If You Build It, They Will Come (for enough prize money)

Bunneh hangs out in Lebn Bucyk's Barefoot Park

I've been thinking lately about the variations in appearance of many of the trivia venues in SL and about whether a location's appearance affects my experience of the game there. I don't tend to shy away from the places that are less attractive, but I am definitely drawn to those that are more so. I don't think my surroundings directly affect whether I play well or not, but they do affect my mood, and if I do poorly, I don't mind it so much if I'm at Lebn's nice little park than if I'm at, say, a mostly empty dirt lot with camping chairs and spammy games. At least at Lebn's I will have had a pleasant time for reasons other than the trivia.

Attractiveness is relative, of course, and most of the places that look unattractive to someone who likes to find SL's most creative builds probably look just fine to those who are more likely to visit bland shopping malls and depressingly parceled sims with ban lines. My opinions about which trivia locations are best and which are best not mentioned are thus entirely subjective. Nonetheless, if it influences me, it probably influences others on a conscious or less-than-conscious level, in terms of their enjoyment of a trivia game. Here are some of the places I like and why I like them.

Armada. It's plagued by some of the most vicious lag demons in SL, but there's no denying that it's nevertheless a great-looking place. It's too bad that it's nearly impossible to play without turning off at least some of the rendering.

Barefoot in Jeongam. Lebn and Preston's park has a bit more floating text than it needs, and it has occasionally been cursed with overly flashy neighbors, but when the place is filled with players using the many poseballs around the fire, it is sweet, charming, cozy, and chill.

The Grotto. The location of last weekend's vampire trivia might host more events in the future. This underground space with marble steps and waterfalls not only is going to be one of the prettiest spots on the trivia circuit if it does but is rather attractive in its own right.

[MonoChrome]. The place is completely uncomplicated, free of ads and unnecessary poseballs. All of the floating text thingies are in one place, by the stage, and there isn't an overabundance of them. Seating is varied, and the dual levels and balconies keep the monochromatic from being monotonous as well.

Sharon's Diner. The regulars might joke about how badly the grease traps need cleaning, but Sharon does a good job of blending the sponsors' ads in with the fake ones. The place is not what you would call pretty, but it has lots of character, and character makes up for some of the details that might spoil the appearance of a less successfully eclectic space.

Sharon Scofield's trivia diner has kitsch. I love kitsch.

Then there are some things that seriously dampen a place's atmosphere. I should note, of course, that there's no absolute dealbreaker here, that (like at Sharon's) it's always possible that some elements can be balanced out by others.

Visible dance balls. Lilly's Irish Pub might have made my list of favorites if it weren't for their tidy little Intan ball going AWOL, while the floor suddenly became littered with more couples dance balls than they had previously (at least this was true the last time I was there). The interior decor is otherwise suitable for a pub, and they still have one of the best solo dance selections on the circuit in their discreet, clickable rug. Glendalough on the whole is rather beautiful, as well. Lilly's is also by far not the worst offender where those dance balls are concerned. I hinted to David Tuck once (albeit much more tactfully and subtly than I'm about to) that the plethora of dance balls all over the club Shiraz dance floor -- couples and line dances both -- were an eyesore. A couple of loyal Shiraz patrons generously donated an Intan ball, but David suggests that the poseballs are more newbie-friendly. While this may be true, I'm unconvinced that the club gets enough newbies on a nightly basis to justify the number of balls that remain out. Compact dance products that can animate solo avatars or produce couples balls on demand cut down on clutter, and it always makes me happy when club owners prefer to use those instead of lingering poseballs.

Zyngo, etc., machines. I understand that these games are very popular and that people who enjoy trivia games might enjoy them as well. I know that there are many reasons to have them at an establishment, not the least of which is that it can draw people to the location. I will only say that being popular doesn't make them any less ugly, and a responsible club owner will take into account how many a property can reasonably use without damaging the location's appearance too much. I personally wouldn't avoid a place due to the mere presence of game machines -- I'm not making an argument against them as a rule -- but I'd recommend simply being aware of how they might detract from a trivia site's appearance and not to use more than necessary.

Excess hover text. Hover text is useful for functional purposes, of course, and it's not usually possible -- or necessary -- to do away with it altogether. The problem emerges when there is so much hover text that it becomes difficult to see past it or when it becomes distracting. The SL eye is trained to ignore hover text when we don't need to see it, to a large extent, so that when it's so plentiful that we actually begin to notice it's there, it's too much.

I'm not going to touch issues of interior and exterior design and the use of quality builds because as subjective as my view already is, those things are much more obviously a matter of taste. My pickiness is mostly about dealing with unnecessary visual clutter that interferes with a location's overall appearance.

So now, since I probably have a few owners and managers and hosts of trivia establishments feeling either worried that I'm talking about their places or defensive because they know I am, let me talk a little about how exactly I believe the appearance of a trivia space could be important (and why it isn't always).

Basically, it's a matter of many, many different factors falling into position to make one's experience of a trivia space positive or not. Appearance is only one of them, but I thought it was an important one to bring up because it doesn't arise in most conversations unless a place is particularly attractive or unattractive. The factors also include the crowd, the trivia, the host(s), the prize amounts, and whether there are other draws, such as a live DJ, dancers, dancing, contests, or yes, even Zyngo games. Low lag also goes a long way. If a location gets high marks in most of these other areas, then chances are, an event can take place in the tackiest club in SL, for all that appearance will matter.

In addition, there is much to be said for intelligent placement: Lebn's place made my list of favorites despite the fact that there are a slew of danceballs at one end of the park; however, they are set apart from where the trivia takes place and are not too conspicuous. Sharon's Diner is chock full of clutter, but she works with it in such a way that it becomes ironic clutter and not just incidental clutter. Like her random music stream, it has a kitschy feel that challenges any kind of generalization one could make about even the few identifiable trouble spots I've highlighted. A space with pink flamingos, satirical ads on graffiti-covered bus benches, and a random meat hook can get away with a lot more ephemera than a space that takes itself too seriously.

There are probably very few hardcore trivia players who will avoid a place with good questions and decent payouts strictly because of its appearance, but it is a factor for some that gets balanced out with the rest of it. Making your trivia space a pleasant place to hang out in, preferably with floaty clutter in moderation, can influence the overall feel of the location and enhance players' experience so that you don't have to worry about whether those other factors make up for the aesthetics.

CultureCannibal Zilz and CapabilityTodd Elswit's Grotto in Villa Vesuviana will be offering trivia with class on a trial basis in the coming month.

SLURLs:
Barefoot in Jeongam: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jeongam/73/25/54
Sharon's Diner: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Doldari/117/119/67
The Grotto: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Melioria/64/77/25

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