Tringo

Onder Skall reports from IceDragon`s Playpen Island , IceDragons Playpen (64, 48, 53)

Everybody writes about Tringo. Everybody. Basically, there’s a rule that says that if you write about Second Life more than once, you must mention Tringo or somebody will burn your house down. Write. About. Tringo. NOW.

So here it is, my token article about Tringo. Happy?

I’m forced to write about Tringo because it’s this big SL success story. Game invented in SL becomes a smash hit, pervades every single island in SL, has spawned many online immitators, and is making a debut on the GameBoy soon. See? SL is a legitimate media! Everybody get all hard about legitimacy!

I could care less about legitimacy. I care about fun. Is it, or is it not, FUN?

As competetive gambling goes, yes, it’s fun. Picture a Tetris game where everybody gets the peices at the same time and vies for the highest score. Winner takes all (plus a bit from the house). I’ve given you a link to the IceDragon’s Playpen version because they have a great host and don’t spam you with constant announcements. It’s a relatively civil playing environment, and you’ll have a good time.

Just… bring some cash. Expect to lose it.

Go

Onder Skall reports from A Stone’s Throw Away, Epimetheus (212, 23, 84)

The ancient game of Go is available to play for free here. This gorgeous 19×19 goban is comfortable and serene. The creator (Sai Harbinger) deserves quite a bit of credit. Linked from here is a store with many powerful Go lessons to learn.

Go. Be ‘leet.

Alt-Zoom Studios

Onder Skall reports from Alt-Zoom Studios

What, you think a little thing like the grid being down is going to slow down this intrepid reporter? You must be thinking of the Herald my friend! At Second Life Games, when the grid goes down, we go meta!

Do you remember the smash-hit PC title The Movies from Lionhead Studios? For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to play it: think of a sim game where you build a movie studio, manage the lot facilities and staff, and generate films for a profit. The big twist comes when you find you are able to easily use the pre-fab sets and animations to create a custom movie and export it for the world to see! A slew of machinima movies followed, and a community was born.

When it was annouced that there wouldn’t ever be a sequel, I was pretty confused. Why wouldn’t they follow up on a hit? They have a built-in fanbase after all!

Of course, that was before I had discovered Second Life. In SL you can build any set and any avatar you can think of without waiting for an expansion pack. If it doesn’t exist, go ahead and create it. If you need the camera to do something new, make a new camera. How could any sequel to The Movies, no matter how well implemented, compete with that?

Machinima fans have no doubt discovered Machinima.com and its Second Life section. If you look a little closer you’ll discover that many of these come from Alt-Zoom Studios. This group is a fantastic starting point for any would-be movie makers. They distribute great tools in-world, as well as providing classes and tutorials.

Now, there’s no real point in my diving into the nitty-gritty details when I could just point you at some fun stuff. First, obviously, check out the movies at Alt Zoom Studios. Hit the About button if you want more backstory there. Next, check out the interview over at Secondcast. By the time you’ve done all of that, the grid MUST be back up!

But so what if the grid is down? We still have Alt-Zoom!

Cosplay - Tinies!

Brooke Malinow and Kristofer Potato

I came accross these two tinies today and just had to grab a pic. These little guys came just to my knee and were so cute. It was hillarious to watch play in the mudwrestling game!

More pix after the break…

Swag Hunt - Demented Poker

Demented Poker, Lost Islands CTR (56, 226, 21) - Hah, I got one, you don’t! Score one for me on the hard-to-find swag hunt!

Demented Poker is holding a big opening event this weekend where he’ll have another version of this T available as a giveaway, but I was chatting with the owner Pet Frangilli today and scored this advance-issue. Hot!

Devils Moon

Devils Moon / Abranimations, Devils Moon (166, 116, 251) - At first glance the place doesn’t look all that hot. Dark brown wood, dirty outside, weird haunting soundtrack… but after a second or two you start to realize that it’s a compelling cyberpunk build. Amid the puddles on the sidewalks and neon glow, there’s an incredible atmosphere being built.

Of course this is a blog about play. Let’s get to the games.

This is a great place to go if you want to buy some games for your lot to play with friends. Mud wrestling, spin-the-bottle, and arm wrestling are actually very fun. Cleverly, the store owners have allowed customers to demo the games before purchasing, so grab a friend and stop on by! (If your friend is of the “special friend” variety, check out the adult animations downstairs.) They also had frizbees, soccer, and yo-yos, but I didn’t get to demo any of it so I have no idea how good any of it is. Anybody try these out? Email me.

The Mushroom Kingdom - Super Mario in Second Life

The Mushroom Kingdom, Afton (104, 135, 131) - Check out this sweet build over by Brainiac HQ. I’m in Mario heaven! The movie inside the castle is from Mega64 (worth a Google), but watch out for those pipes! One sends you home, and one sends you to a tricky little place.

Found a cool gaming build? Email me.

Cosplay: Your First Game In Second Life

(From left to right) Emo Gymnast, Euthenasia Piedpiper, Nothing Something, Fina Deledda

The first thing you do after rezzing is begin customizing your avatar. It’s natural, after all, not to want to look like everybody else.

This natural inclination has become a major in-world industry. Clothes, skins, hair, particle effects, props, and all manner of attachments are major commodities. While not everybody wants to look like a winged spiky-haired cybergoth demon, the inclination to customize one’s avatar is an absolute that even the most ignorant griefer understands.

Some take it a step further than just nice hair and some pretty jewelery, though. Some want to tell a story, or make an allusion to one, simply by appearance. This is when toying around with sliders stops being even close to enough. Avatar creation becomes an endeavor in itself. It becomes an artful game of balance and creativity.

Game developers will draw similarities between this and the dress-up doll games that were in vogue a couple years back. SL, however, takes this a step further. The avatar isn’t a doll, it’s us. We’re wearing those costumes in every sense that really matters, and often we’ve created the textures and balanced out the color tinting in dozens of ways to get it just right.

In other games, it’s dress-up. In Second Life, it’s cosplay.

Where Are The Games?

The first thing I thought when I rezzed in Second Life was: “Where are the games?” I almost uninstalled the client before I discovered one. It was a really close call. I had even had the mouse poised over the uninstall icon, ready to click, before thinking to myself: “Ok, one more look around.”

Imagine the horror of missing out on all of this fun!

Finding games isn’t always easy in Second Life. I can only imagine how many people we lose from the Second Life community who rez, find nothing of interest, and leave never having known what they were missing. If you are one of those people, let me assure you: there’s excitement to be had. There are wonders to behold in this world, young traveler. Allow me to show you a few!