mikolas

Google Enters the Virtual World Arena with Lively

Image via Wikipedia

So it was destined to happen: Google announced that they are also entering the virtual world arena with Lively, a browser based VW implementation. While there has been a lot of buzz and a lot of VC dollars involved with VW business this year, this news means trouble for players like Linden Lab and Sulake. It’s not only because Google is doing it, but because it is certain that Microsoft will follow Google either by rolling their own implementation or by buying themselves to the market - they simply will follow in Google’s footprints after making the mistake of not following with search. This means that smaller players will have trouble with the competition which also makes it harder to raise VC money. That about the business aspect.

The emergence of virtual worlds has been something of a curiosity for me for a long time. The reason is simple: I’m a huge science fiction fan and the development of global telecommunications infrastructure and now virtual reality applications on top of that reminds me of works by William Gibson. Add in diminishing natural resources and shortage of energy and food and things are getting really science fiction indeed - and not always for better. As my favourite writer, J.G. Ballard, put it: “Sooner or later, all science fiction comes true.”