realms Operated By: Sony Online Games Built By: Sony Status: Opened April 2009 Customization: Avatar customization, building User Created Content: None Notes: 3D fantasy virtual world designed primarily for kids and teens. Multiple activities including racing, pets, RPG quests, in world games. Mostly free, though more content opens up with payment. Website: http://www.freerealms.com/ My Review: A Quick Peek at Free Realms Frenzoo Operated By: Frenzoo.com (Hong Kong) Built By: Based on the Unity Engine Status: Early Beta Customization: Avatar and room customization, animation and others coming soon User Created Content: Yes, can import 3D models, in game fashion design. Notes: Built by a few Second Life people. Primarily a 3D chat world at the moment, looking to expand beyond that. Website: http://www.frenzoo.com/ HiPiHi Operated By: HiPiHi (China) Built By: HiPiHi Status: Beta Customization: n/a User Created Content: n/a Notes: Open ended platform, often called the Chinese Second Life Website: http://www.hipihi.com/index_en.html IMVU Operated By: IMVU inc. Created By: Will Harvey (also primary creator of There) Status: Open Beta since 2004, Officially out of beta June 2008 Customization: Avatar and room customization via purchased items User Created Content: Room, clothing, and animations via submission Notes: Designed as a 3D chat client, no free movement or explorable areas. Animations are triggered by interacting with objects. Has its own social network system. Now with voice. Website: http://www.imvu.com/ My Reviews: A Quick Peek at IMVU, The Oldest Noob in IMVU Just Leap In Status: Closed Beta since July 2008 Customization: Room customization User Created Content: limited to textures and videos, likely to expand to objects and avatars Notes: Runs in a browser. You can add animated "people" to your room, Graphics are great. You Google Lively fans should check this out. Website: http://www.justleapin.com/ Kaneva Operated By: Kaneva inc. Created By: Christopher Klause (founder of ISS) Status: Open Beta since 2007 Customization: Limited avatar customization. Clothes and furniture can be purchased at the mall User Created Content: Limited to wall hanging pictures. Notes: Has a closely integrated social network system. Free apartment to decorate. Website: http://www.kaneva.com/ Meet-Me Operated By: Co-Core Inc (Japan) Built By: Co-Core Inc Status: Beta restricted to Japan Customization: n/a User Created Content: n/a Notes: Home of Toyota Metapolis Website: http://www.meet-me.jp/ ( translated by Google ) Moove Operated By: Moove (Germany) Built By: Moove Status: 3D version released in 2001 Customization: Limited avatar customization, room fully customizable User Created Content: Clothes and textures Notes: Older program hence older graphics engine. Your "room" is stored on your own computer. If you visit someone else's room you download their room from their computer. There is no central virtual world to visit. Website: http://moove.com/ Onverse Operated By: Onverse (Arizona) Built By: Onverse using the Torque Game Engine Status: Open beta in June 2009 Platform: Windows, Mac, and Linux available Customization: Limited avatar and room customization furnishings obtained via currency awards and currency purchase User Created Content: none Notes: Simple low end, low resource 3D virtual world. Also has social networking website. Website: http://onverse.com/ My Review: A Quick Peek at Onverse OSGrid (and other OpenSim based grids) Operated By: OSGrid.org and others Built By: Open source development with major contributions by IBM, based on technology by Linden Labs Status: Project started in 2007 Customization: Completely customizable avatars, Host land at home or on a web server User Created Content: Textures, Animations, and Scripts instantly uploadable Notes: OpenSimulator is a 3D Virtual World platform anyone can use to create a Second Life like virtual world. OSGrid is the largest of over 300 public grid that hosts and links thousands of individual regions to explore. Website: http://www.osgrid.org/elgg/ and http://opensimulator.org/ Other Major OpenSimulator based grids (in order of approximate size): My Review: Open Sim Grids Playstation 3 Home Operated By: Sony Built By: Sony Computer Entertainment Status: Open beta in December 2008 Platform: Playstation 3 owners only Customization: Limited avatar and room customization furnishings obtained via game awards User Created Content: wall pictures only, possibly more Notes: Designed to be a central meeting place for Playstation 3 owners. Meet