Interoperability in Virtual Worlds

For anyone like me who is trying to keep up with what’s going on in the virtual world arena, you know what a pain it is to go to Second Life, Kaneva, HelloKittyOnline, etc., register, create a profile and avatar, enter the virtual world, try to get the feel for navigation, interact with other people, explore different locales…..well, frankly it’s exhausting and I just don’t have enough hours in the day and I can’t keep all of my avatars straight. Well, IBM and Linden Labs, along with about 30 other companies have been working on creating universal, or open, avatars that could move around in different virtual worlds without any trouble. Although the announcement of the collaboration was back in October 2007, I haven’t really heard much since then. Still, messing around with some different things got me thinking about the interoperability thing, especially when you start talking about the increasing interest in virtual environments.

Just as Web 2.0 is all about connectivity, networking, and interoperability, I guess it’s a logical next step to find ways to extend that to a 3D internet, where your open avatar is the same as the OpenID currently being experimented with. I mean who wouldn’t want to log in to Second Life, attend a stimulating virtual lecture, head over to World of Warcraft or your favorite MMO, kill a few orcs or demons, then hit one of MTV’s virtual worlds for some fun and relaxation, all with the same avatar!