rise of the virtual-to-real labor force : from underwear to architecture jerry paffendorf

Rise of the Virtual-to-Real Labor Force:From Underwear to Architecture

Jerry Paffendorf

Cory Already Ate Much of This Talk’s Lunch in His Earlier Keynote So I Will

Keep This Short and Sweet

Jerry Paffendorf

This is about

Designing things in the virtual world and making them in the real world

Points from Cory’s talk

•Large-scale groups of people collaborating to make interesting things

•Significant maket in intangible goods (nearly $1 billion worldwide)

• Users consume content faster than designers can make it

• When creation is easy people will explore the design space

• Digital cool hunting and idea harvesting• Sending virtual content back out again

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

VWs w/ 150,000+ subscribers, Sir Bruce, 2004 (approx. 8 mil.)

Lots of people spend lots of time in Virtual Worlds



VW w/ 0-120,000 subscribers, Sir Bruce, 2004 (approx. 8 mil.)

Lots of people spend lots of time in Virtual Worlds

…fantasy to representation (non-$ value stays in the VW)

Their primary direction of these worlds is virtual-to-virtual…

…speaking the real world’s language through its signs

To a lesser extent there’s also real-to-virtual…

Virtual-to-Real looks ripe to me if…

•$880 million world market for virtual goods•Players routinely spend upwards of 20 hours a

week in virtual worlds•Gaming rivals Hollywood and TV in time and

money•People have a passionate interest in doing

more than “crafting”•Virtual worlds are ideal spaces for “mass-

customization”

What are you there for?

•Massively Multi-Player

•Massively Multi-User

•Massively Multi-Maker

2 Mini Cases

Threadless (www.threadless.com)

•Open Call Fashion (2D)

Second Life (www.secondlife.com)

•COPS User-Created Digital World (3D)

Open Call Model

Anyone can submit a digital proposal for something to be made in the real world, creating a large, nearly free work force where what doesn’t work is disregarded and what does work gets made

COPS Productivity Backdrop

Creativity

Ownership

Persistence (memory)

Shared Space

(Not necessarily 3D or immersive)

2 Umbrella Categories

•Pre-visualizing concepts (film, storyboarding, choreography)- to model after, to practice with, to demonstrate, etc.

•Prototyping objects (fashion, architecture, product design)- to print, build, or otherwise embody

Threadless homepage www.threadless.com

Threadless user community with shirts of their own design

Accepted Threadless design

Second Life’s Avalon fashion plazawww.spacethinkdream.com / www.riversrunred.com



http://www.threadless.com/



Mrs Jones’ Second Life fashion line



Second Life fashion show pic



(Jeff)

ISACer Jeff Thompson in SL in AC2004 shirt

Platforms everywhere

Breaking expectations

…and making things in virtual worlds for the real world

As video games and social software branch out…

Any takers?

The “Digital Entrepreneur” Challenge

Reality TV show or documentary for G4techtv or other network that follows entrepreneurial attempts to start profitable businesses in Second Life

•Fashion •Pre-Vis (film) •Education •Game Design •In-World Services (custom avatars, etc.)



3D print NOT from Second Life

Looking forward:How streamlined can virtual-to-real/open call become?

•COPS (Creativity, Ownership, Pesistence)

•“Massively Multi-Maker”

•Open Call model

•“Digital Entrepreneur”

I’m interested in experimenting with these models and services.

PLEASE TALK TO ME IF YOU ARE TOO!

[email protected]

rise of the virtual-to-real labor force : from underwear to architecture jerry paffendorf

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