Google Lively: Really? I mean… really?? July 9, 2008
Admittedly, I am a Google fanboy. I use Gmail for the bulk of my correspondence, and keep track of deadlines in Google Calendar. I get all of my RSS feeds through Google Reader, and collaborate on documents with others using Google Documents. It's scary how much of my life is driven completely by Google products — but until somebody offers something better, I wouldn't have it any other way. Yesterday afternoon, there I was, going about my day-to-day business, when something interesting (read: disturbing) popped into my reader.
Google Labs announced this on their blog:
"[...] excited to announce today's release of Lively by Google - a 3D virtual experience that is the newest addition to Google Labs.
The Lively team wants to help people experience another dimension of the web. We hope you will use the product to express yourself with and without words, and to do this in the places you already visit on the web."
When I came to, I thought it had just been a horrifying nightmare. But there it was, still on my screen: Google released their own browser-residing version of Second Life. Reluctantly, I installed the plugin enabling me to take part in the "3D virtual experience". Toying around with it for a bit, I created the Bivings Lounge. After the break is my list of why Google Lively is unsuitable for just about anything beyond making a cool-looking-bear-pirate avatar.
- The approach of the platform does not take itself seriously. This includes the user interface design aesthetic, the cartoony selection of avatars, and a soundtrack that makes me think I'm stuck in a pop anime. I have come to expect a Google product to be more about productivity, synonymous with their branding — help me get things done, faster and smarter — Lively by Google falls quite short.
- There isn't enough to do. There's nothing that this platform really offers me that I couldn't already do through email, messaging programs/SMS, or social networking websites. If I wanted to increase my personal connection to someone online, I'd start video conferencing.
- The platform is not as lightweight as it seems. Shoving something into a browser via plugin isn't always the way to go, and it doesn't always mean it's going to be lightweight. While it does allow the embedding of these rooms in any webpage (arguably the strongest offering of this entire product), the rooms take a long time to fully connect to (and sometimes time out completely).
- The controls are awkward. Moving your avatar, furniture, and other elements on Lively isn't as easy as one might think, and for something that feels like a videogame, lacks decent keyboard functionality. It combines the awkward interface of click-to-move with the neck craning camera angles of an uncompensated third person viewpoint.
- Limited Compatibility. Currently, there is no Mac compatibility, and the only browsers supported are IE and Firefox. Non-mainstream users (read: people who are generally interested in Google Labs releases) will have to sit this one out.
- Chatting is dead. In this era of IM and social networking, it seems that Google Labs did not receive the memo that chat communities seem to be on their way out. I'm well aware that IRC survives to this day, but then again, IRC has an actual use.
All in all, I'm not impressed with this release by Google Labs. I'd prefer that they stick to their branding and release tools most people actually have a use for.
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Comments
I really don’t disagree with anything you say, except that there is a place for exercises like this in Google (especially within the R&D organization). You can certainly take issue with the amount of resources being put behind Lively, but having people thinking and experimenting with the future of online interaction is something Google should be doing. Like many Google products, there will likely be incremental improvements that address many of the issues you cite. Also, bear-pirate avatars are cool.
doesn’t work for me in FF3, room comes up for a split second and then disappears
@seech
Strange. I am also using FF3.
This seems like the kind of bizarre, off point project you’d expect from Yahoo!
I have to say that although i agree this doesn’t seem like a usual google product, you seem set on not liking it
> The approach of the platform does not take itself seriously.
In my opinion google’s always been about not taking things completely seriously - it sounds like you wanted a business focused, productivity based reality
> Mac compatibility …
My personal experience of people i know who use google labs releases is that they tend to use linux by choise, but mostly windows for convenience.
(this may just be who i know)
Though this project does not fit well with google’s image in general - too complex and difficult to use, this is *exactly* what Labs & 20% time is *for*
- imma
ps : i too hope it isn’t over-run by kids with silly avatars, but i’m guessing some rooms will be serious, some for relaxing in & some for silly, bouncing around - private invites may be required to stop the kids jumping up and down in a meeting
@imma:
“In my opinion google’s always been about not taking things completely seriously - it sounds like you wanted a business focused, productivity based reality”
There’s always been a bit of tongue-in-cheek about Google’s business approach and publicity strategy, but if you think about it, with their track record, their products are still the best, hands down, and are purpose-driven.
@Damien Del Porto & imma:
I still take issue that this is “exactly” what Google Labs is for — I think developing this product was a mistake, and their resources could have been much better spent. I have come to expect the team at Google Labs to experiment and conduct R&D smarter than their competitors and take on more strategic endeavors; I don’t think they did that here. This whole genre, aside from perhaps game development (where it is possible to turn a profit), is a waste of resources IMO. Even if many of the issues I cited were fixed, I think they would still end up with a mostly pointless product.
I agree. But: unlke Second Life Lively is a browser; and that can make all the difference when it comes to turning the web to 3D. In the long run you can magine this becoming a format of 3D webpages. But it’s a long way. Not only it still isn’t Mac-compatible, unpleasant to operate, but most important of all: you cannot upload any content, such as textures and text. I doubt a given company would manage to present it’s content with prefab cartoon objects
In my opinion,google has great importance and wide area scope.I want the google lab team to conduct some research and development programs.
_____________________________________
antra
Addiction Recovery Minnesota
tried lively— awful.
nothin to DO, silly avs..
back to SL for me
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