Looking back to look forward: 20 trends defining virtual worlds in 2007

Just over a year ago Techdigest did a great job of live-blogging the Virtual Worlds Forum event in London. They also came up with a list of 20 trends defining virtual worlds in 2007. Now then, a year is a long long time in the virtual worlds space so let’s go back and look at these predictions and see what’s happened a year later.

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1. Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008. KZ: Spot on. See them here. And expect even more in 2009.

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2. Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge. Well, some of the largest VW’s at present cater to the teen marketplaces like Stardoll, Habbo, IMVU and Gaia, although it’s the tween worlds which show the highest growth signs at the moment.

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3. Brands still get it wrong. They did for sure in 2007. In 2008 we’re seeing better approaches, mainly because brands are starting to realise the range of different worlds available. Agencies are still a little slow getting to grips with virtual worlds though.

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4. There’s a problem with communication. Yes, the industry is still a little insular and the media tends to flirt positively and negatively with virtual worlds. This issue is easing though, mainly through increased penetration of KT&T worlds.

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5. There will be big growth in corporate use of virtual worlds. KZ: The first prediction that has yet to be realised.

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6. Virtual items will be a big moneyspinner. KZ: Definitely, and will I think become the dominant factor for most virtual worlds. Here’s some stats to support this.?

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7. Mobile is a bit of a wildcard. KZ: Not yet. They’re still the red herring.

8. Governments are waking up to virtual worlds. KZ: I think they may have drifted off back to sleep for a while.?

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9. Is it an online game or a virtual world, or both? KZ: Intuitive. The line is continuing to blur between VW’s, MMO’s and casual gaming. This will continue.

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10. China is getting into virtual worlds. KZ: They were, but it’s gone a bit quiet, particularly for HiPiHi.

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11. Interoperability is important. KZ: There was a lot of buzz late 2007 around interoperability but a lot less recently. Perhaps outeroperability is the way to go.

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12. Advertising is another wild card. KZ: It needs to be immersive and part of the narrative in order to work.

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13. Virtual worlds need to become easier to use. KZ: Exactly right. The UI and experience is still critical. Linden Lab has taken to address this.

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14. Media streaming is more common, but strangely low-profile. KZ: Music and media is popular in virtual worlds, more so for younger audiences although I still think somethings are better kept in 2D.

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15. Social networking convergence. KZ: We’re yet to really see this take-off although VW’s such as sMeet are doing a great job here and Myrl is taking it a step further.

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16. Which brands should set up their own virtual worlds? KZ: Answer – any brand which has a KT&T target market and/or wants to take their offerings to a more immersive level. The options for brand owners is here.

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17. Different approaches to graphical realism. KZ: Different styles, different treatments. This is true and will continue to be the case. Older worlds need realism to bridge the adoption gap.

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18. Booze and fags. KZ: There’s still not really a good argument for alcohol and tobacco brands to develop VW’s on the consumer side. Plus, with the increased marketing taking place in KT&T worlds expect regulation to get tougher.

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19. Is Second Life going to stay a niche? KZ: It’s grown since 2007 but is looking like it’s plateauing. Media and consumer awareness is undeniably higher but attrition from sign-ups has and still is an issue.

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20. Nobody talks about sex. KZ: I did, about a month ago.