Digital-Girl

There is described by the developers There, Inc., as an online getaway rather than a game or a chat room. There, Inc. is a privately held company based in Menlo Park, Calif., with over $33 million in funding from Sutter Hill Ventures, individual investors and employees. There also has marketing and technology supporters including Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Inc., ATI, Inc., HP, Intel, and Discreet (a division of Autodesk). With this sort of backing, what can one expect from There?

Well you may be wondering why on earth I am previewing There if it isn't really a game. Well the answer is, There combines element of a game as well as a chat room, but in a unique way. I also felt There would be a product that would appeal to some female gamers, and non gamers alike.

I had only been in There about 30 minutes when I started chatting with a guy about There. I was asking all my usual questions like "how long have you been playing", and "what can we do here". During this conversation he told me, "I can't remember life before There". This comment took me aback when I first heard it. I wondered what it was about There, that would engage a person in this way.

Therebucks

There is a 3D online world where one is represented by an avatar which is very customizable. When I first entered There, the first thing I did was change my appearance. The next activity included a little shopping (well a lot actually). When you start the game you are given 10 000 Therebucks to spend on whatever your heart desires. There are a number of items to buy such as Clothing (including Levi, and Nike apparel), Hairstyles, Make Up, Shoes, Pets, Vehicles (Hoverboards, Hoverbikes, Buggies, and Jetpacks), rent a house or Fun Zone to host a party or event, and Paintball equipment. In my first day in There I spent basically all my Therebucks on clothing and hairstyles.

So how do you make Therebucks as there are no monsters, or enemies to kill for cash or loot? One option is to buy more Therebucks using real money which is paid using your Credit Card. Therebucks (commonly known as T$) can be purchased at the exchange rate of US $1 equals T$ 1,787, with the minimum purchase US $5 and the maximum US $50 at any one time. If you don't want to spend real money for more T$, then you can Answer Want Ads, participate in marketing research surveys and other studies, Host Events and design clothing and furniture and sell your goods with the There Developer Program.

A popular activity and money making activity in There is designing furniture and clothing. Many aspiring There designers create websites to showcase their designs for potential buyers. With the new Stylemaker it is now easier for those with little or no design experience to create their own original clothing. There are some pretty nice designs as well, and I ended up buying a couple of player designed t-shirts through the in world auction system.

To download There is free, however there will be a monthly fee, which has not been set yet. It is uncertain as to how the majority of potential users will react to having to pay a monthly fee and the option of purchasing T$ using real money. I personally do not really like the idea of spending real money within a game as it is more of an advantage for people who can afford it, but not for those who cannot, and who have to spend time to aquire items in-game. I know that people do buy in-game items for other games at places like E-Bay, and I'm sure some people will love the fact that they can use their own money to purchase T$. This is certainly a personal choice and is in-built into the design of There. The positive aspect of There and the ability to purchase T$ is that the exchange rate is good and the items are reasonably priced.

Create Your Look

I mentioned avatar customization briefly before, and this element is a lot of fun. To change your appearance you need to visit a Spa. Once you hop on you can change many features of your face including various aspects of your eyes, nose, mouth, face shape, and eyebrows. You can also change features of your body such as skin tone, breast size, and bottom size (I'm being polite here). This helps you create your unique look, which you can model on yourself or someone else if you like. You can also have different Look Sets, which you can save and change when you like. Just go to the Spa and customize your avatar and save the Look Set.

Hairstyle is part of your avatar customization, however hair is treated more like clothing, in that you buy different hairstyles (and choose the color) and it goes into your inventory (My Things) and you can change your hair the same way you change your clothing.

Clothing...well I did mention earlier that I spent all my T$ on clothing. You can choose to buy your clothes from the There shops, or you can buy player made clothing. Player made clothing is fun as there is a large variety to choose from. If you decide you don't want to keep an item, you have the option to return it. The return price you receive depends on the length of time since purchase. What I like a lot about There is that you can actually 'choose' if you want to wear something skimpy. You can dress the way you might do in real life, or you can dress totally out of character, it's up to you. If you're going to a party, or just chatting at one of the cafes you are able to dress to suit the occasion. Make up is similar to clothing as well, in that you buy it from the There shops and it is part of your inventory. It is also a way to add character to your avatar.

Interacting in There

Socializing is an integral part of There. There is a means for people to meet up with friends or to meet new people. I've never been a person who spends much time in chat rooms, however, if more chat rooms were like There, I'd be using them more often. There are a number of ways to communicate in There. You can type in what you want to say and your text will appear in a bubble above your head, use the instant messaging system, or you can use voice chat if you have broadband. You can also express yourself using the various emotions and gestures. These are quite fun to use and more dynamic than some gesture and emotion options in some games. These emotions and gestures not only include physical movement such as waving, but also facial changes in some, such as smiling or laughing. Some also include extra graphical effects such as when you sleep, little z's appear. You can also change the intensity of some emotions and gestures. To perform an emotion or gesture you need to type a ' then the text of the gesture, e.g.. 'wave, or 'smile. To increase the intensity you would do 2 ' e.g.. ''smile.

