Rise of the VirtualtoReal Labor Force: From Underwear to Architecture

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Rise of the Virtual-to-Real Labor ForceFrom
Underwear to Architecture

• Jerry Paffendorf

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Cory Already Ate Much of This Talks Lunch in
His Earlier Keynote So I Will Keep This Short and
Sweet

• Jerry Paffendorf

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This is about

• Designing things in the virtual world and making
  them in the real world

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Points from Corys talk

• Large-scale groups of people collaborating to
  make interesting things
• Significant maket in intangible goods (nearly 1
  billion worldwide)
• Users consume content faster than designers can
  make it
• When creation is easy people will explore the
  design space
• Digital cool hunting and idea harvesting
• Sending virtual content back out again

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Lots of people spend lots of time in Virtual
Worlds
VWs w/ 150,000 subscribers, Sir Bruce, 2004
(approx. 8 mil.)
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Lots of people spend lots of time in Virtual
Worlds
VW w/ 0-120,000 subscribers, Sir Bruce, 2004
(approx. 8 mil.)
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Their primary direction of these worlds is
virtual-to-virtual
fantasy to representation (non- value stays in
the VW)
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To a lesser extent theres also real-to-virtual
speaking the real worlds language through its
signs
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Virtual-to-Real looks ripe to me if

• 880 million world market for virtual goods
• Players routinely spend upwards of 20 hours a
  week in virtual worlds
• Gaming rivals Hollywood and TV in time and money
• People have a passionate interest in doing more
  than crafting
• Virtual worlds are ideal spaces for
  mass-customization

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What are you there for?

• Massively Multi-Player
• Massively Multi-User
• Massively Multi-Maker

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2 Mini Cases

• Threadless (www.threadless.com)
• Open Call Fashion (2D)
• Second Life (www.secondlife.com)
• COPS User-Created Digital World (3D)

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Open Call Model

• Anyone can submit a digital proposal for
  something to be made in the real world, creating
  a large, nearly free work force where what
  doesnt work is disregarded and what does work
  gets made

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COPS Productivity Backdrop

• Creativity
• Ownership
• Persistence (memory)
• Shared Space
• (Not necessarily 3D or immersive)

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2 Umbrella Categories

• Pre-visualizing concepts (film, storyboarding,
  choreography)
• - to model after, to practice with, to
  demonstrate, etc.
• Prototyping objects (fashion, architecture,
  product design)
• - to print, build, or otherwise embody

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Threadless homepage www.threadless.com
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Threadless user community with shirts of their
own design
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Accepted Threadless design
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Second Lifes Avalon fashion plaza www.spacethinkd
ream.com / www.riversrunred.com
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Mrs Jones Second Life fashion line
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Mrs Jones Second Life fashion line
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Second Life fashion show pic
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ISACer Jeff Thompson in SL in AC2004 shirt

(Jeff)
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As video games and social software branch out
Platforms everywhere
Breaking expectations
and making things in virtual worlds for the real
world
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Any takers?

• The Digital Entrepreneur Challenge
• Reality TV show or documentary for G4techtv or
  other network that follows entrepreneurial
  attempts to start profitable businesses in Second
  Life
• Fashion Pre-Vis (film) Education Game Design
  In-World Services (custom avatars, etc.)

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Looking forward How streamlined can
virtual-to-real/open call become?
3D print NOT from Second Life
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Looking forward How streamlined can
virtual-to-real/open call become?
3D print NOT from Second Life
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Looking forward How streamlined can
virtual-to-real/open call become?
3D print NOT from Second Life
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• COPS (Creativity, Ownership, Pesistence)
• Massively Multi-Maker
• Open Call model
• Digital Entrepreneur

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• Im interested in experimenting with these
  models and services.
• PLEASE TALK TO ME IF YOU ARE TOO!
• jerrypaffendorf_at_accelerating.org