There (virtual world): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|2003 social virtual world video game}}

[[Image:There logo.png|thumb|''There'' logo]]

{{Infobox video game

| title = There

| image = There Logo.png

| caption = Logo used for the 2012 relaunch

| developer = Makena Technologies

| released = January 9, 2003 (original) <br /> May 2, 2012 (re-launch)

| genre = [[Virtual world]]

| modes = [[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]

| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] <br />macOS (2025 private alpha)<ref name="MacAlpha">{{cite web |title=Mac Alpha Testing |url=https://there.blog/category/mac-alpha-testing/ |website=There Blog |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

}}

'''''There''''' is a 3D online [[virtual world]] developed and operated by Makena Technologies. The platform opened to the public in October 2003 after a two-year beta and counted more than one million registered members by 2009.

Designed for social play rather than combat, the world lets players create custom avatars, build and trade user-generated items, and participate in activities such as buggy races, paintball games, hoverboard challenges and player-hosted events. Land is offered as customizable zones and neighborhoods with an in-game rent system, and all transactions use the in-game currency, ''Therebucks (T$)''. Corporate partnerships have featured areas and content from companies like [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]], [[MTV]], [[CosmoGirl!|CosmoGIRL!]] and [[Paramount Pictures]].

There is a Virtual World created by [[Will Hearvey]] and [[Jeffery Ventrella]]. There's platform is the most advanced Virtual World platform to date. There allows its user to create and discover a world beyond the imagination. With over 32,000 current members There is growing more then ever and will take the gaming world by storm.

There shut down on March 9, 2010, but relaunched on May 2, 2012 under a US$10 monthly subscription model. Interest spiked again in April 2025 after a YouTube documentary went viral, drawing more than 11 million views and prompting a large surge of returning and new players.<ref name="Engadget2010" />

The philosophy behind There is to allow people to meet each other online while building a Virtual World together. In There your only tool is your imagination and almost anything you dream of is possible. With the most creative community around There is growing and thriving more then ever. There is now focusing on giving its members better tools to create the world around them.

== History ==

There is the first Virtual World of its kind to allow its member to create anything their heart and minds desire. There for sure has the most creative and talented community. The company's staff works around the clock on There and their work shows up every where.

=== Development and initial run (1998–2010) ===

There Inc. was founded in 1998; closed beta began in July 2001 and the world launched publicly in October 2003. Tom Melcher, formerly of [[CNET]], served as chief executive officer until 2003.

{{Image frame|width=250|content=

|caption=There.com table at the Virtual Worlds 2007 conference|align=right}}

Lagging growth led to major layoffs in August 2004 and a split into two entities: [[Forterra Systems]] - targeting government simulation - and Makena Technologies for the consumer product.<ref name="Wired2004" />

A US$14 million funding round followed in 2005.<ref name="Wired2005" />, and partnerships with corporate advertisers like [[MTV Networks]] and [[Coca-Cola]] brought a new revenue stream and new content to the world. (see [[#Corporate partnerships|corporate partnerships]])

On March 2, 2010 Makena announced that There.com would close; servers went offline at 11:59 p.m. PST on March 9, 2010.<ref name="Engadget2010" /><ref name="Wired2010" />

=== Relaunch and 2025 revival (2012–present) ===

==Appeals of There==

Founder Michael Wilson confirmed plans to reopen in May 2011, and the world returned on May 2, 2012 with a subscription model and two free-trial tiers.<ref name="MOP2025" />

Expanded soon...

===Exotic scenery===

[[Image:Scenery.jpg|thumb|''A wide pan over an exotic village in There'']]

There are many exotic locations in There, each with their own special charm.

===Designing===

A unique feature of There is the ability to create items and sell them to other members through the auctions system. You can create your own personalized vehicles, buildings, clothes, and more!

Interest resurfaced in 2025 when YouTuber [[Globert]] posted a 30-day documentary that drew more than ten million views as of May 2025.<ref name="GlobertVideo" /> ''Massively Overpowered'' reported a population surge and revived in-game events, crediting the video for the spike.<ref name="MOP2025" />

== External links ==

== Gameplay and features ==

* [http://www.there.com/ There.com]

* [http://info.there.com/ ThereCare] - Official announcements and help site

* [http://www.forterrainc.com/ Forterra Systems Inc.]

* [http://www.there.com/pr_acquisition.html Press release on There's website: Mackena Technologies Acquires There from Forterra Systems]

* [http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Makena+Technologies%22&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N Google Search on Makena Technologies]

=== Avatars and social tools ===

* [http://www.lifeinthere.com Life in There] - news site

Players create avatars with permanent names and genders and fully customizable appearance. Communication options include text chat, voice, emotes and avatar “body language.”<ref name="NYT2003" />

* [http://www.therevoice.com The Voice of There] - news site

* [http://www.thereuniverse.com There Universe] - forum

Makena released ''ThereIM'', a stand-alone instant-messaging client, and ''ThereConnect'', a Facebook plug-in that syndicated in-world events.<ref name="WiredIM2008" />

* [http://www.all-there.com/allthere.html All-There.com] - links

* [http://wikithere.com WikiThere] - wiki encyclopedia about There

=== Economy ===

* [http://www.ventrella.com/There/index.html The Birth of There] by [[Jeffrey Ventrella]]

==== Currency ====

The in-game currency, ''Therebucks (T$)'', can be purchased on the website and are valued at 1800 T$ = US$1.<ref name="WiredCommerce2003" /> They can also be earned via various other methods, including events, random drops, and designing content for the world via the Development Program.

==== Property ====

Members can buy or rent virtual real estate and furnish it as homes, clubs, game rooms or racetracks.

