[HMDS] The Island Takes Shape
After a week, the Magicians were ready to show me some of the final versions of objects that would be featured throughout the essay contest. The contest essentially would be a series of activities, discovered through exploration, talking youth from a talking rock, to an Earth Throne that quizzed them on digital media issues, to a talking tree, and down into the volcano itself where they pat the bat, touch a crystal, and get this beautifully designed iguana.
During the activities various incentives are given, like the Global Kids t-shirt, a decoder ring, and more. This is all in the service of the Global Kids Digital Media Essay Contest. Each valid entry gets the applicant $2,500L, with a chance to win up to $200 US.
Over here I am meeting some of the talking objects for the first time. To the left is the globe that will rise from the lake when a teen sits on the Earth Throne. In the background, you can see the terraformed volcano beginning to take shape. To the right is the flowing lava that will be placed on the volcano.
Each seems pretty cool, but they are all still out of context. Since I lack any conceptual tools to put them together in my own mind, I have no choice but to be fueled by faith.
This is it! Say good-bye to my generic, temporary Global Kids design and say hello to the unknown that awaits. At this point, the entire island has been flattened and the volcano begins to rise in the distance.
The volcano will be the combination of terraformed land, textures, and placed objects. Here is the volcano, seen from above, showing the terraforming in progress, sans textures and objects.
One of the neat things about hiring a team to build in Second Life was that I could login and drop by any time to see how the work was progressing. I was careful not to make it look like I was watching over their shoulder - which was hard not to do in the most literal sense in this embodied environment - so I tried to be careful and only zoom in and out with minimum interference.
I really do enjoy the inner tube in Second Life. Once the basics of the land shape were in place, my favorite way to tour it was to rez myself a ride, hop in, and paddle around. I was amazed at how large the space felt. It took a few minutes to complete the tour. Since only a small portion of the island is dedicated to the essay contest and the work of the Magicians, the tube tour made it clear to me that we needed some form of physical barrier separating the contest from the rest of the island.
The separation had to be intuitive. I requested the addition of a river which could serve as a natural barrier... and additional place to tube. While touring around, I saw Alex in the distance doing... something. He walked the plains to greet me and invited me over.
Alex was working on the Earth Throne experience. To earn access to the volcano, a teen has to sit on the throne and answer the question posed by the globe that rises out of the water. The question is multiple choices and randomly selected from a pool of thirteen, each designed to raise issues about youth and digital media that could inform their final essay. With the proper answer, the teen gains one hour of volcano access and a fire amulet to wear around their neck. Here Alex is showing me for the first time how the globe rises and falls.
Alex was kind enough to pose in front of his globe and wave for the camera. He lives in Scotland.
