The ABC Island to sink like Atlantis

~ image ~ Sedja reacts to the news that the ABC Island in Second Life is scheduled sink like Atlantis

It came as quite a shock to discover that Australia's government owned national media network, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, commonly called the ABC, is about to abandon its presence in Second Life and allow its hugely popular island to sink beneath the waves like a second Atlantis.

Launched on the 19th of March 2007, this is where I made my first baby steps as an avatar, ever so gingerly finding out how the virtual world worked, getting the computer settings right and finally breaking out only a year ago to explore virtual world prospects at Nautilus, then venturing into InWorldz and onto OSGrid to see how the growing pantheon of virtual worlds worked.

A report from the day of the launch describes how ~ "The island has been developed collaboratively with 3D, sound and design students and staff from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), with creative writing from Jackie Turnure (AFTRS/LAMP) and direction and significant building from SL expert Gary Hayes. Interested Second Life residents known as 'ABC Friends', Lisa Dethridge (RMIT) and renowned artist and animator Nathan Jurevicius were also key collaborators in the project."

http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/media/s1874876.htm

After a massive griefing attack in May 2007, the ABC Island was described as the third most visited commercial site in Second Life ~
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/abcs-virtual-site-griefed/story-e6frfmq9-1111113593638

Now the landscape appears to have changed and the ABC is avoiding the virtual worlds in all shapes sizes and forms like it is a carrier of the plague.

Gabby Shaw, Acting Head of Strategic Development @ ABC Innovation recently wrote about the pending death by drowning of the ABC Island ~ "The ABC’s experience in Second Life has certainly exercised our imagination, but we feel there’s not much left to explore. We don’t see any new virtual worlds either by start-ups or a major web presence on the horizon. We do recognise though the continued growth in Second Life’s earnings since it started nine years ago, with one million people logging in each month and earnings of over $75 million a year for the founder Linden Labs. It’s obviously working for some but by all accounts it’s cyber-sex, gaming and virtual real estate that are the real drawcards, so it’s time for us to go."

http://abc-innovation.tumblr.com/

Seeing reference to "cyber sex", one can but wonder if there has been any political influence over the withdrawal of ABC funding for virtual world activities.

This is not a sudden decision, as ABC support for their island in Second Life as been scaled back to a volunteer level for some months, with all the amazing old builds removed and the new less impressive constructions never completed. 

The process appears to have been a slow strangulation, by cutting funding, before the final act of drowning the island.

Australian artists active in the virtual world became alarmed in 2009, when there appeared to be a real prospect that access to the virtual world would be blocked under proposed censorship laws. 

In her letter to the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, the virtual world Australian artist ~ Juanita Deharo ~ wrote in June 2009 ~ "You are probably aware there is concern amongst the virtual world community regarding the possibility of virtual world sites becoming inaccessible due to the possible introduction of filtering. The issue has been somewhat sensationalized and there is now a great deal of concern amongst the virtual world community about the future. I am writing to you to seek clarification of the government’s position and future intentions."

http://juanitadeharo.blogspot.com.au/2009_06_01_archive.html

In her letter Juanita declared, "I represent a group called ‘Australian Artists’ which is a group of artists working within virtual environments, most commonly the virtual world ‘Second Life’, but also including Open Sim, Open Life, Legend City, and others."

The virtual world has come to reflect the interests of people on the street in real life and for some, this is offensive. There will always be members of society who find real life offensive, where art often finds itself in the firing line, as an easy target for offence attacks.

We all have choices and just as in real life, we can decide what we do.

We can build a safe environment for children, but we can also build a mature world, where visual art can be explored in all its dimensions, just as happens in the art galleries of the real world.

If the whole society is forced to become a primary school environment, then youth will never learn to handle the adult world, making forbidden fruits all the more attractive.

This form of morality warps judgement and creates a secret society without moral judgement.

Considering the growth in virtual worlds and their increasing use in education, it is bizarre to see the ABC running away to hide under a bush and as a national broadcasting service, neglecting the needs and rights of a growing number of virtual world users.