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Artificial biology and ecosystems

Wrote about how the physics of modern computer games really do allow some wonderful things to be created by players yesterday.

But artificial biology in computer games shouldn’t be forgotten as can be seen in this wonderful ecosystem created by Laukosargas Svarog within the environment of Second Life.

The result of a year’s work, Laukosargas Svarog’s island of Svarga is a fully-functioning ecosystem, adding life or something like it to the verdant-looking but arid palette Linden Lab offers with its world. It begins with her artificial clouds, which are pushed along by Linden’s internal wind system.

“If I was to turn off the clouds the whole system would die in about six hours,” she tells me. “Turn off the bees and [the plants stop] growing, because nothing gets pollinated. And it’s the transfer of pollen that signals the plants to drop seeds. The seeds blow in the wind, and if they land on good ground according to different rules for each species, they grow when they receive rain water from the clouds. It’s all interdependent.”

Of all the amazing things created within Second Life I think this stands out.

By Matt Wharton

Matt Wharton is a dad, vlogger and IT Infrastructure Consultant. He was also in a former life a cinema manager.

Blogging here and at mattwharton.co.uk

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