IMVU.com avatar-based instant messaging

[Jeff]

We've heard about AIM 5.9's SuperBuddys and seen the 2D avatars in both Yahoo! Messenger 6 and ICQ 4.0. Now IMVU.com has introduced 3D IM avatars that work ontop of your regular instant messaging program. IMVU supports MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Meca, Jabber and a few others. The program is free, and still in beta, but it's intriguing.

When you start a chat with someone, you'll be asked if you want to use avatars for the conversation. It's clever, but do you see yourself using avatar-based chat to communicate? What would 3D avatars add to your IM experience?

[Tigerblade]

it's an interesting idea, but i'd have to say no I cant see myself using this. it's not even the fact that you have to pay for avatars, its just an unnecessary addition. granted, a lot of the "features" of most IM clients could be considered unnecessary, but I dont see a need for an avatar. that's basically what webcams are for, right?

of course it could be fun to use making mini movies if you could record the convos to video files or something like that...

[detn8r]

Extremely juvenile. Maybe for the 13 year olds.... not something I'd use. But if anything, I will just wait for someone else to rip it, and make it a plug-in for MSN etc.

[Jeff]

quote:Originally posted by detn8r

Extremely juvenile. Maybe for the 13 year olds.... not something I'd use. But if anything, I will just wait for someone else to rip it, and make it a plug-in for MSN etc.

Did you even look at it? It works on top of MSN Messenger (or AIM, or ICQ, etc.).

[RabidKitten]

It reminds me of this program my mother had for a while. About 6 years back. Microsoft chat. It was just a glorified chat, but it had avatars and such in it like the ones they use here over the messengers. *shrug* Something neat to fool with, but not very useful unless it catches on. That and the free skins are a bit on the lame side. And like you said, what would it add to the IM experience? *shrug*

[camster]

quote:Originally posted by detn8r

Extremely juvenile. Maybe for the 13 year olds.... not something I'd use.

most 13 yr. olds (that I know) wouldnt like that either. (including me). People want to chat with something simple

[Jeff]

quote:Originally posted by RabidKitten

It reminds me of this program my mother had for a while. About 6 years back. Microsoft chat. It was just a glorified chat, but it had avatars and such in it like the ones they use here over the messengers. *shrug* Something neat to fool with, but not very useful unless it catches on. That and the free skins are a bit on the lame side. And like you said, what would it add to the IM experience? *shrug*

It was called Microsoft Comic Chat. It was a very cool application, way ahead of it's time.

There are apparently still people who use it!

[Jeff]

Very timely -- Check out Instant Messaging Goes Graphical on Wired.com

[RabidKitten]

Thats the ticket, Jeffery! *thumbs up* Yeah I used to spend hours on that. I checked it out about a month back, and for some reason it just didn't have the umph that it used to. *sigh* How sad.

[AwesomeSauce]

quote:Originally posted by detn8r

Maybe for the 13 year olds....

Maybe for 7 year olds.... Ok, I might try it if it was free, or else it's not worth it. If you can't even really interact with it(such as walk around, stuff like that), i'd imagine it would get boring, fast.