Do you want to discuss books with a video game character?
According to Galleycat, Random House is promoting a new book club in the imaginary world of Second Life where hundreds of thousands of real-life people use digital representations of themselves, or “avatars,” to interact with a videogame landscape.
As I've explained before, Second Life is a "massively multiplayer online role-playing game" (or MMORPG), a participatory videogame environment that allows players to explore fantastical landscapes and communicate with typed messages.
What do you think? I spent some time reporting in this new world, and I really enjoyed it. Should writers be paying attention to these strange places where potential readers lurk? How should we write about it?
"The Bookseller reports that The Random House Group held the first meeting of its virtual book group in Second Life yesterday (Tuesday), as the first step in a series of initiatives the publisher is planning to engage with the virtual world. Members discussed Audrey Niffenegger's THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE in the Rose Garden of the Elysian Isle, an area specially developed for RHG to host book-related events."
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The use of Second Life from a business marketing standpoint is very interesting. It can give companies like Random House the ability to tap into Web2.0 success stories and ride the wave of an on-line trend. It can clearly be a huge branding opportunity if done correctly. Of course they should also look in other areas for their growth. My wife and I recently started an on-line literary community called CurlingUp.com where members can create book clubs, book reviews, and discuss what they are reading from around the world. Not quite Second Life but it gives people the ability to move outside their traditional book club and create a broad discussion with people from different cultures.
Posted by: Brent | May 17, 2007 9:24 PM | Permalink to Comment