SmallWorlds Blog
A virtual world for the masses
May 21st, 2008 - Mitch Olson
SmallWorlds is the first web-accessible, casual virtual world which is designed for mass market appeal. Online virtual worlds have traditionally been impeded by a number of factors that have prevented them from breaking through niche markets to appeal to a broad demographic. These include the need to download and install the application, complicated and intimidating user interfaces, difficulty in navigating and finding things to do in the world, and limited options to customize the world and your experience without a sophisticated level of computer expertise.SmallWorlds breaks through these limitations and brings the very best in accessibility and interaction design from the Web2.0 era. SmallWorlds makes the richness of a multi-dimensional social and entertainment experience available to anyone and everyone from 13 to 103. Of SmallWorlds, Ryan Stewart, Rich Internet Application Evangelist at Adobe and ZDNet blogger said “…filled with Web 2.0 goodness everywhere you look” and called Smallworlds “The coolest Flex application I’ve ever seen”
A 1st class citizen of the web
SmallWorlds has been built as a “first class citizen” of the web from the ground up. In the traditional “2D Web”, the web page is the core unit of addressability. In the 3D world of SmallWorlds the equivalent of a page is a 3D space, and just like any web page, each 3D space has its own URL. This makes inviting friends to join you in your room, to play a multiplayer game or watch together a cool video you’ve just found, as simple as instant-messaging or emailing them the URL of your customized space. By complying with web standards like supporting the browser history backward/forward buttons, incorporating third party web widgets and media, and the ability to be embedded into any web page, SmallWorlds is the first virtual world to be a true first class citizen of the web. Running in almost any web browser on virtually all mainstream Operating Systems, SmallWorlds is instantly accessible to the estimated 98% of people who already have the Adobe Flash Player installed on their computer.
Web2.0 meets Web3.D
One of the unique innovations of SmallWorlds is the way it incorporates and integrates the best features of web2.0. You can furnish your world with Flickr posters and picture frames, YouTube TVs, Last.fm and SeeqPod stereos, and Twitter message boards. However, unlike watching or listening to media on your computer by yourself, SmallWorlds uses its “Social Interplay Engine” to enable you and your friends to experience your favorite videos, music, images and widgets, together - in real-time. All of the web2.0 widgets in SmallWorlds are built on top of our extensible platform and an upcoming release will include a public API so that users and developers can build their own widgets, games and content and share them with others in SmallWorlds.
Build your own world
SmallWorlds has a number of themed public spaces so that people can experience what the world has to offer immediately. But in the same way that blogs and social networks have made self-expression and the creation of personal spaces on the web easily accessible to the masses, SmallWorlds brings the richness of a 3D world to a new generation of User Generated Content. In SmallWorlds, our motto is “build your own world”, and from your very first interaction with SmallWorlds you’ll see how easy it is to customize your own unique identity and to create your own engaging spaces. These spaces can be shared with a close group of friends, a club, guild or community you run or belong to, or anyone and everyone on the web.
A world of entertainment
SmallWorlds integrates all forms of casual entertainment into a realtime social context. Whether it be watching videos, listening to music, or playing casual games, SmallWorlds offers a huge variety of options for users to entertain themselves and others. SmallWorlds integrates game mechanics throughout the world, from missions (quests that give experience and currency rewards) to high score ladders and tournaments. By opening up its platform to third party game developers, SmallWorlds will revolutionize casual gaming by providing a rich social and achievement framework that will reward players beyond the normal confines of a high score ladder.
Register for the open beta now
SmallWorlds has been in development for 18 months, but from Monday 2nd June at noon PDT, it will become available to the general public. However, for the first 1,000 people to sign up for the beta we are offering exclusive access to the product 1 week earlier. Go to the SmallWorlds site now and click on the orange “Register for Beta” button and be one of the first web users to see why Mark Szulc of Adobe called SmallWorlds “the best online interactive experience currently on the web.”
Closing
SmallWorlds is a new convergence product responding to the demand for richer, more social and participative forms of entertainment and self-expression. It sits at the intersection of web2.0, social networking, and entertainment, and wraps these all into a virtual world environment that breaks significant new ground in accessibility. SmallWorlds gives users the ability to create their own 3D spaces in which they can share textured, real-time experiences with their friends and others. By integrating the most compelling features of the current personal publishing, social engagement and entertainment trends, we aim to provide internet users with a new platform where they can express themselves, be entertained, and socialize with one another on a whole new dimension.
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Topic: 5/21/2008 A Virtual World For The Masses (Read 2875 times)