Machinima Western Movie
Through role-playing, Second Life users created the Arizona town of Sigil set in the period 1860-1890. Sigil was the first, and most-developed Second Life Western role-playing simulation. Make note that it was a simulation of the West, not the Arizona town itself; Sigil was a fictitious town created from the imaginations of users to represent the American West. One of the most interesting aspects of Sigil was that users were in complete control of the town’s environment - participating in its growth, and ultimately in its demise.
While Sigil was the first Western role-playing simulation within Second Life, its existence was predated by the Machinima movie “Silver Bells and Golden Spurs.” Many of the costumes worn by users within the film appear in many of the photos I have from Sigil, naturally expanding my critique of Sigil to the origins of these items. Directed by Eric Call and Linden Lab, “Silver Bells and Golden Spurs” (SBGS) first premiered at South by Southwest in 2006.
Machinima films are movies made in virtual worlds using real-time 3D engines unlike professional 3D software. In the case of SBGS, the entire set of the Western town was created specifically for the filming and Second Life users became actors as the video was recorded. The Second Life Herald reported that actors used a pre-arranged sequence of animations, making it distinctively not role-playing.
Without further delay, here is Silver Bells and Golden Spurs:
Posted in American Studies, Second Life, Sigil
I'm a digital humanist and graduate of American Studies, currently working as a web developer and