What's The Deal With Google Lively?
On Tuesday, Google launched its Second Life competitor, a virtual world known as Google Lively. It touts itself as a virtual world that, unlike Second Life, complements your actual life.
How this magical complement is supposed to happen isn't clear to me at the moment, only that Google seems to think that by integrating Lively with IE and Firefox, they're adding a great... virtual world... experience... to your... browser?
The end result seems more like a chat room that combines some static graphical flourishes and all the fun of standing in a room with strangers while everyone's facing in different directions. With one guy who can't stop break dancing.
True, installing the minimal client took about five seconds and then I was living large with Lively - and given my choice of hairstyles (that looked as if they'd been yanked straight from the Mii Channel), three shirts to wear, and even a change of pants. A change of pants? That's supposed to rival Second Life? (Which, admittedly, isn't all that useful itself.)
The controls are awkward, which for a 3D world that appears in your browser window is a bit of a deal-breaker. The absence of money would be neat, but since Lively isn't programmable, you're left to enjoy the few pieces of furniture and clothing that come with the package. It gets old fast, so far.
Who wants to chat in a virtual Silicon Valley industrial park? Why would I create my own empty 3D chat room? Worse still, why would I inflict my own empty 3D chat room on any of my friends?
A Facebook app and a forthcoming MySpace app give Lively legs that are a little longer, but not by much - especially since it doesn't do Mac, only Windows.
I'm wondering if maybe Google didn't copy precisely the worst aspects of Second Life, leaving out the ingenuity, freedom, and free-range open source possibilities.
Talk to me - I know that Lively is brand new, and will take some time to settle into its niche, but is that niche even remotely viable? Or fun?
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany, Video Games on 10 July 2008
· Comments (12)
Other stuff like this: google, lively, potentially awful, second life, weird
Oh, darn...it won't run on my MacBook...I guess I'm...missing...out...?
Is this the reason why they haven't been fixing the horrendous slow-down problems I've been having with Gmail the past few days? Sonuva...
If u are looking for more clothes and accessories make sure you click the button to open the catalog.
Psh, furries made second life. This isnt furry friendly >_>
word up shin, i guess us mac users get no love. pshh whatevs.
You've really gotta get over your Second Life bashing; it makes me not want to return to this site when you plaster your belligerent opinions on the front page about something others--even some gaygamers, gasp--actually like. So let me just leave this message here in defense of Second Life and just to say again, seriously, get a grip on things. You're hardly reporting for anyone but yourself yet for a blog that is for "gaygamers" you aren't representing anyone in a light but your own.
I agree, how dare someone who writes articles have a strong opinion, gasp--even a dislike. Then have the gall to write about it on a site they write articles for.
It makes my blood boil, and my left arm numb.
Besides, anyone who dislikes Second Life has their head screwed on, show some hate for WOW, FFXI and EVE [and them others I aren't gonna bother leaning the names of] and he may in fact be a deity.
Replies seem to irk of "Please only talk positively about everything I like, if you don't it's somehow a slight against the readers of the site"
It's as unique as it is the same as Second life, There, Habbo Hotel and any other 3D Chat box out there.
I found that there is nothing really to dislike about it, okay controls are slighty confusing but I had only given it a few hours of play.
You either Like it or you do not.
I find these programs are only as useful as you make them.
Bunny
It's as unique as it is the same as Second life, There, Habbo Hotel and any other 3D Chat box out there.
I found that there is nothing really to dislike about it, okay controls are slighty confusing but I had only given it a few hours of play.
You either Like it or you do not.
I find these programs are only as useful as you make them.
Bunny
it sounds a lot like vside, what an awful environment that is, plus they make you listen to the same horrible 5 tracks. and they expect you to buy virtual items.
I installed it...ran it for 2 minutes..then uninstalled it! NEXT...
Dunno, I don't see a point to any of these, but then again, I still use muds as my primary source of social gaming, guess I'm just behind the times. >_>