MUVEs and Web2.0

At the beginning of July, I attended to my first workshop within SL. That was the first time I meet my project partners and I look forward to meet them in world. The topic of the workshop sounds interesting: scavenger hunt.

I already learnt how to teleport to places within SL: After getting the SLURL I teleported myself to the MUVEnation workshop area and I, MelAnn Vlodovic, met Paz Lorenz, StevenW Bohm, Futura Fortas, Fraser Fonda, Nifara Blackadder, Suzetta Blackadder, Ere Nitely and Vecna Bookmite.

They were all very nice and we communicated via chat. Then the leader of the workshop, Nifara Blackadder, gave us the first task: we should split us into two teams: the blue and the red team. I belong to the red team with Paz, StevenW and Suzetta. We were asked what is meant by scavenger hunt and we exchanged our opinions about this item. After that all participants got a notecard with a list of tasks, which every team had to fulfil within 45 minutes. The scavenger hunt began! We had to present a list of objects on the land provided after 45 minutes – and we were free – how to fulfil the task. We could build, buy, put the object from our existing inventory, search for freebies etc.

The main focus lay on the team collaboration and communication. We had to decide how to fulfil the different tasks. For that Paz started an IM group chat for the red team and we discussed about the team task. First we decided that each one of us take a look in the own inventory and search for things of the list. I had no object of the task list within my inventory. Paz and Steve put different objects from the list on the workshop area.

I checked the notecard with the list of objects we had to present again and thought about how to create them. Search within SL, search for it in the internet, take a picture of it??? Paz suggests taking pictures from a few objects, creating a prim/quarter and put the jpg. as texture on the object. But how does it runs? I asked for that via chat.

Paz gave me some instructions:

1. I have to take a picture or search for a picture within the internet of an object.
2. Then I have to upload the jpg. in my inventory
3. I have to create an object
4. I have to upload a jpg. as texture for the quarter

I already knew how to change the texture of an object, but how I can upload a jpg. within SL? I found the function how to upload a file and I saw that I have to pay 10 Linden Dollars for that. I asked the other team members if it’s true that I have to pay 10 Linden Dollars when I want to upload a file. Paz confirmed that and gave me Linden Dollars so that I could upload the jpg., because I still had no money. I uploaded the jpg. and built a quarter with the texture of that jpg. In so doing I created a quarter with an apple and with a dog. Then I checked the list of tasks and compared it with the existing objects on the workshop area.

Paz and StevenW were very fast in building objects and searching for objects and had different ideas how to fulfil the task list. For me it was not easy to follow the things as quickly -‑ talking to the others via the chat, looking in my inventory, building objects and compare the already existing objects with the list of tasks we had to fulfil ‑- and doing these activities nearby to the same time. I had the feeling to be one step (or two, three …) past the others; but at the end I was satisfied that I created two objects of the list and learnt how to do that.

It was an interesting experience to attend to the workshop.

Thanks to Edwin for organising the in-world scavenger hunt!