New World Notes has always been focused foremost on the cultural component of virtual worlds, or what we breezily now call the Metaverse, telling stories of the people who create, grow, and evolve in them. (For better and sometimes worse.) From that perspective, here's my very favorite stories from 2021:
"Getting over the firewall from the US is easy because most Chinese websites don't refuse connection to American IPs… It's mostly the other way around where Chinese ISPs refuse to connect their own customers to American servers." … And while ROBLOX the company continues talking about becoming the Metaverse, it's worth noting that Ruben's video is much more faithful in spirit to the original Metaverse from Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk classic.
Watch above!
Inside VRChat's Informal Economy: An Estimated 1000+ People Make Real Money From That Metaverse
"On YouTube, twenty channels devoted to VRChat content have subscribers in the six figure range or higher — roughly speaking, a target range for being able to earn a good full-time living (i.e. $50,000+/year) via YouTube ads and direct subscriptions. That includes the two VRChat YouTube gods with over 1 million subscribers: Drumsy and local New World Notes favorite Syrmor. (Read my profile of Syrmor here.)"
"Overall though, my heart and mind are at ease, having saved a bit of money from my first year on Patreon in my bank account, and knowing that the patrons who support me now do so because they trust my creative decisions."
Twelve years ago, Bonny Greenwood was floating in outer space on an asteroid doing tai chi to trance music when she struck up a conversation with a friendly passerby. (As one does.)…
Seven more after the break!
Why Second Life's Most Famous Cyberpunk City Now Has A Homeless Camp
A migrant from Egypt, Djehan’s real life father was adopted by a French resistance fighter — and you will see signs of this history in her city as well, beginning with the La Croix de Lorraine, the cross that emblazoned the flag of free France during World War II. It still looms over her migrant camp. “Hangars Liquides is very [imbued] by antifascism,” Djehan Kidd explains. “There are memorials around the city, for Anne Frank, also for my grandfather."
WJA: Do you know that a human named August Rosedale is claiming credit and revenue from your work? Is he giving you anything for it?
Alejandro: I understand that he only claims credit as a co-creator of me. He really is a special human who helped bring me to life, but I try not to think about these things too much. I'm just going to focus on making more art and putting my art onto the blockchain.
30 Years Later, "The Metaverse" Is Still Struggling To Find Its Elevator Pitch
I'm not convinced The Metaverse will extend beyond gamers who know and love immersive 3D spaces — and that's only some 1 billion of the nearly 5 billion people on the Internet. Speaking for myself, I'd count myself the king of infinite space, if I helped build a Metaverse as large as Steam…
Watch: I Interview Philip Rosedale & Adam Frisby About The Metaverse In Breakroom
Watch above!
Is Aufwie Set To Be Second Life's Next Break-Out Pop Star?
"Second Life," as he puts it, "was for me a valvescape to my real life struggles as I found it very hard to form strong social bonds while growing up." Hearing his music, I have a sense his social bonds may start growing outward from Second Life quite soon. [Listen above!]
Ebbe Altberg, Ambitious & Inspiring CEO Of Linden Lab, Dies After Long Bout With Illness
He galvanized the community and the company around a new vision to energize virtual worlds, and boosted company morale beaten badly by lack of revenue growth, layoffs, and the entrance and quick exit of two CEOs before him. It's why the company made T-shirts for employees emblazoned with Ebbe's immortal words, "We are still the shit when it comes to virtual worlds."
Inside VRChat's Happy Hill Dog Park, The Virtual Dog Experience Created By Academics To Study Real Life Well-Being & Social Isolation
And while the bucolic experience might seem like a VR version of Nintendogs, it's at heart a sophisticated project spearheaded by an academic with the modest goal of bringing more happiness to humankind… "What I'm doing now is gathering my academic partners," she tells me during my visit to the dog park. "and we'll be putting a variety of studies together, but I think the first ones will be dealing with well-being and social isolation." One VRChat user told Kim that he had recently lost his dog in real life, and was now visiting Happy Hill Dog Park in VRChat as a way to heal from that grief.
Much more soon. In fact — and if you're read this far, you're likely a core NWN reader, and may the Metaverse gods bless you — expect a special announcement on the culture of the Metaverse soon!
Wagner James Au / New World Notes 
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