Virtual worlds are still a very new concept in the world of technology while the idea of existing inside virtual spaces has been around since the dawn of the information age. While many of these concepts are used exclusively for gaming, virtual worlds like Second Life occasionally use their immense sense of community to do a lot of good in the world.

Last weekend Relay for Life was held in Second Life lasting a full 24 hours from midday Saturday to Sunday. This relay contained all the elements you would find in a real-life Relay for Life including an opening ceremony, luminaria, fight back ceremony and closing ceremony events ending in a brilliant fireworks show put on by Second Life’s RacerX Gullwing.

Second Life’s Relay for Life Opening Ceremonies

Throughout the past year, events and fund raisers were held to contribute to a growing pool of virtual currency that is then traded in for real-world currency sent directly to the American Cancer Society fund. During these events and including the 24-hour relay, over $221,000 USD was raised (over 53 million Linden dollars). The vast majority of this money was raised through micro-transactions often as low as fractions of a dollar.

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In this special episode, Matt Ryan has a sit-down with one of the Treet.TV founders, Wiz Nordberg. They discuss mobile gaming, virtual worlds and the future of controllers.

Games Covered:
Crosswords – http://www.standalone.com/iphone/crosswords/
Plain Sight – http://www.plainsightgame.com/
Strategery – http://strategerygame.com/
Second Life – http://secondlife.com/
Pocket Metaverse – http://www.pocketmetaverse.com/

For more information about Wiz Nordberg and Treet visit:
http://treet.tv

Beyond Black Mesa is a live-action short film being produced on a budget under $1,300. The teaser is out and it looks like this will be a fantastic independent film based on the Half Life story. For more information visit beyondblackmesa.com.

Hawx 2 has been announced and we have the trailer. More realistic flight and extra features are all highlighted by Ubisoft as this flight combat game readies for release. For more information visit hawx2.com.

LeBron James has picked Miami as his new team and screenshots featuring him in his new attire are already coming out of the NBA 2k11 development team.

Blizzard has had a tremendously negative response from players regarding a decision to force real names out in the open on the Blizzard forums. This move, aimed at combating the negative troll-rich environment was unpopular as player concerns over privacy and employment checks took center stage.

Guild Wars 2 art is quickly coming out and more details about how the long-anticipated sequel will handle death and healing are now available.

For more information on Magic: The Gathering:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/

For more information about Gemanite55:
http://gemanite55.com

For more information about Xbox Live:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live

For more information about League of Legends:
http://www.leagueoflegends.com/

News stories featured in the news blitz:
http://www.dailypwn.com/2010/06/18/need-for-speed-hot-pursuit-demo-at-e3/
http://www.dailypwn.com/2010/06/24/pr-ea-wages-war-on-xbox-live-arcade-with-risk-factions/
http://www.dailypwn.com/2010/06/20/press-release-4story-has-32-nation-world-cup-cloaks-available/

More information about the Eve Online skill training tips:
http://www.dailypwn.com/2010/06/02/eve-online-skill-training-tips/

More information about the SpaceNavigator review:
http://www.dailypwn.com/2010/06/05/3dconnexion-spacenavigator-review/

Little Big Planet 2:
http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-gb/2/

StarCraft 2:
http://us.starcraft2.com/

Beat Hazard:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/49600/

Giant Snail Races is a long-time member of the Treet family featuring a race between snails the size of buildings racing around a track full of obstacles. These races take place every Saturday in Second Life. More information can be found here.

PookyMedia:

http://www.pookymedia.com

Plain Sight:

http://plainsightgame.com/

Chaos Rings:

http://dlgames.square-enix.com/chaosrings/

Answer the question of the week:

http://treet.tv/forums/dailypwn/topics/question-week-what-your-favorite-nes-game

More about Paisley Beebe and Perfect World Productions
http://perfectworldproductions.com.au/

Simon: Classic by Category 5 Games
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simon-classic/id351705979?mt=8

Who Wants to be a Millionaire for iPhone OS
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire/id341833894…

Pooky Amsterdam and Hydra Shaftoe, their Second Life names, are the hosts of this hour-long quest in to the world of virtual game shows. Together they not only write and produce this show every week, but they go head-to-head with panelists regularly giving them a chance to try to “stump” them. To this date no panel has completely stumped Hydra Shaftoe.

Filmed LIVE before a studio audience, this show is all about trivia and science in a way that makes Jeopardy and other popular game shows seem rather lacking in difficulty. The questions are hard and rightly so. The panelists have Google and other resources at their disposal and it is a challenge to see who can be accurate and quick in discovering the answers to these pressing questions.

I had the honor and privilege of being a part of the show not once but twice over the past two years. Below are the two episodes my Second Life avatar, Zen Paine, sat on the panel and competed for virtual prizes.

The 1st Question is broadcast live every Tuesday at 7pm Pacific Time, USA.

Watch and enjoy the fun and laughs with Pooky & Hydra as they greet this week’s panel of quizees Zen Paine, Kit Guardian, Madcow Cosmos and Emmo Wei.

The episode below is my 2008 appearance on the same show.

Another fun show from your hosts Pooky & Hydra comes your way as they welcome panelists Thundergas Menges, Dilana Llewellyn, Zen Paine & Azdel Slade. If you’ve got an answer, they’ve got the question.

In the coming weeks, regular episodes will be produced in a much more polished and well-rehearsed fashion. For now please enjoy the pilot. More articles about the content discussed in the episode will follow.