NMC Campus Observer

Strangers in Strange Lands

Ninmah Ash (aka Rachel Smith) : Feb 19, 2008 12:47pm

The February 18 Teachers Buzz session took place underwater… and in a prehistoric world… and in hell… and in heaven. All those places were created by students in Michael Wright’s (Mrags Writer in Second Life) Concepts and Issues in New Media course at Otis College of Art and Design. Each environment was created by one class working as a team, and each team had just 13 hours to complete the project. The results are spectacular.

Housed on Otis Island (128, 128, 0), each project challenged its creators to develop an idea, establish a production line, and translate the idea into (virtual) reality in a short period of time and with a limited budget. The students had 3 hours of in-class time and 10 hours of in-world time to complete the environments they designed. None had any prior experience in Second Life.

Each of the three classes was alotted 3100 prims for their project. The themes chosen were “Pirates and Atlantis,” “Heaven and Hell,” and “Lost World and Mythology.” Each detailed environment is a visual feast, including elements like swimming fish, molten lava flows, and soothing fountains.

According to Wright, the students found that working in the 3D environment was challenging and stimulating, if occasionally frustrating. Students cited the team-building aspect of working together on a project like this as one of the high points of the experience. Problems they encountered were related mostly to hardware and bandwidth issues.

If you missed the Buzz and would like to see the projects, visit Otis Island (128, 128, 0) to take a look around. Hurry, though: the space will be entirely cleared in about a week, and the objects returned to their owners, to make room for the next group of new worlds.

For more information, see the report of Michael Wright’s Virtual World Project in Second Life.

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Story filed under: Arts, Teacher's Buzz, Teaching and Learning

See all stories by Ninmah Ash (aka Rachel Smith)