So all last semester I had a research seminar class that took place in Second Life which was pretty interesting from a theory standpoint, but from a practical standpoint, mostly involved driving virtual Go-Karts around UF’s own little slice of virtual real-estate “Gator Nation Island.”

In the end, my project turned into making a multimedia type presentation for our “visitors center” for the island. Below are the hastily put together results of that project:

That’s Erik Black, a PHD Game Studies student in the class, narrating. He was a really good sport in all of this.

That’s me doing probably some of the most listless voice-over work I’ve ever heard.

I was having problems with plosives (mic pops) so I wrapped my palm around the mic and talked through the opening in my hand. It got rid of them for the most part, but it also sounds like I’m talking into a tin can through a mattress.

I was able to solve the audio problems for the most part. I think I may have switched mics by this point.

Overall, the class was great despite the weird shifting between projects and a bit of disorganization. Plus I got to meet our professor James Oliverio (Emmy winning composer and the head of the Digital Worlds Institute).