The Mermaid Experience

Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 September 2009 03:22 Written by Ron Vaniva Sunday, 09 August 2009 12:51

SL™’s Only True 3d Environment

Being new to SL I go from world to world, explore, meet people, walk around – and  am continually amazed. Amazed by it all, but mostly by the “walking around” part. Here I am in the largest user defined, most sophisticated virtual world ever created, and “home” to millions around the world, and I’m walking around.  I use doors, walk up stairs (fall off stairs!), jump off rocks down to the ground, and when I’m tired, I lay down.

In a world of infinite possibility, wonder, and escape, I am still restrained by the physics of RL with the exception of one place, underwater. With the population of the underwater community growing, advocacy groups forming, land based businesses making accommodations to reach out to this market, and new premium priced products coming on line, I knew this is a world worth exploring.

In that exploration to find creative souls that have managed to break the chains of convention, to think beyond the two dimension existence that binds us in RL, I found the “Mer’s” (Mermaids and Mermen). I sent out some inquiries for a kind and patient guide to direct me on my quest. Not long after I was contacted by a willing mentor, and was provided with a teleport location to meet.  A few moments later, my guide Cynthia Maine (http://www.goldmermaid.com) , a Mermaid (also known as The Golden Mermaid), arrived and my education began. Cynthia is the leader of one of the larger Mermaid groups in SL, and is networked to a number more. Among the places Cynthia took me was to a “protected” underwater preserve held by Governor Linden. The presentation and graphics of this area is remarkable. Regardless of its true intents and purposes, it serves not only as an inspiration of what could be, a multidimensional explosive vision of what beauty in SL can be, but that there is still a lot to create and develop beyond the beaches, malls, and conventional structures all too common to SL.

There does not seem to be a census figure of Mer’s, only that they are relatively small in number and growing, but not at the same rate that the general SL population. One thing becomes quickly evident though, if you want to serve this population, you must first know it and respect it. This is subtly conveyed with “hello”, which is “tala” in Mer speak. The next thing that becomes apparent is how well networked the community is. There is a concerted effort for different groups to be represented at certain events, to show support, encouragement, and participate in events open for general Mer population.

 
Mer’s get it

Entrepreneurs from the Mer community already “get it”. They know the market, they know how to think for three dimensional living, and they get the concept of Mer life. For those outside the Mer waters, there is a group called SWF. No, not that SWF, this SWF is for Safe Waters Foundation whose motto is “Mer helping Mer be Mer”. It is an inspired effort by Mermaid GraceSWF Wrigglesworth, a RL Ph.D. in Marketing. SWF meets weekly ( and in a positive manner) and discusses topics that frequently include: How Mers can contribute, how they can share and nurture new mermaids and mermen, how they network designers and share mer products, and how they can simply just have more fun together. In addition to SWF there are blogs like Kalaya Odell’s  A Mermaid World (http://kalayaodell.wordpress.com/mer-shops) where Mer sites and Shops are listed. Readers are encouraged to comment and share experiences.

On the similar but smaller principle of how the lunar landing goal served to spur the general economy in the United States of the 1960’s and 1970’s, the exploitation of SL underwater could invigorate the economics of those who participate in its development. The multidimensional designs, attention to aesthetics and animation controls required to navigate underwater can only serve to improve the overall SL experience, and open up even wider markets both over and under water.
A world and market whose time has come.

 Whether it was WindLight or some other technical factor, underwater life is now clearer than it ever was. As you navigate, your world evolves, unlike flying above ground where your landscape appears after you arrive. In short, the experience is more genuine, and truly allows one to enjoy the experience of the sim. One Mermaid tells an enjoyable story of a sailor who ventured too far out at “sea” and lost his boat crossing a sim boundary. The sailor, now at the bottom of the sea, probably getting his bearings and seeking a good location to teleport to, is approached by a mermaid who swims up to him and says, “Tala!”
 
From those who have been swimming the sim seas since as early as 2005, I’m told that the underwater experience is greatly improved. While there is still the occasional old car and spare tire to be found in the rivers, bays, and oceans in SL, you now have colorful sims multidimensional structures, and hidden caves full of surprises from nobody knows whom.

That may be why dreamer, designer, mermaid EmeraldEver Cline (http://emeraldevercline.com) felt that the time was right to release a new, “upper scale” Mer avatar that features a seamless (where the legs are joined) flex tail at a release price of L$2,000 (for reference, before this a premium avatar cost was L$600). Newbies and Mers on a budget will be glad to know that you can get started with a free tail set, or do just fine with outfits that range between L$150 -$250. Beginners will also need to find a swim HUD, which I understand free versions are available. I found one that came highly recommended for just L$150.

At the risk of starting a stampede, I’m going to mention one more little fact about Mer life. While Mers are very social including frequent dance events, the female to male ratio is guessed to be in the range of 10:1 to 30:1, so guys… get your Mer game on and “dive” into something unexpectedly enjoyable.

In the end, it will be interesting to see how many SL residents will be able to shed the psychological restraints of two dimensional thinking and embrace the three dimensions and change in physics that underwater sims present. When all is said and done, this may be the true challenge SWF faces for its new citizens: an environment unfettered by gravity or air may be too challenging for most designers to embrace.  But if they do, if the challenge is accepted, we may all be in for a delightful range of new SL experiences. Nulma (Bye!)