Red vs. Blue is a brilliantly funny “machinima” (short film based on a game world). What was great about it was that it took a pop culture symbol, Halo, and did something brand new with it — turned it into a sitcom.

HBO is taking this formula and running with it, producing a machinima based on the virtual world of Second Life.

The Plot

Seven mini-episodes have been commissioned by HBO and it has been reported that they paid somewhere in the six-figures for the rights to air them. This documentary follows the life of one Molotov Alta as he explores the world in all its Furry glory.

This isn’t the first time that Time Warner Inc, the company that owns HBO, has turned to Second Life for inspiration. A Super Bowl ad for, “Two and a Half Men” contained footage that was “shot” in Second Life.

Web 2.0 Roundup

This is a great experiment on the part of Time Warner. While I doubt that Second Life is the be all and end all of virtual worlds (considering World of Warcraft might be curing disease) what they have produced here is something really different. Different is something that the television industry as a whole is in dire need of.

Virtual worlds really seem to shine when they are used as platforms for creative works. One of the biggest draws of Second Life is the Live Music that you can see preformed there. Maybe, the next big barrier will be the virtual movie set, where sitcoms like Red vs. Blue can be turned out and shown to a real studio audience.

Honestly, it couldn’t be much worse than Flavor of Love.

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