Second Life Prize Goes To Virtual Mobility For Disabled
Posted on: Saturday, 2 May 2009, 11:30 CDT
An organization shared top honors In a first-ever Second Life prize for in-world projects improving real-world lives by developing ways to let people with disabilities virtually climb mountains and hike trails.
Virtual Ability and Studio Wikitecture, which designs buildings in the virtual world, were declared co-winners of what is going to be an annual prize at Second Life.
The winners also received $10,000 in prize money each.
The organization's vice president, David Ludwig, says in a mission statement online that Virtual Ability helps people with disabilities use avatars to skydive, fish, mountain climb, hike and even fly in Second Life.
"We also do a lot of dancing," wrote Ludwig, whose animated character, or avatar, in Second Life goes by the name Pecos Kidd.
"It's an amazing experience helping someone who will never walk again in real life to jump on a virtual trampoline."
According to group president Alice Krueger, Virtual Ability will use the Linden prize money to work to expand services in Second Life.
"For many of us, Second Life is not a game -- it is a second chance at life," Krueger said.
Wikitecture programs in open-source technology for real and virtual world architecture and urban planning. It's projects in Second Life include creating a "tele-medicine facility" for a village in Nepal.
"During the past two quarters, I completed assignments for organizations in Alabama, Britain, Germany, and Canada -- all within Second Life," said Wikitecture architect Jon Brouchoud of the US state of Wisconsin.
"The total sum of those contracts is at least quadruple what we secured for residential work."
On Thursday, a Second Life committee declared a tie for the first place prize after going through 230 applications from around the world.
Other contenders were a Let There Be Night science experiment that shows the effect of light pollution when gazing stars, and a Space Between These Trees charity focused on taking care of the Earth and ending hunger.
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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