Next Island promises virtual fantasies and real life money
September 17, 2008 3:00 amWhere do all those ‘virtual worlds’ keep coming from? For being a ‘total failure’ as some people claim, Second Life must sure as hell be inspiring! Next in ‘can I haz virtual world’ line is Next Island, based on MindArk’s Entropia Universe. Host and co-founder of Next Island is Katlean de Monchy, - apparently - a famous television personality. Next Island seems a bit confusing offering real money and prizes and virtual fantasies at the same time. Tagline: ‘Live your fantasies in a Virtual World!’ I wonder if that means they are inviting all the furries over, and how they plan to distinguish between ‘commonly accepted’ and ‘down right dirty’ fantasies.
update: Sign ups for Next Island will be fixed/restored/working again starting Wednesday (that’s the 1st of October) I was told. Release for the world itself (as previously mentioned, based on the Entropia Universe, so it is more or less a planet - is scheduled for January/February 2009.
“Next Island Membership (which is free) will be able to set up and live a virtual life in a parallel universe paradise, find a fantasy profession with real cash benefits, pioneer new lands, even time travel.” According to David Post, Next Island’s creator, “the mission is to have netizens keep coming back because the experience is both fun and financially rewarding.” Next Island will be officially announced September 22, 2008.
Although Next Island did not launch yet, the site promises rewards for joining and some functionality already: ‘Next Island’s revolutionary virtual world will launch later this year. But you don’t have to wait—you can win free gifts, choose and learn your virtual career, bid on a celebrity, and make new friends NOW. All you have to do is SIGN UP—it’s free.‘ I must note that the ‘click here to see who’s winning what’ link is a dead one! :D Looking at their ‘what you can do in a virtual world’ video there is nothing we - second life avies - can’t do. As far as their claim that they will have the first ‘virtual comic club’, I am sure that Zoe Demar, who even participated in ‘mixed media SL-RL comic shows’ will protest that.
Regardless, I have attempted at signing up - not sure if it works, I get referred to a ‘under construction’ page and did not get an email reply - and took a list at their - virtual - job offers. Oh, and they promise you will ‘get your starter kit to help you succeed in your new profession’ and kick start your virtual career. Worth a try? ;)
Next Island Jobs I’d consider
- Blp Sniper - Hunt other Players for a living (Mercenary is one of those real life jobs I don’t have the guts for, but sound appealing.)
- Colorer - Have a good eye then provide colouring services to all tailors and manufacturers. (Where did I put my crayons?)
- Film/Video Maker (Just because I’m hoping the starter kit contains a license to Adobe Premiere Pro! ;))
- Professional Revenger (See Blp Sniper)
- Talk Show Host/Producer (Everybody does say the accent is cute. :D)
- Professional Detective (Ruining people’s ‘real lifes’ by doing investigation work for a jealous wife or husband? Oh yes, please!)
- Spaceship Pilot – Warp Speed Captain? Taxi Driver, Bus Conductor, Smuggler or Pirate hunter all these hats belong to you. (I learned from the best alien drivers: Greenies!)
- Make Up Artist – paint the Faces of your Fellow Colonists – Real life Skills apply here (You mean I can be a great skin designer?! Woot! Let us call it a hidden fantasy! ;))
I definitely do not want this virtual profession
- Animal Tamer – Tame certain animals to be pets and Sell them. (That’s like Furry BDSM, right?)
- Mentor – Train Noobies and Be Rewarded when they Graduate. (I just don’t have the patience to over and over tell people to chat using correct spelling and grammar! ;)
- Banker (Did they learn nothing from Second Life?!!)
- Graphic Designer – Create Signs for shop owners, banners for the forums and Sigs for the Avatars (It’s my virtual, fantasy world, right?)
- Journalist – get out there and start Writing about what’s going on. Forum pwners will love you. (I suggest this profession to that what shall not be named. Unless, she wants - for once - a different career.)
- Community Developer – Find a job working for land owners (Hell no!)
What profession would you pick, if you were to start your ‘virtual career’ all over again? Take a look at the professions of ‘Next Island’ list here, or try to sign up for their service - let me know if you’re more successful at that then I was - here. Oh, for comparison reasons, does anybody know if the official secondlife.com ‘example virtual careers’ page still exists?
Hat tip to Ak Yip
Tags: entropia universe, metaverse, next island, virtual professions, virtual worlds
4 Responses to “Next Island promises virtual fantasies and real life money”
I tried signing up. No email response, no idea if it works.
Professions? I’d try most at least once….
Well, maybe not “One Hand Clubber”. That sounds scary.
*laughs* Sweat Gatherer, the new Camping!
update: Sign ups for Next Island will be fixed/restored/working again starting Wednesday (that’s the 1st of October) I was told. Release for the world itself (as previously mentioned, based on the Entropia Universe, so it is more or less a planet) is scheduled for January/February 2009.
[…] A little update about Next Island (see their err.. job offerings here): […]
Hi There,
In case you didn’t see, here’s the latest on Next Island:
ONLINE TROPICAL DESTINATION NEXT ISLAND USHERS IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF VIRTUAL WORLD ENTRPENEURISM AND TIME TRAVEL ADVENTURE
Free Virtual Goods Starter Pack For Those Who Sign Up Early For Open Beta in January
New York – Dec. 4, 2009 – Next Island, a new free-to-download and free-to-play virtual world developed on the Entropia Universe platform is now accepting sign-ups for its open beta expected mid January. The first 1000 players who sign-up now at http://www.nextisland.com will get a virtual goods starter pack and will have the opportunity to help shape the development of this new online world.
Envisioned as a beautiful and exciting paradise, Next Island is designed to attract the rapidly growing virtual world community looking for the next world to explore and the opportunity to turn virtual enterprise into real-world cash, as well as new users to the virtual world gaming experience.
“We are truly excited to welcome experienced virtual world entrepreneurs as well as those who have never created an online avatar before to visit Next Island,” said David Post, founder, Next Island. “Our online paradise will captivate players with its unique time travel gameplay, real money economy and superior graphics.”
Time travel is a key differentiator in the Next Island experience and will provide users the opportunity to take a fantastic journey in an extremely immersive three-dimensional environment, discover goods and import them into the current epoch of time thus increasing their value to the community. Every few months a new era in history will be developed, offering endless possibilities for exploration.
Created by David Post and developed by Neverdie Studios, run by Jon “NeverDie” Jacobs, arguably the most successful virtual world celebrity, Next Island offers a unique combination of online entertainment, social networking and ecommerce. Visitors will discover a world that is completely interactive, engaging and constantly evolving.
“We are very pleased that after many years of development the Entropia Universe Platform will now see its new independent planets start to arrive into the Universe,” said David Simmonds, Business Development Director of MindArk.
Entropia Universe is the first virtual world network to operate a real cash economy. Developed by MindArk, Entropia Universe was granted official status by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) to operate a bank, which will serve as the central bank for all the planets within Entropia Universe. Its currency, the PED, can be exchanged and taken out for real money as all currency exchanges are at the fixed rate of 10 PED for every 1 USD.
About Next Island:
Next Island (nextisland.com) is a free-to-download and free-to-play virtual world developed on the Entropia Universe platform. Founded in New York by David Post and developed by Neverdie Studios, Next Island offers users a tropical virtual world escape for the casual player and thriving in-game economy for the most experienced online entrepreneur. Next Island is privately funded since 2008 and is now allowing outside investors the opportunity to participate in the next rounds of funding.
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