in world then launch other multiplayer games to play. Website: http://www.us.playstation.com/PSN/Home My Review: A First Look at Playstation 3 Home Protosphere Operated By: Protonmedia Status: Demo Customization: Limited avatar customization User Created Content: Unknown Notes: Designed primarily for long distance collaboration in business uses. Website: http://protonmedia.com/ Prototerra Operated By: Prototerra Built By: worlds.com Status: Open Customization: Limited avatar customization User Created Content: Unknown Notes: Website says it has been around since 2000. Seems to be marketed as a communications platform. Website: http://www.prototerra.com/ Red Light Center Operated By: Global Reach Inc. Built By: Worlds.com Status: Out of beta since 2007 Customization: Limited avatar customization User Created Content: none Notes: Primary focus is on adult content and online sex. VIP membership allows access to porn content. Has its own social network system at Utherverse.com Website: http://www.redlightcenter.com/ My Reviews: A Quick Peek at Red Light Center How are the Virtual Worlds Doing? Associated Worlds: Rude Virtual Virtual Vancouver There New World Second Life Operated By: Linden Labs. (California) Built By: Linden Labs Status: Open to public since June 2003 Customization: Completely customizable avatars, Land via purchase or rent allows building space. User Created Content: Textures, Animations, and Scripts instantly uploadable with small fee. Notes: Largest 3DVW in both membership and activity. Over 20 million accounts, over 700,000 unique visitors monthly, and over 1800 sq. km of land. Website: http://secondlife.com/ My Page dedicated to Second Life: Second Life Tips and Scripts Twinity Operated By: Metaversum (Germany) Built By: Metaversum Status: Open Beta as of Sept 2008 Customization: Facial avatar customization including skins from photo feature. Fully customizable rooms via purchasable furniture and textures User Created Content: Retexture walls, furniture and clothing, more coming soon. Notes: Strong web integration. You can hang a fully operational webpage on your wall. Only the third social virtual world to have voice feature. Has its own social network system Website: http://twinity.com/en My Reviews: A Quick Peek At Twinity vSide Operated By: Exit Reality (Australia) Built By: Doppelganger Inc. based on the Torque Game Engine Status: Reopened under new ownership Customization: Limited avatar customization User Created Content: None Notes: This teen oriented world has been shuffled around. Once operated by AOL, now by an Australian Virtual World company. The original owners shut down in July 2009, but sold all assets to other companies. The new owner Exit Reality hopes to have it up and running again soon. Website: http://www.vside.com/ Worlds.com Operated By: worlds.com Built By: worlds.com Status: First worlds built in 1994 Customization: Limited avatar customization User Created Content: Yes Notes: Although they still maintain some old unpopulated demo worlds which haven't changed since 2001, worlds.com is primarily a 3rd party platform developer company (see Prototerra and Red Light Center above). They are the oldest 3D internet company still in existence, and are more or less the ones that started it all. Interesting interview with the CEO about the company's future can be found here Summary: New updated platform and two new 3D worlds are on the way. Website: http://www.worlds.com/ 3D "Outside the Box" Exploring: As a footnote, I want to mention a few sites that are almost 3D Virtual Worlds but are a little bit outside of the box. These websites are multiplayer and have 3D elements, but communications and navigation are a bit non-traditional. 3B Rooms Status: Open since 2007 Notes: Build 3D rooms with web pages as walls, click on walls to go to website. It also has chat capabilities. Beyond that it does not do anything else, hence I cannot call it a true 3D Virtual World. Website: http://3b.net/ Entropia Universe Status: Open since 2003 Notes: For all intents and purposes, this is an MMORPG, but it has enough 3D Virtual World elements that it is often mistaken as such. Its free to start, but progress in the game requires real world money. Website: http://www.entropiauniverse.com/ EveryScape Status: Beta Notes: Uses "street finder" like technology to navigate the real world via photographs. Includes interiors of buildings as well. You can tag locations with notes or buy advertising space at popular locations. Website: http://www.everyscape.com/ Exit Reality Status: