MTV is at it again – a new way to experience television this time. They are in the “alpha” phase of a project called Virtual Laguna Beach – a virtual world for the fans of the reality TV show, Laguna Beach.
The news was spreading yesterday, but this afternoon, Chris Carella, who has been working on the project at Electric Sheep Company, posted fun insights and interesting facts (including this photo) about the project. He indicates there is a “group of companies” building the world, including his own.
This isn’t to be overlooked as a marketing gimmick or a way to extend advertising opportunities. This just might be what TV networks have been looking for in moving to an “interactive TV” model. Disruptive is just one (buzz) word that comes to my mind.
The virtual space, like the world of Second Life, will be an evolving. MTV plans to program events within VLB to complement the show, and it sounds like they’ll easily be drawing in the 173,000+ MySpace friends of the show. This project is simply a way to extend the “traditional” social network around a shared interest into a fuller shared experience.
And, MTV plans to give them plenty of shared experiences – from a theater in which to watch the TV show with friends (around the clock, of course), to places to gather for dates that mimic the real places in the show. Custom avatars, shared shopping, music and videos as well as organized and “resident”-initiated events - all built around the show – will no doubt keep that MTV feel going in-world. Residents are rewarded for “Laguna-style talents such as socializing, fashion, and shopping,” according to Chris.
Chris says its “next generation TV.” And we should know better than to doubt MTV.
Virtual Laguna Beach is being built inside the teen-oriented There.com (not Second Life).
Read more details here.
Comments