videoludica. game culture 

Like the invention of the motion picture in the late nineteenth century, the virtual world of the late twentieth century is a new way of human interaction. Of course, the Virtual World diverges from the medium of film in many important ways particularly in that it is not a passive medium, but is instead interactive and immersive—in which everyone is an actor.

In the Virtual Worlds industry of the early twenty-first century we are now witnessing the rise of great directors creating masterfully crafted experiences; the coming of voice like the talkies of the 1920s; the large and expensive grid-based worlds akin to the big sets of the studio system; and the numerous small worlds projects which feel like early independent films. Machinima, the use of Virtual Worlds to create short movies, is another fascinating parallel.

For this special evening panel we have gathered an in-person group of avatars of the medium of Social Virtual Worlds, in which the users create most of the spaces and interactions within them.

In Session I, Bruce Damer, a Virtual Worlds pioneer, visionary and historian will lead off with a condensed history of the medium and provide a demonstration.

In Session II, the program will then follow with our standard panel format to discuss the evolution and growth of the medium. Our panelists include a leading practitioner of in-world life and a business visionary behind the studio system of Virtual Worlds. Damer will moderate the panel discussion and pose key questions to the panel about where the medium is today and where it may be headed.

Panelists:

- Moderator: Bruce Damer, Curator, Digibarn Computer Museum. and Author, "Avatars! Exploring and Building Virtual Worlds on the Internet" (Peachpit Press, 1997)

- Philip Rosedale, CEO, Linden Labs

Monday, March 30, 2009

6:00 p.m. Members Reception – For CHM Members only

6:00 p.m. Core Members Reception

7:00 p.m. Program: Session I – Bruce Damer

7:30 p.m. Program: Session II – Panel Discussion

Wine for Core Members Reception provided by The Mountain Winery