Wagner James Au / New World Notes
Author, strategist, virtual world reporter
recent posts
- Welcome to New World Notes’ 2006-2025 Archive!
- Virtual World Usage Stats from S&P Global Market Intelligence — Plus VRChat & Second Life Specifics!
- Top Five Posts Including: Huge Rec Room Layoff & Meta Boots Neal Stephenson Off Facebook (Briefly)
- Four Glorious Second Life Sims to Explore — After Watching Sabina Valeska’s Machinima Tributes to Them!
- Virtual World Usage Stats from S&P Global Market Intelligence — Plus VRChat & Second Life Specifics!
about
Category: Grotesque Self-Aggrandizement
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I'll be on Reddit's /IAMA this Thursday at 9am SLT for anyone to ask me anything! Sorry for the excessive self-promotion, but I'm hoping longtime New World Notes readers come by to ask interesting questions. Here's a handy timer thingie to watch the countdown!
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"There Will Never Be Another Second Life" is a new essay I was thrilled to write for The Atlantic to mark the virtual world's 20th anniversary. Hope you read the whole thing, but here's some key highlights: The reasons for the virtual world’s longevity are as paradoxical as they are inspiring, especially in this moment…
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Just had a great conversation on Kent Bye's excellent Voice of VR podcast (stream above) around Making a Metaverse That Matters, and since Kent is an expert on the topic, we get into a super deep dive. Here's some highlights, including our debate around Meta not doing any research (far as I can tell) into…
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Click here to a reserve a spot to join a book launch party in the metaverse platform Breakroom next week Wednesday! Will be a fun and casual Summer bonfire-themed event, hopefully similar to the event I co-hosted for Philip Rosedale back in 2021 (watch below). Details: Released on the 20th anniversary of Second Life, the…
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Getting even closer to Second Life's 20th anniversary! I just talked about the topic with FastCompany, who also chatted with Philip Rosedale. Sample: Three years after Second Life’s launch, another virtual world emerged with a much more guided approach. Roblox also empowered its users to create their own worlds, but put a heavy emphasis on…
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Now in hard cover you can hold in your hands, Making a Metaverse That Matters: From Snow Crash & Second Life to A Virtual World Worth Fighting For (Wiley), is in book stores in a couple of weeks! If you've enjoyed anything I've blogged here over the last 17 years (or at least had some…
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Enjoyed reading this long UK Guardian feature on Second Life's 20th anniversary by Simon Parkin, who also does excellent reporting on gaming culture for The New Yorker. Far as I can tell, this is the first major media story marking the 20th year of SL, though it definitely will not be the last. (Modesty forbids…
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Here's my Metaverse Forum appearance broadcast at GamesBeat 2023 last week, along with Chris Brandt, CMO of Chipotle (creator of this burrito-making game in Roblox), Roblox VP Nick Tornow, with Shuchi Rana moderating. Topics include: What got each of you interested in the Metaverse? There are many definitions & many tiers of the Metaverse, what…
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Register for free here to attend my virtual talk at GamesBeat 2023 this Wednesday (May 24) at 1:00 PM PT, where I'll be part of The Metaverse Forum panel: As the concept of gaming, immersive worlds, and the metaverse continue to evolve, it's becoming increasingly clear that there are a number of significant challenges that…
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Next week I'm speaking about Making a Metaverse That Matters (and related topics) for the first time, at the GamesBeat conferences' virtual event — go here to register for a free pass. And if you can be in the Los Angeles area next week, you can attend GamesBeat's in-person conference on March 22-23 at the…
Wagner James Au / New World Notes 