In a bid to promote community networking and participation while stimulating economic development, the town of Decatur, Georgia, is considering establishing a virtual world.
The proposed "Virtual Decatur" is still firmly rooted in the planning stages, with potential features and tools being discussed, to determine the viability of such a project.
There are a number of MMO qualities to the proposed Virtual Decatur, as explained in the Request For Information document (PDF) provided by the site. It will be avatar-based, with users being allowed to create custom avatars and chat with one another – residents, non-residents, and government officials would feature distinct characteristics, so that the average user could easily distinguish between an out-of-towner and their virtual mayor. While the entire town wouldn't be recreated digitally, significant structures like the Town Hall would be. Business owners would also have the option of being represented, in exchange for supporting the project.
Though World of Warcraft and Second Life are mentioned as specific examples, Virtual Decatur is being positioned as a community networking resource: you'd be able to read up on town notices, view live and archived city meetings, and create persistent, user generated content.
On the game-centric side of things, Virtual Decatur would also include its own economy, and an achievement system. Visitors would potentially be able to earn points and coupons, which would "unlock" discounts to businesses within the city.
While it's cool to see virtual worlds being adopted as a means to improve community interaction, Decatur will likely have a tough time convincing the masses that this endeavor is worth implementing.
For starters, they'd have to clear a lot of the ignorance out of the air – critics will almost certainly dismiss the effort with the classic "traditional methods work fine, so this is pointless" argument. There's also the latent fear of computers that permeates much of society, though an argument could be made that clicking on a virtual town hall and chatting with your neighbors could be easier than attempting to participate in a forum or chat room discussion, particularly for those who can't physically make it to the real-world meetings. It will likely all boil down to who is chosen to develop the interface, and how accessible the end result is.
On a tangential note, I wonder what I ever did with my Virtual Springfield CD, as it suddenly strikes me as a perfect model for other virtual towns.
Image courtesy City of Decatur
Virtual Decatur [Decatur Georgia, via Game Politics]