There has many unique places to visit and explore. You travel to the various place in There by teleportation. You can visit new places and 'bookmark' these places to visit again. If you've found a great place, or simply want to meet up with someone, you can summon them to your spot.

Your screen includes menu bars at the bottom of your screen. Some open up a menu, while others open up a browser. For example, there is a "People" option on your menu bar which opens up a new menu, which opens up your buddies list. Menu buttons such as "What's Happening" or "Go Shopping" open up a browser where you can find out what activities are happening, or see what items are for sale, it's like surfing the web. When you are looking at the in-game browsers, or out of game webpages, little goggles appear to show people you are occupied. If you are simply away from your keyboard, you can set your status to afk, and the little goggles appear. It certainly is a good way to let people know when you are busy.

To move around in There, there are 2 modes to choose from. Standard mode is the default mode which you start the game in where you use your keyboard to maneuver and the menu bars are visible. In Action mode your cursor and menus are hidden and you use your mouse to move. Action mode is useful when you are familiar with the controls and is also used when using a vehicle. Some items such as paint guns will automatically switch you to Action mode. Once you put the item away you return to Standard mode if this is the mode you were previously in.

In some areas you can drive your vehicles, with some areas specially designed for vehicle activities such as buggy races. For those of you who enjoy a bit of competition, the various races and paint balls events, might be of interest to you. I must admit that I haven't tried paint balling, so I must put it on my to do list, along with watching some buggy races. I've used a buggy, hoverboard, and jetpack. These are all a lot of fun, though I really enjoyed the hoverboard the most (those things are fast!).

Is There a Game or Chatroom?

There is neither a Game or Chatroom in the traditional sense. I think what will appeal to people is the whole idea of chatting with people online and being able to see some representation of them. Communication online takes many forms, chat rooms, instant messaging systems, forums, and online games can also be a means of online socializing. These can be a lot of fun, and indeed many people engage in their use. You can customize these to some extent by having your forum avatar, or instant message avatar, and in some cases chat room avatar. There is unique in that it creates a world where people can communicate in a similar manner, but interaction takes place in a 3D interactive world where people are represented by their avatar, and in an environment where people can engage in other activities at the same time.

Both individuals and groups can utilize There. The individual who wants to meet up with friends and family can login an enjoy the company of their friends and families. There are many online clubs on the internet, special interest clubs, fan clubs, for example. Meeting up in There would be a great way to interact for members of these clubs.

In terms of online games, most of us here know their appeal, and enjoy the social aspect of games also, but for some who don't necessarily enjoy online games, online getaways such as There may an enjoyable alternative. This is not to say that gamers will not enjoy There. On the contrary I think many will enjoy There and the non conflict nature of the product. Gamers who particularly enjoy socializing should enjoy There.

Although whilst writing about There, and talking to people about There, I'm often tempted to call it a game. It isn't really, but it does include some elements of a game. As in a game, you have a character or avatar which you use to interact with the world. There are levels and titles to go with the levels e.g.. I received an e-mail congratulating me on reaching the level of 'Neophyte Fashionista' in which I received a gift (a pair of shoes) and a new place to explore in my 'Places' menu. The importance of reaching levels in There is not as important as it is in games. Exploration is an activity in games which is also a part of There. Competition to a lesser extent is an element of There, e.g.. buggy races, quizzes, treasure hunts, and paint ball competitions. In many online games, wealth and acquiring items is important, in There you can also aquire items and T$, though the means of doing this is quite different to acquiring items and wealth in games.

There is different to games as there are no monsters or dangers to face, no magical weapons or armor to find, no magic spells to cast, and no injury to your avatar. If you fall off you hoverboard in There, you do not get hurt. There is not a simulation of the real world either, it has elements of the real world, and is inspired by the real world, however There is a world created to provide people with a engaging and diverse online world to interact with others, an online getaway.

Final Thoughts

Although I would recommend There to others to try it out, I must stress that it is not for everyone. If the fantasy aspect of games e.g.. playing a brave warrior in a fantasy based MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) or a Spaceship pilot in a sci-fi MMORPG, is why you play games, you might not enjoy There as much as online games and other games. However, if you really enjoy socializing in games, and chatting on instant messaging systems, and chatting in chat rooms, you'll probably love There.

What is refreshing is that the developers of There are actively targeting the female market, and are interested in producing a product that females will enjoy. The idea of creating an online getaway is not a new one. Others have tried and failed. I feel the timing is right for There. A lot of effort has been put into the product design (which was more than 4 years in the making before the beta test in January 2003), and with so many more people using the internet as a means of interacting with friends, family members, and to meet new people, There will certainly be a product that people will take to their heart. The question is, will you be one of those people saying, "I can't remember life before There"?

If you're interested in experiencing There, visit their website and sign up for the Beta test.