Ever since James Cameron's "
Avatar" hit the theaters, metaverse users have been
finding ways to incorporate his movie into virtual worlds. As I
mentioned yesterday, many are jumping on the boat and turning blue to
ride the "Avatar" coat-tails. It seems that all you need to do is turn whatever you were selling into the color blue, and you've got yourself a Genuine Authentic Official Pandora-Na'Vi-Avatar thingamabob.
Massively wrote a great follow-up on this hoopla called "
The Sea Monkey experience of Avatars"
"Virtual environments can be beautiful, can exhibit grace, and can be immersive and fascinating and useful in all sorts of different ways ... but if you've got the 'Avatar blues', it's like buying Sea Monkeys and getting Artemia salina × nyos.
We don't expect actual user-retention in any virtual environment to rise significantly in the wake of this. We expect that the number of retained Pandora-piners will be about the same percentage as retention for pretty much any other general demographic. Sea Monkeys can be pretty awesome, make no mistake. They just might not be what you really want.
In the meantime, there's a lot of designers across several virtual environments who are making a lot of money copying skins, designs and settings from the film."
Here is my list of 5 ways you can try to make a buttload of cash by riding the blue glowing wave of "Avatar" and it's popularity.
1) Turn the crap you were selling into the color blue (and make it glow!).
That's right... any content you were selling before can now be official Na'vi "Avatar" content by changing it to the color blue, making it glow, and by changing the title of the object. Look, I did it here:
What was once a wood box called "Object" is now
an Official "Avatar" glowing blue prim called:
"Pandora's Box" ... on sale now....
(If you would like the x-rated version,
these Na'vi prims are also for sale at Zindra,
coincidentally also named "Pandora's Box")
2) Change the avatar skins you were selling to the color blue.
If you were a skin designer or avatar designer, all you have to do is add blue versions to your product line... and of course, call those skins "Na'vi"
Hot "Avatar" tail.... mmm...
In case the designers out there are wondering, the code for Na'vi skin is
H: 203 | S: 63 | B: 69 | R: 66 | G: 134 | B: 177
3) Create a Na'vi role-player group. Then create a role-player test in order to gain exclusive entry.
Similar to the Bloodlines business model: Create a role-player group, something like
Na'vi of Second Life or
Pandora Roleplay. Then, in order for avatars to become official members of the Na'vi role-player clan, they will have to shop and purchase the Na'vi avatars, and Pandora pixels in order to gain exclusive access into the group.
"I just need to buy 10 more spirits from the Sacred Tree of Souls,
then I know they'll let me in."
4) Redesign the spaceship you were selling to look like the mercenary helicopters from the movie.
Remember that rocket ship or helicopter you once made? Well strap on two large ceiling fans to the side, and now you have a human mercenary ship from the movie ready to be sold.
5) Advertise on your website (and make sure the ad has a picture of a blue avatar in it).
Finally, of course.... keep plugging!
Advertise the blue. Ride the blue wave. Anything that is blue and says "avatar" on it is a gold mine in clicks
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Although this blog post is meant to be tongue-and-cheek, I am also trying to point out that the creativity and imagination within a virtual world, and within people's minds, can be limitless. The new "Avatar" designs appearing in Second Life are quite detailed and expertly crafted. For example, "
Pandora - Na'vi ' Planet Avatar" on the
Pegase sim did a great job.
However, Second Life is practically limitless. Second Life has been around for 6 years!! Anything can be created, and usually, anything and everything IS created.... but, don't sell yourself short by jumping on the "Avatar" Na'vi bandwagon. "Avatar" is James Cameron's brain-child. Why copy it? Why not create a world of your own using Second Life (or Open Sim, or any virtual world platform) to explore your own creative, artistic, and imaginative ideas? Sure, the movie "Avatar" is hot right now, but it's only one of many options. Use your own brain power to create, and not to copy and sell.
by Erik Qualman.
Unlike other ballet companies, Ballet Pixelle uses new technology to take the art form into a unique environment to new and existing spectators - the first and only of its kind. The company performs in and takes advantage of a 3D Internet virtual world called 
