University banned from Second Life

[MikeDC]

I found this story very weird and kind of sad. I have no idea about second life, but here's the jist to me.

Woodbury University's virtual campus in Second Life was torn down yesterday by Linden Lab, the company that operates the virtual world, and the accounts of several students and professors were blocked. The tale involves virtual superheroes, accusations of vandalism, and conflicting ideas of what a campus should look like in a virtual world.

and

The professor said he felt that the virtual campus did not conform to what Linden Lab wanted a campus to be—with buildings and virtual lecture halls. And, he said, company officials objected to letting any users become affiliated with the virtual campus, whether or not they were enrolled at Woodbury. Mr. Clift said he felt that allowing a diverse group of participants and setting up an open facility was the best fit for the university's mission.

"Woodbury is sick of this," he said, referring to the ban. "Our brand is being maligned, and our 125-year mission is being trampled on."

Jordan Bellino, a senior at Woodbury who had been an organizer of the virtual campus, said the incident suggests the dangers of online meeting spaces' being run by companies, which get to decide who participates and who doesn't. "It took years and thousands of dollars to make that [virtual campus] happen," he said, "and it all vanished in a matter of an hour because Linden Lab pushed a button."

It's just creepy to me that someone would set up a virtual world for individuals to go out and make whatever they want to make, and then tear it down because what they make isn't what the guy who runs it likes. Even creepier that it's a matter of education.

But kind of amusing that it parallels key elements of Demolition Man and Old School.

 

[bluefrog]

That's bizare.

I did some work for my school's campus on 2nd Life. There were restrictions on what we could do but we had a lot of free reign to design and implement it the way the university wanted.