Originally published on my Patreon
Longtime SLer Ciaran Astral was in a hopping club last Sunday when they realized an unexpected thing: Though surrounded by upwards of one hundred avatars, they were dancing and socializing in a space free from lag. (Watch above!)
"It was amazing," as they recall it now. "I remember saying to someone, 'Holy crap there's this many people, and I have 150fps."
But it wasn't just a matter of feeling liberated from lag:
"It reminded me of the old days of Second Life," Ciaran tells me. "Loads of people making silly fun stuff and either giving it away for free or just charging a tiny amount for it — makers coming together to create a community event, a sort of 'DIY it, let's have fun' atmosphere." (Ciaran created the cardboard club, of course.)
All this was possible, because everyone in the club was outfitted in the new Project Mesh Revolution mesh avatars — low poly cardboard cutouts that began as an April Fool's prank, but have quickly become a genuine Second Life phenomenon:
"Lots of people made their own mods or clothes; what was cool to see was looking around at everyone, almost nobody had the same outfits/looks. Which, considering these 'Bodies' came out less than a week ago (at the time), is quite a testament to the creative power of the Second Life userbase."
And I do mean "phenomenon": Since becoming available early last week, roughly 1 in 5 of the entire Second Life user base has gotten themselves copies of the PMR avatars:
Ms. Peppermint in her own PMR outfit
"Currently counting a total of 105,000 given bodies," PMR creator Salt Peppermint confirms with me last night. She's since added it to the Marketplace, and it's already on the first page of bestsellers, a disarmingly simple cardboard body amid a sea of high poly, ultra-realistic avatar accessories.
The dance party I mentioned up top is something that sprung up without her input, evidence of a growing community emerging around PMR:
"They decorated a whole venue with cardboard," Salt says with a touch of wonder, after being invited to join the fun. "They had DJs, lots of people, and all dressed in Cardy and Cardo." (PMR's default male/female body names.)
The community is still growing:
"Someone is setting up a shopping events with things all for Cardo and Cardy and cardboard-related things. People started building decor items, pets , anything cardboard really. And even a kid cardboard avatar was added. It's totally getting a life of its own at this point. amazing to see, truly."
When Salt Peppermint first created PMR, it was a response to the pressures of Second Life's massive, lucrative, but highly vexing mesh avatar economy. (Not to mention a pricey one, where a full high-end mesh upgrade can cost the consumer upwards of $50.)
"We have TOO many mesh bodies and I am tired of rigging," she told me last week. "With the current state of how mesh bodies work in SL, is that you buy an item that is rigged specifically for the body you wear. [Top-selling mesh body] Maitreya has released only female bodies. And only clothes rigged for their specific bodies will work for them. Same goes for any other current body brand."
PMR was her humorous response — which was quickly embraced by many lead SL brands, and then by the Second Life community at large:
"I think everyone was always chasing ultra-realism," Salt says, reflecting on all this unexpectedly continued excitement, "but Cardy and Cardo reminded us how fun and refreshing simple can be. Their 2D charm brought back the joy of just playing, the ability to create for literally everyone, and it turns out – flat can be fabulous!"
I agree. After years of high poly hegemony, which has led to all kinds of negative social consequences (let alone lots of lag), Project Mesh Revolution is a scintillating breath of fresh air. Who knows how long it will last, but for now at least, it points to a new way of experiencing Second Life which is far more social and egalitarian.
Wagner James Au / New World Notes 
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