Duran Duran have always been on the ball when it comes to technology. Whether it's filming ground-breaking extended videos for 1981's "Girls On Film", producing a video using only Macromedia Flash, or serenading Opportunity, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover across the reaches of space, they've harnessed technology in a way that very few bands have.
And now they've focused their gaze on that great untapped PR wilderness: The virtual world. Duran Duran are coming to Second Life.
Second Life is perhaps most comprehensibly described as an online game of sorts, although simply describing it as a game doesn't capture the scope, imagination, and potential that exists within the Second Life universe.
"Players" in Second Life - or perhaps more accurately, residents - have the freedom to create anything they desire, assuming they have the skills with the tools provided by the creators, Linden Labs. These creations aren't just limited to clothing or visual augmentations for these virtual characters (often called Avatars) but are limited - or perhaps unlimited - only by imagination and ingenuity.
As an example, it's possible to harness the Second Life environment to create whole other games. A simple example might be to create a clone of Nintendo's popular Tetris puzzle game, or to fashion a version of Space Invaders.
The flexibility and popularity of Second Life is starting to catch the attention of many bands and organisations seeking to turn this environment into a significant PR opportunity. Recently, the BBC used Second Life to host a virtual festival. Their Big Weekend event was simultaneously broadcast within the virtual world. Visitors were even provided with a virtual digital radio, allowing them to listen to the BBC's radio services whenever they find themselves in the game's environment.
Big Weekend event's content was limited to large video screens displaying the action from the real world. And while the BBC created virtual versions of certain DJs (for example, Chris Moyles), these Avatars were not controlled by their real life counterparts. None of the bands featured actually performed in Second Life. If Radio One has ever considered simulcasting one of their radio shows in Second Life, they never have.
Duran Duran intend to change that. Their goal is to harness the power of Second Life to its fullest extent, by creating - and perhaps more interestingly, controlling - their own specially crafted Avatars. Strategic marketing company 3003 Group have even requested dual passports for band members in the hope that Second Life will be recognised as an entirely new nation.
Performing a concert within Second Life, indeed living within Second Life as the band seems set to do, poses some interesting questions. Does the band have some form of interface to translate the playing of their instruments in the real world into animations for their virtual characters? Are they planning on empowering their online alter-egos with any special abilities? Are they actively involved in designing the appearance of these characters? And will they physically operate these characters during their online performances, or will they employ a far more dexterous pilot to equip their Avatars with the grace and spectacle that they're touting?
Article comments