Papermint ScreenshotThe description could be even more specific: Papermint is in fact Vienna’s alternative to Second Life. The “3D virtual realities design company” Avaloop is creating a virtual Vienna, comicstyle; funny enough, Papermint will be 2D and has a very special look and feel.

Avatars look like little superheroes, very cute and indvidual. Right now, they are betatesting Papermint, I am curious how it will look like in the end. Unlike SL they want to concentrate on the communicative aspects of such worlds and not render reality. It is meant to be simple and easy to start. It did cost about 300 000€ devoloping, which shall be refinanced by user fees, in-game items and in-game advertising.

Read more (in German) at Futurezone (ORF) and Der Standard

Update: Here’s a (German) tv documentary:

(Disclaimer: I don’t think Avaloop ever WANTED to create something like Second Life but it is much easier to explain mentioning this successful -at least in terms of media coverage- multiplayer online reality monster..)