User Creates Virtual Ecosystem in Second Life

Second Life proved to be one of the most appealing and interesting games where one can be in total control of his character and of his surroundings. This God Game, as many call it, is a creation of Linden Labs.

However, there were still some things lacking in this world that creators didn’t bother too much about, but developer Laukasargas Svarog did. Svarog created her own virtual ecosystem in Second Life where trees and plants grow, where rain, sun and wind affected “living” creatures, and where growing flowers is an interesting task.

The developer created the island of Svarga, which is a fully-functioning ecosystem. The clouds in this place move because of the wind system in Second Life, and all the elements in this place are dependent on each other.

Asked about the island of Svarga, Svarog gives her description of the island: “If I were to turn off the clouds the whole system would die in about six hours,” she tells me. “Turn off the bees and [the plants stop] growing, because nothing gets pollinated.  And it’s the transfer of pollen that signals the plants to drop seeds. The seeds blow in the wind, and if they land on good ground according to different rules for each species, they grow when they receive rain water from the clouds.  It’s all interdependent.”

This ecosystem created by Svarga is comprised of clouds that occasionally rain on the plants; the sun that provides energy for growth; bees that help in the pollination of flowers; birds that flies around characters looking for seeds or eats seedlings on the ground; trees and flowers that develop from seeds pollinated by bees; bats and globugs that help keep the balance in the island; and, the gardener who tends, prunes and waters the plants to keep things balanced.

Second Life proved to be one of the most appealing and interesting games where one can be in total control of his character and of his surroundings. This God Game, as many call it, is a creation of Linden Labs.

However, there were still some things lacking in this world that creators didn’t bother too much about, but developer Laukasargas Svarog did. Svarog created her own virtual ecosystem in Second Life where trees and plants grow, where rain, sun and wind affected “living” creatures, and where growing flowers is an interesting task.

The developer created the island of Svarga, which is a fully-functioning ecosystem. The clouds in this place move because of the wind system in Second Life, and all the elements in this place are dependent on each other.

Asked about the island of Svarga, Svarog gives her description of the island: “If I were to turn off the clouds the whole system would die in about six hours,” she tells me. “Turn off the bees and [the plants stop] growing, because nothing gets pollinated.  And it’s the transfer of pollen that signals the plants to drop seeds. The seeds blow in the wind, and if they land on good ground according to different rules for each species, they grow when they receive rain water from the clouds.  It’s all interdependent.”

This ecosystem created by Svarga is comprised of clouds that occasionally rain on the plants; the sun that provides energy for growth; bees that help in the pollination of flowers; birds that flies around characters looking for seeds or eats seedlings on the ground; trees and flowers that develop from seeds pollinated by bees; bats and globugs that help keep the balance in the island; and, the gardener who tends, prunes and waters the plants to keep things balanced.