OpenSim User Growth Slows Amid Colder Weather – Hypergrid Business

The weather here in the US has been unpredictable lately, with some days showing a real chill in the air. It seems to mirror the general uncertainties in the world, pushing me to escape into a virtual reality instead. This could explain why we’ve seen a rise in both registered users and virtual land area across public OpenSim grids.

Interestingly, there was a significant drop in active users — a dip of over 2,700. You might point a finger at some of the grids facing issues, like Moonrose, which used to boast over 900 active users but didn’t report any stats this month due to website troubles. Vida Dupla and Great Canadian Grid also skipped on active user reports or shut doors, contributing to the decline.

Several grids have reported noticeable drops in active users. OSgrid, for instance, witnessed a reduction of more than 800 users compared to the previous month. Craft World and other grids saw reductions too. Clearly, there’s more at play than just closed grids and reporting hiccups.

Perhaps the Halloween festivities drew people away from their screens or maybe the allure of fall activities was too strong to resist. However, as Paul Clevett from Wolf Territories highlighted, OSgrid has been undergoing maintenance. The platform has been offline since November 7 due to storage issues stemming from running out of space, caused by 17 years of data buildup.

The maintenance involves reconfiguring storage, moving millions of assets, and clearing unnecessary space. This kind of extensive work necessitates taking the grid offline temporarily to prevent disrupting the user experience. Fortunately, no assets should be lost during this process.

Meanwhile, I’m currently tracking 2,677 public grids, with 295 active and 232 having shared their stats this month. If your grid is missing from our data, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. Having your grid in our report can enhance its visibility both among users and on search engines.

In terms of land area, OSgrid remains the largest, despite losing over 2,000 regions, boasting 32,867 standard region equivalents. However, Wolf Territories Grid took the lead in user activity with 7,379 unique logins over the last month.

It’s worth mentioning that our stats usually exclude most grids running on DreamGrid, which mostly tend to be private. OpenSim is a free platform that facilitates creating and exploring virtual worlds swiftly and affordably, akin to Second Life. Whether you’re using DreamGrid’s installer or another system, this platform opens up many possibilities, with hosting starting at very reasonable prices.

For those interested in expanding their virtual horizons, resources like OpenSim hosting providers lists, and download links for viewers such as Firestorm are readily available to help create and enhance your OpenSim experience.

Now, if you’re an eager follower of OpenSim news, the Hypergrid Business newsletter sounds right up your alley. It comes out on the 15th of every month, just after our stats report, rounding up all the happenings from the previous month.

In our roundup of the top 25 most engaging grids this month, Wolf Territories Grid leads the pack with a whopping 7,379 active users. The trend here is that users flock to where the action is — places that offer richer experiences, more interaction, and potential for socializing or commerce.

In terms of markets, Kitely Market continues to thrive, with a strong focus on providing exportable content across different grids. They’ve rolled out support for PBR materials and larger textures, enhancing the creative potential within OpenSim significantly.

We also witnessed newcomers like NakedWorldz making their way into our database, while grids like Angel Grid and Ares World are temporarily suspended. I encourage anyone aware of public grids we’re missing to get in touch.

Finally, looking at land area, OSgrid leads again with its substantial presence, followed closely by realms like Wolf Territories Grid and Kitely. While our report doesn’t capture every grid out there, it does offer a snapshot of the bustling and ever-evolving virtual worlds under OpenSim’s umbrella.

In conclusion, these dynamic environments continue to innovate and grow, offering endless possibilities both for seasoned digital explorers and those just venturing into virtual realms. As the landscape changes, so will the adventures awaiting all aspiring virtual pioneers ready to embark on the next big discovery.