Property comes in two forms:

* '''Fixed-___location zones''' - static houses, “fun zones” and “frontier zones” that charge a monthly rental fee.

* '''PortaZones (PAZs)''' - portable lots that can be dropped, picked up and moved at will; no rent is charged while a PAZ is undeployed.<ref name="DesignYourPlace">{{cite web |title=Design Your Place |url=https://www.there.com/info/members/howto/decorate.html |website=There.com |access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref>

Newer neighborhood lots expand on PAZs by letting multiple owners form planned communities.

==== User-generated content ====

Users create custom content with There’s developer toolkits, using third-party image editing and 3D modeling software to bring clothing, vehicles, buildings, furniture and other items into the game.<ref name="DevFAQ">{{cite web |title=Developer FAQ – Software Requirements |url=https://www.there.com/info/whatisthere/developers/faq |website=There.com |access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref> Once peer-reviewed, items are listed in the virtual marketplace and sold for Therebucks or sold directly to other players.

=== Activities ===

Popular pursuits include player-run events, paintball, flying jetpacks, treasure hunts, card games and training virtual pets.<ref name="BrownBell2006" /> As of March 2009, the main map featured 14 themed islands plus dozens of smaller atolls.<ref name="DesignPAZ" />

== Corporate partnerships ==

* In 2006 Makena partnered with [[MTV Networks]] to build branded worlds including ''Virtual Laguna Beach'', ''The Virtual Hills'' and the ''Virtual VMAs''.<ref name="Wired2007" />

* [[Coca-Cola]] opened the branded district CC Metro in 2007, hosting minigames and promotions.<ref name="HollywoodReporter2007" />

* [[CosmoGIRL!]] sponsored fashion-oriented quests and contests.<ref name="Wired2010" />

* A 2008 deal with [[Paramount Pictures]] sold movie sound clips as US$1 avatar emotes.<ref name="WiredParamount2008" />

* Apparel collaborations with [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] and [[Levi Strauss & Co.|Levi’s]] offered branded clothing items.<ref name="WiredCommerce2003" />

== See also ==

* [[Active Worlds]]

* [[CC Metro]]

* [[PlayStation Home]]

* [[Second Life]]

* [[Twinity]]

== References ==

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="Engadget2010">{{cite web |title=There.com is closing |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010-03-02-there-com-is-closing.html |work=Engadget |date=March 2, 2010 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Wired2010">{{cite magazine |title=Dead Media Beat: Was-Once-There.com |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/03/dead-media-beat-was-once-therecom |magazine=Wired |date=March 3, 2010 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Wired2005">{{cite magazine |title=Online Game Gets Feeding Tube |url=https://www.wired.com/2005/04/online-game-gets-feeding-tube |magazine=Wired |date=April 2005 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Wired2004">{{cite magazine |title=There Turns Off Road to Nowhere |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/08/there-turns-off-road-to-nowhere |magazine=Wired |date=August 2004 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Wired2007">{{cite magazine |title=A Second Life for MTV |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/02/mtv |magazine=Wired |date=February 1, 2007 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="WiredIM2008">{{cite magazine |title=3-D Virtual Worlds Go IM |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/09/3d-virtual-worlds-go-im |magazine=Wired |date=September 3, 2008 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="WiredCommerce2003">{{cite magazine |title=Commerce Drives Virtual World |url=https://www.wired.com/2003/08/commerce-drives-virtual-world |magazine=Wired |date=August 29, 2003 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="BrownBell2006">{{cite book | last=Schroeder | first=Ralph | last2=Axelsson | first2=Ann-Sofie | title=Avatars at Work and Play | publisher=Springer Science & Business Media | publication-place=Dordrecht, the Netherlands | date=2006-02-06 | isbn=978-1-4020-3883-9 | oclc=65202343 | url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/ocm65202343 | access-date=2025-05-05 | page=}}</ref>

<ref name="DesignPAZ">{{cite web |title=Design Your Place – Using PAZ Lots |url=https://www.there.com/info/members/howto/decorate.html |website=There.com |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="HollywoodReporter2007">{{cite news |title=Coca-Cola Builds ‘CC Metro’ in Virtual World There.com |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/virtual-reality-coca-cola-therecom-156532/ |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 6, 2007 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="WiredParamount2008">{{cite magazine |title=Paramount to Monetize Movie Clips in Virtual Worlds |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/04/paramount-virtual-worlds |magazine=Wired |date=April 3, 2008 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="MOP2025">{{cite web |title=A YouTuber Chronicles His 30-Day Journey to Revive Dead Social MMO ''There'' |url=https://massivelyop.com/2025/04/28/a-youtuber-chronicles-his-30-day-journey-to-find-players-and-throw-a-party-in-dead-social-mmo-there/ |work=Massively Overpowered |author=Chris Neal |date=April 28, 2025 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="GlobertVideo">{{cite AV media |title=I Spent 30 Days in a Dead Game |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSMDb1CWD6Y |author=Globert |date=April 13, 2025 |access-date=May 4, 2025 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

<ref name="NYT2003">{{cite news |title=New Economy: A Nerdy Entrepreneur Dreamed of a Better Place… |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/13/business/new-economy-nerdy-entrepreneur-dreamed-better-place-now-he-s-made-one-using-33.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 13, 2003 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==

* {{Official website|https://www.there.com}}

[[Category:VirtualLua reality(programming communitieslanguage)-scripted video games]]

[[Category:Massively multiplayer onlineWindows games]]

[[Category:MacOS games]]

[[Category:2003 video games]]

[[Category:Virtual economies]]

[[Category:Virtual world communities]]

[[Category:Massively multiplayer online role-playing games]]

[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]