This evening, I spent some time watching a mixed-reality concert featuring Joan Osborne in the Rockefeller Center Peacock Room in the NBC sim. It’s a lovely space, there was a lively and fun crowd, and Joan sounded great. But I think there was at least one too many Joans.
I’ve decided that I don’t really get much out of having an avatar of a performer (or politician, or scholar) present in Second Life if the producers are also going to show a live video of that same person. It’s usually interesting for like a minute while I snap pictures, but quickly becomes boring when it’s clear that the person is not controlling their avatar.
I understand the point of having an avatar representing the celebrity during these events. It’s really what sells it as a mixed-reality event. I’m sure the celebrity gets a kick out of seeing their avatar, especially since they don’t have to go to the trouble of controlling it.
But I find the juxtaposition of the real video image of the person projected behind their avatar disconcerting and weird. What this does is basically throw in your face that the person is not controlling their avatar, some other SL puppeteer is. Often the avatar just stands their dumbly, doesn’t interact with people, or mimic the actions of the real person.
Another example was the Barack Obama "appearance" in Second Life in March. As you can see, his avatar just sort of bobbed around somewhat creepily while he gave his speech. Was I more engaged with Obama because a digital simulcra of him was sitting in front of me? Not really. It was his words that grabbed me — the avatar was little more than a curiousity and even a distraction from the message.
If the celebrity isn’t going to control their own avatar, just voice is enough. Video is fine. I can imagine scenarios where having someone else control the celebrity’s avatar might be acceptable. But don’t do both video and an avatar. Once the coolness factor wears off, it’s just fake and silly.
I was in the editing room during the event, prepping for America’s Got Talent in SL. Joan and her band had a big screen where she could see SL going on. They also took questions and engaged the audience. The music was live, and the folks in SL were getting a very small-room performance.
So, respectfully, I have to 100% disagree. Almost any musical performer in SL will tell you that you can’t pilot an avatar and play music at the same time. Yeah, the Joan AV was just a toon, but who cares? Isn’t the whole point just to engage the person remotely? Isn’t that toon just the handshake? The hello? The ice-breaker? and the real value is the 2-way interaction?
An avatar is, by definition, “fake”, so calling it fake doesn’t change it. Calling it “silly”? Well, maybe it is, but isn’t immersing yourself in a virtual world silly on its own? The whole experience is surreal, so why complain that one aspect of it is surreal?
It’s not the avatar I have a problem with. It’s not video I have a problem with. It’s the avatar + video. It breaks the illusion to much for me. Particularly if the avatar is just standing there like a lump.
I know they can’t drive their avatars and perform. But by showing us what they are really doing in the real world, it throws up in our faces that the avatar is just posing as them. Without that video, we could live in the bubble of illusion that is SL, imagining that I’m having a “face-to-face” conversation with Bruce Willis.
I tend to agree with Rik here. I was at the event last night, and as a vocalist that performs often in Second Life and attends many live music performances, I felt less than thrilled with the event. For me it did feel like the ‘illusion’ was spoiled somehow. It felt almost uncomfortable to see Joan’s avatar just standing there while the real Joan was on the video screen behind her. I think I would have been happier just seeing the video and having her discuss the Second Life audience and take questions, just like she did. I thought that was great, but the zombie-like avatar detracted a bit from the whole experience for me. Almost all of the live musicians I see in Second Life are running their own avatar, and almost all of them have animations to keep them from standing there looking like mannequins – just makes it a bit more real. So there’s really not a lot involved in ‘working your own avatar’ when you’re performing. I do it all the time, and so do almost all of the other musicians I know.
That being said, I loved the event and I’m thrilled to see NBC doing these events and drawing attention to Second Life. I think it can work, just perhaps in a different way. – Micala Lumiere
I have to agree with Rik.
@Hiro: I respectfully disagree 100%. I love how someone who has never actually played a gig in SL from a performers perspective like to tell us who have how we should feel. I think your objections come more from that fact that your company is invested in developing solutions for puppeteering than anything else. Immersion, silly or not, is a delicate thread sometimes and my take is that genuine fans want to feel connected to the performer. The avatar is more than a handshake…but I don’t think you seem to understand that somehow;-) Try talking to some experienced SL musicians sometime.
The more “fake” elements added in to turn it into a production the more it becomes a slickly produced cartoon show than an intimate gig in a small venue/bar.
Why? If you have to ask you don’t get it imo.
As an aside I know of a number of projects at the moment [one or two also here in japan] aiming to link performers to avatar animations in real time, auto puppeteer if you will. I’m not sure if performers will want to festoon themselves with even more wires and crap [there is a reason my performing character is a cyborg] but it’s certainly an interesting area to develop…as long as the actual performer is in control.
In the meantime I’ll stick to my custom AO and emergent performance synchronicity;-)
ack, excuse my mistakes above…hit the send too early.
Put the Why? bit before the Aside bit pls.
Okay, I just have to ask–did anyone else notice the catbell of some BDSM sub’s collar going off randomly in the Barack Obama video? Because that’s just damned funny.
All that aside, I agree with Rik too. I think SL presents an enormous opportunity for public personae to interact safely and intimately with fans and supporters, and they should do it. But if they can’t actually operate their avatars, they should stick to one other media, like just a video or just voice (or now, SL with voice capabilities).
The avatar is your representation in Second Life. If something else is representing you, like a video, then having a dummy avatar is just inauthentic looking, if you ask me. (And I know nobody did, so, well, anyway….)