TV21 and Tetris

I've been somewhat preoccupied in recent days, with lots of deep discussions going off in all directions. This is all good fun, but it does mean that my poor blog has been feeling left out in the cold. So last night, after wrestling for most of the evening with a stubbornly intransigent laptop that shows all the signs of being totally FUBAR'd, I donned my virtual walking boots and set off into the big, wide metaverse of Second Life to look for something new. After the usual false starts I finally alighted upon the island TV21. This sim seemingly belongs to a German company of the same name. TV21 is a television production company that seems to specialise in interview and current affairs shows for local TV stations.

The island itself looks quite new, and not fully complete. At least, that is my assumption, as it is still somewhat sparsely furnished. On arrival I found a giant game of Tetris, which seems to be the only interactive feature on the island, aside from a couple of weblinks. Next to this was a rotating box, advertising a number of jobs (LSL programmer, SL architect and 3D designer) at Bokowsky + Laymann, "Marketing in Computer mediated Environments." This company, as with many others like it, have extended their marketing offers into Second Life, and have a website specifically aimed at companies looking to acquire a presence in the virtual world. Joining the dots, I assume that the TV21 sim has been built by Bokowsky + Laymann. Here endeth the Sherlock Holmes part of the post.


The island is set out in a tropical style and comprises 4 straightforward office buildings, offering meeting spaces of varying sizes, including a room that kept telling me it was for staff only, but (a) allowed me in and (b) did not kick me out. There is also a tiki bar, for those wanting a less formal meeting. An extensive system of teleports will take you around the various locations on the island. There is little information available, hence my conclusion that the build, though nearing completion, still has a way to go.



The quality of the build is, in my view, so-so. There is a fairly attractive water feature,
but aside from that the build is unexceptional. It has a corporate look to it, lacking in wit and imagination; there is nothing there (yet) to capture the imagination. I accept (or hope!) that it is too early to tell whether the island will acquire more character as its launch approaches. I can only hope so (having the Tetris is at least an indication that there may be more to come).