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We’ve Got a Second
Life
What can a museum do in a virtual world that
would be difficult—or impossible—to do in the real
world? Exploratorium media creators and educators have been exploring
this question by experimenting in Second Life (SL), a large,
multiuser, three-dimensional online virtual world. You visit
this world as an “avatar” (a representation of yourself),
and through your avatar’s eyes explore areas and features
made by other people or by institutions, or create new environments—or
parts of them—yourself. Social interaction is one of the
most important features of SL; you can use instant messaging,
gestures, or chats to communicate with others. You can also have
experiences that are impossible in the real world—from
flying anywhere in SL to soaring through the solar system to
altering gravity. What you do depends on your curiosity and creativity,
which makes it a perfect playground for the Exploratorium.
Since early 2006, our staff
has been exploring the possibilities provided by Second Life—and
has done some amazing things. On March 29, 2006, we mixed real-
and virtual-world experiences when we presented a live Webcast
of our solar eclipse coverage from Side, Turkey, in three virtual
SL amphitheaters. Our eclipse program was also shown on the
Web and at the museum, but the experience was different in
Second Life. People from around the world, represented by their
avatars, gathered at the amphitheaters and shared the unique
experience by chatting with each other and with Exploratorium
(avatar) staff. In another mix of real and virtual reality,
we streamed an entire rare transit of the planet Mercury live
from telescopes at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory
(NOAO) in Kitt Peak, Arizona, into the International Spaceflight
Museum site in SL. Exploratorium staff members provided voice
commentary, and an avatar staff member on stage answered questions
posed by avatars in the international audience. A three-dimensional
model of the orbit of Mercury hung over the stage; avatars
could fly to and examine the orbiting planet.
In the future, we plan to
do a lot more in this online world. Exploratorium Island in SL has a growing number of interactive exhibits, many of which would be impossible to create on the floor of our real museum in San Francisco. We put on public events periodically on the island, and at other locations in SL, and also use the island for exhibit prototyping and for professional development workshops for interactive web developers, museum professionals, and educators. Sploland, an island adjacent to Exploratorium island, offers fun and provocative exhibits in the spirit of the Exploratorium. Check out both spaces and remember that you can easily fly or teleport between them!
We’ll continue to experiment
and expand the social, contextual, and educational possibilities
of SL through more live events, plus offer other features still
in the planning stage. |
