The city at play: Second Life and the virtual urban planning studio

Abstract

This study interrogates the idea of using videogames and game‐like virtual worlds as a means to advance studio education pedagogy. Looking at a series of case studies of urban planning courses taught using Second Life, the results describe the potentials, and limits, of this emerging digital media. Key findings are that the virtual worlds provided additional benefits to student learning and engagement through fun and intellectual simulation of play. The virtual world environment allowed students to interact in a novel and unique way, improving upon traditional studio education.

Keywords:

• urban planning
• urban design
• studio
• Second Life
• videogames

Notes

1. This is a fully extended and reworked version of an earlier short commentary article published as Hollander, J.B., and D. Thomas. 2009. Virtual planning: ‘Second Life’ and the online studio. Journal of Planning Education and Research 29, no. 1: 108–13.

2. This article uses the general term ‘videogame’ to describe any interactive electronic entertainment, including computer games.

3. All the classes were taught in a studio/face‐to‐face lab environment. However, one course met virtually for one week, where students only met inside Second Life, from remote locations.

4. Avatars are the virtual representation of a user in Second Life, ‘The character a player controls in a game, or the personification of the player in a game’s world’ Videogame style guide and reference manual (2007).

5. Not all cities’ neighborhoods have been virtually modeled in Second Life, but the numbers are growing quickly.

6. The Second Life modeling system is based on a molar framework where each object comprises prims. These prims are the building blocks for everything in Second Life. Other 3D modeling software programs utilize vectors and planes to construct objects – the two systems are not generally interchangeable and at this point, Second Life does not support importing of any geometries created in tools outside of the game world.

7. Because Second Life avatars are fully customizable, there are cases where removing all costuming and clothing is desirable.

8. Planning in the Gaming World has been offered a total of five semesters through the fall of 2007.