A short 15 minute presentation given by Gary Hayes at the Sydney Writers Festival on Thurs 22nd May 2008 as part of a session looking at the visualisation and installation of poetry inside Second Life and other metaverses. Gary investigates the three levels of Sublime Immersion that are indicative of how art is currently being created inside these Social Virtual spaces - Authored, Resonant and Co-creative. It includes some latest statistics and research on the inhabitants of the world and some images from several well known installations and events across Second life

1. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
in Second Life
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

2. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored
2 Resonant
3 Co-creative
and the artists challenge
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

3. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Gary recent created ‘social’ environments
BigPond Telstra Fortune 100s AFTRS/Cog/Others
ABC Island Deakin Arts Island Thursday’s Fictions
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

4. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

5. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

6. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Social Virtual Worlds can emulatereal world but beware of over representation
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

7. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
A few commercial Social Virtual Worlds
Club Penguin 4m Habbo Hotel 8m Stardoll 12m Nicktropolis 5.5m
Second Life 1.2m there.com 0.8m SimsOnline Mattel Barbie 2.75m (2mts)
Kaneva NeoPets 30m Webkinz 3.8m Sony Home PS3
SVWs inside gameplay environs - Runescape - 5.5m, World of Warcraft 9.2m, Gaia Online 3.5m, Disney VMK 1.8m etc etc
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

8. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Second Life is a Sandbox
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

9. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Second Life is a place to learn
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

10. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Second Life a place to spent a ‘lot’ of time
Overall, 516,134 users spent an average of 56.12 hours each in Second Life during April 2008
Total signups increased by 368,006 (2.81%) in April, and 408,499 (3.22%) in March
83.79% of the population is 25 years and older, and the older users
spend far 3 times more time in Second Life than younger users with those over 44 years old continuing to be
the heaviest users on average, and teens and under-25's spending the least time.
Females spent nearly twice as long online in Second
Life as the boys
* 45 and older: 70.17 hours per user
* 35-44: 66.06 hours per user
* 25-34: 55.55 hours per user
* 18-24: 37.84 hours per user
* Teen grid: 24.67 hours per user
* Uganda: avg 89.4 hrs per user
* Russia: avg 79.24 hrs per user
* Bahamas: avg 78.09 hrs per user
April's Lindex activity was US$8,653,125 in April 08
55 percent watch far less television since becoming
active in Virtual Worlds
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

11. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

12. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Stickiness of Social Virtual Worlds: simply more and more
people spending more and more time
Second Life (creation around 30% of time) active monthly
participants around 900 000 are in-world between 42 to 58 hours
per month.
Compare with (source MediaGuardian):
- Facebook’s 75 million users on for just 4 hours per month.
- 132 million Americans watching YouTube but they just watch 5
minutes per day, or 2.5 hours per month.
- TV watching is irrelevant to generation c and already in the UK
for all generations, more time is spent online than in front of TV
“Second Life has the highest rates of loyalty and 'stickiness'
of any social network with active inhabitants (900k) 56 hours
per month”
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

13. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

14. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - Sistine Chapel 2007
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

15. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - Art Installations (as real world)
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

16. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - SkyDancers IV 2008
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

17. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - NPIRL Garden of Delights
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

18. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - NPIRL Garden of Delights
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

19. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - NPIRL Garden of Delights
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

20. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
1 Authored - Deakin University
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

21. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
2 Resonant
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

22. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
2 Resonant - Blackthorn Hare, Yes
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

23. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
2 Resonant - Thursday’s Fictions
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

24. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
2 Resonant - Whisper Box then Parsec
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

25. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
2 Resonant - Adam Ramona (Music Installations) + Babelswarm
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

26. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
3 Co-creative
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

27. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
3 Co-create?
Dare we involve the ‘participants’
in the/our creative process?
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

28. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Be A Part of the Conversation, Community and Co-Create
Itʼs not about artificial interactivity its one-to-one relationships
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

29. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Tools for inhabitants “roll your own” Social Virtual Worlds
Metaplace
Vastpark Openlife Open Croquet
Multiverse Mirror World HiPiHi Twinity
There and Second Life options
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

30. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Community Created Content (CCC)
84 percent of Australian and 88 percent of New
1
Zealand internet users use Web 2.0 for sharing
content such as photos, links and video
Community Consumed Media
83% in Australia and 88% in New Zealand
Community Consumed Video
Around 78 percent of Australians and 76 percent
of New Zealanders download and stream audio
and video content.
CONSUMER GENERATED MEDIA: EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION? Nielsen 26 February 2008
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com

31. Three Levels of Sublime Immersion
Sydney Writers Festival 2008
Brief, I hope - Thankyou
Gary Hayes, Director LAMP @ AFTRS & Head of Virtual Worlds, The Project Factory
gary.hayes@aftrs.edu.au gary@theprojectfactory.com - blogs lamp.edu.au & www.personalizemedia.com