Open Beta Notes: Takes a standard 2D social network profile page, and converts it to a 3D space. Pictures turn into wall hanging pictures, embedded music turns into jukeboxes, embedded videos turn into TVs, and online friends turn into people you can chat with. Website: http://www.exitreality.com/ My Review: A Quick Peek at Exit Reality Forbidden City Status: Open 2008 Notes: The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time is the world's first online virtual world dedicated to a country's cultural heritage. This is presented as a three-dimensional replica of the square-kilometer palace grounds called The Virtual Forbidden City. The project partners' goal was to create an experience that is as authentic as possible by being true to important Chinese principles of balance and harmony. Website: http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org/ My Review: China in 3D Freaky Creatures Status: Open 2008 Notes: This online combat duel game (think "Street Fighter"), has complicated creature design tools and some extra building features that some 3D Virtual World enthusiasts might enjoy. Website: http://www.myfreakycreatures.com/ GeoSim Philly Status: Beta since 2007 Notes: A very detailed "mirror world" of downtown Philadelphia, made by a company based in Israel. Originally appeared in the main list, may soon again as avatars are forthcoming. Website: http://www.geosimphilly.com/ Google Earth Status: Open since 2006 Notes: A 3D representation of the world via satellite. People can mark locations, tag photographs, tag videos, build 3D buildings to place on the world. Website: http://earth.google.com My Review: Google Earth 5 is Awesome Koinup Status: Open Notes: This is a social network designed to showcase art and video made within 3D worlds. Website: http://www.koinup.com/ My Review: Social Networks for Virtual World Avatars Meez Status: Creating 3D avatars since 2006, opened non-3D virtual world Meez Nation in May 2008 Notes: I first wrote about this site in 2006. They recently opened up a virtual world based on these characters you create. Website: http://www.meez.com/ Moondo Status: Open Beta as of November 2008 Notes: Not a social virtual world, but a group of interconnected MMO games. Create an identity/avatar and use it in all games. Website: http://moondo.com/ Near™ Status: Beta since 2009 Notes: A detailed "mirror world" of the main shopping area of London (the "west end") as a way to shop online in 3D. Website: http://www.nearglobal.com/ Photosynth Status: Released to public in 2008 Notes: Takes a large number of still photos of the same object and mashes them together into a 3D representation Website: http://photosynth.com/ SceneCaster Status: Beta Notes: A social network where you build 3D scenes with your own, or others objects and textures. Then you can share the scene with others, including embedding them on your website or facebook page. Website: http://www.scenecaster.com/ Teleplace Status: Open in 2007 as Qwak, changed name to Teleplace in 2009 Notes: A program for private 3D interaction, primarily for business use. Website: http://www.teleplace.com/ Wild Style City Status: Open 2009 Notes: Make your own public grafitti on "streetview" maps. Demo project of Earthmine, Inc. Website: http://wildstylecity.com/wsc/ Content Creators: As a second footnote, I want to list some companies that are independently creating content for other 3D Virtual worlds. If you follow the 3D webs development, keep an eye on these companies: 3Di Japan 3DXplorer Arteria Clever Zebra Electric Sheep Company Eon Reality Forterra Icarus Studios Metaversatility Millions of Us Multiverse New Media Consortium Oddcast RealXtend Rezzable Rivers Run Red Second Interest Second Places Trilogy Studios Vastpark In Development: As a third footnote, I am listing sites that have stuff in the development chain, but relatively little information: http://www.3djays.com/ http://avayalive.com/WaStore/ http://code.google.com/apis/o3d/ http://micazook.com/ http://www.moondus.com/ http://www.mycosm.com/ http://www.n-sided.com/ http://www.nurien.com/ http://www.nuveraonline.com/ http://www.realifeplus.com/ http://www.sunnymmc.com/ (translation of pertinent page) In Memorium: The Sims Online 2003 - 2007 Virtual Lower East Side 2007 - 2008 Google Lively 2008 - 2008 Virtual MTV 2004 - 2009 Cybertown 1998 - 2006? (Technically still open, but has gone on unsupported for 3 years) Novoking 2008 - 2009 Website dead for months, no news Amazing Worlds 2009 - 2009? Website dead There 2002 - 2010 Vivaty 2008 - 2010