Andrew Littlefield has a vision for a place where teens can hang out with their friends without leaving home. No, it's not called MySpace -- it's Doppelganger -- experiencing it's first incarnation as the
PCD Music Lounge; a virtual nightclub.
Part
MySpace, part
Secondlife, the PCD Music Lounge is a 3D environment with cell-shaded avatars reminiscent of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto. The effect is actually very cool looking.
I had a chance to meet with Littlefield when Doppelganger when development was just beginning, and it looks like the vision has become a reality, though today there's tough competition. The edge? Doppelganger integrates with
AIM, allowing you to message your friends from within the environment, and vice versa. AIM being the most popular IM among North American teens, this makes a great fit. They get can stay in touch with all their friends, and they have a new "place" to hang out.
Although Secondlife has already grabbed a lot of attention, Doppelganger's AIM link could be enough to tap into a whole new group of teens.
Originally posted at
jeffhester.net