By Grey Lupindo
While on another assignment for SL Newser a few weeks ago, I
met Froggy (sanfroggy) a SL photographer whose home is located
in eLab City. She
invited me to tour the city, which is located at eLab City West (103, 141, 33). Froggy took the photographs that accompany this
article.
SL resident
Professor Lax, who in RL is Professor Thomas P. Novak, started eLab City as a
research project to study behavior in virtual worlds. He
conducts his RL academic research at the University of California at
Riverside. The eLab City project began in
2008, and it soon involved over 5,000 SL residents as visitors and participants
in the research. To create the city, he contracted with SL
developers to create two regions where a true community of living, working, and
playing could be conducted. Professor Lax, through his RL persona, wrote
that “...eLab City’s primary functions were to be a working laboratory and a
mechanism for building a subject pool of participants for academic research
studies.”
Although the
research project has ended, eLab City remains as an interesting urban/university
site to explore. A good beginning point
is the eXpress kiosk located at eLab City West (103, 141, 33). When
the research was going on, SL residents could sign up for study panels if they
wanted to take part in the research project and earn some Lindens. Since the research has ended, ignore any of
the signs about signing up. But do step
inside the eXpress building and pick up a free messenger bag that is hanging on
the wall. It’s a stylish and free
souvenir, and it’s filled with some freebies.
From this point you
can get a view of the river and many of the buildings that make eLab City a
realistic and fun place to explore. Inside
Building E is the student lounge. A
little grimy, with out-of-date mags, games that don’t work, and a snack shop
with lousy service. Just like I
remember my college student lounge. If
you need an old computer or desk, you can pick up a copy of one here for
free.
If you go out
the back door, you can walk down to the river or explore some of the buildings
and shops. Although there appears to be
some things to buy, many of the shops are decorative only now that the research
has ended.
On the street level you can borrow a car to
drive. Or take a walking tour. Since the site allows flying, it’s fast and
easy to tour. There are also a lot of interactive maps that
show key locations in eLab City. A
built in teleport system provide quick transport, too.
Like all good
cities, eLab City has apartments, shops, gardens, a theater, a library, and
places to meet and work. The Library and
Theater can be found at eLab City East (136, 83, 22). The Library has some interesting note cards
about companies that had been in SL in the past. I was especially sorry to learn that I had
missed the Ben & Jerry sim. I bet
they gave out great freebies. Another display shows books and movies that
have a presence in SL and offers a teleport to them.
The apartments can be found at eLab City West (84, 115, 25). The
apartments were originally built for the RL students/SL residents who were working
on the research project. The buildings were
labeled Building A and Building B. One
of the interesting things that Professor Lax discovered was that the students/residents
“quickly displayed a sense of ownership. For example, when the first set of
student residents moved in, they changed the name from the non-descript
―Building A‖and Building B --to ―Oceanside Suites North and Oceanside Suites
South.”
Most of the
office buildings are empty, although they are quite detailed and contain
conference rooms, auditoriums, visitor centers, and other space. An
exception to this, however, is the Design Center, located at eLab City East
(44, 143, 28). A collection of animated
art work by Peter Stanick, titled “Virtual Virtual”, is on display here. A
note card by Stanick explains the origins of this collection. “... I decided to put together a program
that basically took all of my existing images and generated an animation from
those images. ... Basically that program produces an animation, but a secondary
function of that program is that it does produce secondary images which are
part of this exhibition here at eLab.
And ...what we're dealing with here is a series of images that are
really produced on the computer and shown online and therefore exist in a
virtual reality before they become an actual reality. ... so what we have is a
virtual reality within a second virtual reality of the eLab project.”
There are many
other sites within eLab City East and West to explore. Unfortunately,
the third sim, Northwest Island, is not going to remain. It can be found at Island of the Lost - NW,
eLab City Northwest (16, 129, 30), although how long it will be there is not
known. It was not part of the original
plan. Unlike the rest of urban eLab City, it is a nature lover’s
delight. There are miles of rocky coasts,
and plenty of sea life. Orcas and sea
lions can be found at NW, eLab City Northwest (104, 226, 21).
As to the
future of the original eLab City, Professor Lax told me that he is “exploring
some ideas for using it in new academic research projects.” The research is on hold at the moment, but Professor
Lax said that eLab City East and West
are funded through 2014. “SL remains
unique in its combination of a dedicated user base, outstanding collection of
user generated content, and a functioning virtual currency,” he said. “For me, these three factors make SL very
useful for academic research on user behavior in virtual environments.”
He stated
that he is “interested in connecting with like-minded others who might be
interested in forming a research community centered around eLab City.” He
pointed out that “it could serve as a virtual campus for a community of Second
Life researchers who are looking for a common home in which to explore ideas. “
Grey Lupindo
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