Los Angelesm July 9: As if Google didn’t have a strong enough hold on the planet, on Tuesday it has launched its own world — a virtual world, to be exact.
Lively, which Google likes to call a “virtual experience”, allows you to create an avatar, decorate your own virtual room, invite friends to your room and do things you’ve always dreamed of, like blow up Oil barrels on an island.
Unlike popular virtual worlds such as Second Life, Lively doesn’t require you to download new software. All you need is a browser plug-in. The service is distributed more widely than Second Life: Its rooms will live on web pages on Facebook and other sites, so you might stumble across them when browsing the Internet. Rooms can be private spaces, with entry by invitation only, or open-topic rooms, where you can meet people interested in discussing topics you enjoy, like Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston or Google.
It also ties into other Google services. You can stream YouTube videos into your virtual living room or post your Picasa pictures on your walls. “Our intent is to be part of the users’ everyday experience,” said Niniane Wang, an engineering manager at Google who helped create Lively. “We designed it to be easy to use.” An early look into Lively suggests that Google succeeded at that mission. It’s easy to choose avatars from a number of different options, including a turban-wearing bear. It’s easy to change their clothes, hair color and skin color. It’s easy to drag and drop furniture and lava lamps to position them around your room. Want your turban-wearing bear to wave to the hot mama across the room? Just type \\\\\\\\ave. Want him to giggle? Just type \\\\ugh. Lively looks hip, too. It’s sort of a combination between anime and a Disney movie, with wide-eyed avatars and colorful, angular scenery. Chat bubbles are brightly coloured and attached to avatars with long stems. All of which leads to the big question: Is Lively going to be the site that finally brings virtual worlds into the mainstream? Probably, said Chris Sherman, executive director of Virtual Worlds Management, an industry trade group.
