I saw a number of avatar-based startups at Virtual World Expo. There were avatar "factories" for your virtual world, avatar-based browser, avatar designer from your pictures and even some standardization efforts for your avatar, so it can travel between virtual worlds.
I had to disappoint owners of such start-ups with my vision that Internet will not be avatar-based and this is why.
Avatars came from gaming. And this is where they bring the value by taking you outside of reality. And the more photo-realistic a game is, the better it takes you out.
Avatar innovation is leaded by technicians and it is natural that they try to apply the same technology and approaches to serious gaming and Internet. But when you want to have a corporate interactive meeting you do not need to be outside of reality, because you need to resolve real problems. Therefore, you need to make things fast and easy what avatars can't help you with. Entertainment is important part of Internet, but it's not the only. And there are multi-million game projects which always will be ahead of 3D worlds where you can buy and sell goods.
What people actually need at this stage is more interactive environment that classic social networks cannot deliver. And visual level must be added only to increase interactivity and usability.
I do not say that there is no spot for avatars in-between games and social networks, it is like electro cars before hydrogen technology is there.
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