Why hasn't the online game industry better utilized the internet as a social medium as far as online games and online worlds? GDC speaker Reuben Steiger took some time on Monday to show us what his company was doing to solve this void, and show what an awesome tool we have in front of us!

His new company is attempting, and succeeding, in bringing a new storytelling mode not only to gamers but to online world participants who have so far eluded the attempts to contact them.

Keep reading!

The second speaker at the 2008 GDC Worlds in Motion conference track was Reuben Steiger from Millions of Us and previously from Linden Labs, best known for Second Life. He spoke to another packed room about how Millions of Us is creating content within the Second Life world, and how it has (it’s is contraction for it is, not it has) so far been an underutilized tool in the industry. For corporations, monetizing these online spaces and taking advantage of content and entertainment tie-ins has been a struggle, as the usual types of advertising don’t work like they do with television and other entertainment media.

While he spoke mostly about Second Life events (since that's where his company is focused), he also shared his thoughts for merging these tie ins and utilizing online spaces to reach advertising markets across online worlds. He believes that the internet has so far failed as a storytelling medium and, while it has potential, it has yet to be seen who will take command of it. His new company is attempting, and succeeding, in bringing a new storytelling mode not only to gamers but to online world participants who have so far eluded the attempts to contact them. An excellent example was given, that truly shows how different generations appear to approach advertisers, and how truly out of touch with computer generations advertisers are.

EniTech Research was started and designed by Millions of Us as an advertisement for the newly debuted "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" TV show on Fox. This website started a fictitious company that was involved in research that combined the storyline of the show with mysterious happenings at the company. Slowly, members of the research staff were being murdered, and video of the happenings was posted. Videos gave clues to the community, leading to both a higher level of personal involvement once the show launched as well as social interaction across fan sites that allowed discussion.

Hundreds of excited fans were instantly made a part of the show and a community formed, rather than being forced to sit there and watch it unfold without any involvement. What an exciting addition to a medium of entertainment that is normally a solo experience. In addition, what a standout way to reach a market that advertisers have previously had little success targeting.

Truly goes to show you that someone, at last, has found a way to encourage us to be involved, and use the internet to create a community around something that would otherwise, go unnoticed by fans. This type of utilization and community targeting will hopefully become a focused part of entertainment across the globe, as advertisers learn where their market is, and what we want.

There were more examples, and much discussion of what virtual worlds were versus when they becomes a game, and the differences and pros and cons of each.

While many types of social networks are emerging, the internet has still not been utilized well by game companies, TV, movies, and advertisers! One can only hope that as we progress in this medium, more and more people will attempt to reach out in new and different ways.

By  Becky "Tovin" Simpson