There (virtual world)
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| There | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Makena Technologies |
| Publisher(s) | Makena Technologies |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X (Private Alpha) |
| Release | January 9, 2003 (original version) May 2, 2012 (new version) |
| Genre(s) | Virtual world |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
There is a 3D online virtual world created by Will Harvey and Jeffrey Ventrella. There Inc. was founded in the spring of 1998. Closed beta began in July 2001, with various stages of beta following, and ending with an October 2003 launch date. On March 9, 2010 (one week after the announcement of its closure on March 2, 2010), There.com shut its doors to the public.
On May 18, 2011, Michael Wilson announced on the There.com homepage that the platform would be reopening, and that all previous members would retain access to their original avatars.
There officially reopened to the public on May 2, 2012, operating under a monthly subscription model of US$10 per month, while two tiers of trial accounts are available albeit with limited functions.[1]
Corporate history
[edit]Leadership and recruiting
[edit]From 1998 - 2003, Tom Melcher served as Chief Executive Officer of There Inc. and There.com. Prior to joining the company, Melcher was an Executive Vice President for CNET. He once described There.com's archetypal user as "the woman who is in her 30s, single, really overweight, lives in a small town." Melcher stepped down as CEO in 2003.
In June 2004, There Inc. went through a restructuring and announced major layoffs. In April 2005, the company announced that the commercial side of the company would be branching out to form two companies: Forterra Systems, which focused on government and military applications, and Makena Technologies, which continued development of the commercial virtual world.
Partnerships and Commercial Development
[edit]In 2006, Makena Technologies partnered with MTV Networks to provide the platform for a series of branded virtual worlds, including Virtual Laguna Beach, The Virtual Hills, Virtual Pimp My Ride, Virtual Real World, Virtual Newport Harbor, Virtual VMAs, Virtual Kaya, Virtual Rob and Big and Virtual Life of Ryan. Makena Technologies also has a partnership with Trilogy Studios.
Several corporate brands also had a presence in There.com, which included Coca-Cola, CosmoGIRL!, Humane Society of the U.S., Capitol Music Group, Paramount Studios, bebe, NACo USA, K-SWISS, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nike, Levi's, and Scion.
Platform features and closing
[edit]In 2008, Makena Technologies launched ThereConnect, allowing There.com members to showcase their in-world profiles, skills, groups and upcoming events on Facebook. The company also announced ThereIM, a lightweight instant messaging client that enabled users to communicate with other avatars, regardless of whether or not they were logged into the virtual world.[citation needed]
On March 9, 2010, at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, There.com officially shut down its virtual world. The CEO of There Inc., stated very clearly (both privately and publicly) that Makena had no plans of re-opening There.com. Refunds were offered for all "Therebucks" purchased between February 1 and March 9, 2010, with the refund window closing on April 1.[citation needed]
Reopening
[edit]On May 18, 2011, Michael Wilson announced that There.com would reopen. The platform officially relaunched to the public on May 2, 2012.[citation needed]
Details
[edit]There is a venue for socializing with less role-playing than is typically found in MMORPGs. Marketed on its homepage as "...an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones...", There defines itself as a service providing a shared experience that allows people to interact in an online society. Following There's reopening in May, 2012, the virtual world became open to users 18 and older.
New members join by choosing a unique name and a male or female avatar. While the avatar's name and gender are permanently set, various attributes such as hair style and color, body shape, skin tone, and eye color, clothing, and more, are all customizable and can be changed as desired. Through avatars, members can communicate in real-time using emotions, body language, text chat and voice to express themselves.
In addition to personalizing avatars, members can create their own items, such as clothing, vehicles, buildings and furniture, and sell them to others for use in the world. All user-generated objects must undergo a community based submission procedure to ensure its accuracy as well as compliance with international copyright laws. Detailed instructions are available at the developer site provided by Makena, and in world classes are offered for the novice as well as experienced graphic artist. All classes are without charge and open to all.
Most items, such as furniture, are designed to be used within houses or zones, although some items such as vehicles and dogs are not, due to their mobile nature. Monetary transactions in There's economy are done using Therebucks (T$), virtual currency. Therebucks can be purchased directly from There at 1,800 T$ to US$1.
There.com members can participate in activities such as racing vehicles, playing cards, flying, designing homes, playing paintball, hoverboarding and training virtual pets. There is also access to special interest groups devoted to topics including recreation, business, the environment, education and the arts.
In September 2007, all members of There Philippines were moved to the original version. They were required to change usernames (if necessary), and could not bring anything with them but tbux during the change.
Life in There
[edit]Members can use virtual property to build and furnish personal spaces such as homes, social venues, game rooms, racetracks, and more. These spaces are created using either fixed-location structures like houses, "fun zones," and "frontier zones," or using mobile "porta-zones" (PAZs), which can be moved or removed without incurring rental fees when inactive. Rentals for houses and zones are paid monthly.
Neighborhoods and neighborhood lots represent newer forms of PAZs, allowing for more elaborate community development. Users can design custom content using tools such as There templates, Gmax, and graphic editors like Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or GIMP. Created items can be bought, sold, or traded in the virtual marketplace.
Size
[edit]As of March 2009, There featured 14 major islands, dozens of smaller islands, over one million registered members, and numerous community-run spaces including, virtual businesses.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". There Blog. Retrieved 21 April 2025.