Second Life avatars get a real life

Denizens of the virtual world of Second Life now have the chance to not only see their avatars in-game but to actually carry their likenesses around with them. Michael Buckbee, a real-life resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has founded a company called Fabjectory, a startup that sells real objects custom-created from the digital items coded by Second Lifers. And how much will the service cost Second Lifers? According to one customer, it’s typically less than $ 100 US.

Even though Fabjectory is just a few weeks old, business is totally booming, with Buckbee already having almost a dozen clients lined up. Right now, Buckbee is focusing on three- to seven-inch statuettes of Second Life avatars. He meets clients as his in-game persona, “Hal9k Andalso,” and takes the necessary screenshots to turn the clients’ digital selves into polymer figures using equipment common in industrial design firms.

While a lot of famous people and companies have been given virtual versions of themselves (even Hilary Duff got one), only a few companies have taken the opposite route. Given the emotional investment that a lot of the people who play Second Life have in their avatars, even John Lester – an employee of Linden Labs, the company that created and manages Second Life, and a happy Fabjectory customer – thinks that the idea will surely take off. Lester even envisions people having models of their in-game residences created as the process becomes more affordable.

Via wired

Denizens of the virtual world of Second Life now have the chance to not only see their avatars in-game but to actually carry their likenesses around with them. Michael Buckbee, a real-life resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has founded a company called Fabjectory, a startup that sells real objects custom-created from the digital items coded by Second Lifers. And how much will the service cost Second Lifers? According to one customer, it’s typically less than $ 100 US.

Even though Fabjectory is just a few weeks old, business is totally booming, with Buckbee already having almost a dozen clients lined up. Right now, Buckbee is focusing on three- to seven-inch statuettes of Second Life avatars. He meets clients as his in-game persona, “Hal9k Andalso,” and takes the necessary screenshots to turn the clients’ digital selves into polymer figures using equipment common in industrial design firms.

While a lot of famous people and companies have been given virtual versions of themselves (even Hilary Duff got one), only a few companies have taken the opposite route. Given the emotional investment that a lot of the people who play Second Life have in their avatars, even John Lester – an employee of Linden Labs, the company that created and manages Second Life, and a happy Fabjectory customer – thinks that the idea will surely take off. Lester even envisions people having models of their in-game residences created as the process becomes more affordable.

Via wired