Wagner James Au

Google's Project Genie is yet another example of tech companies evincing utter obliviousness to what virtual game worlds actually are and why gamers love them.

The problem is so obvious, it's even in the very demo video that Google just put out.👇

Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands | TechCrunch Bluesky's first transparency reports tackle moderation, regulatory compliance, account takedowns, and more. The number of government legal requests went up fivefold.

Bluesky "grew nearly 60% in 2025, from 25.9 million users to 41.2 million".

50 million is roughly when Twitter saw explosive network effect growth.

Tell 9 million of your friends!

techcrunch.com/2026/01/30/b...

Very cool! Would love to interview you for a profile. :)

(Dude suddenly stops pushing his broom across the floor of the Death Star)

Does this look like a big laser to anyone else

I'm only finding out today that I'm lucky my current duplex and last three apartments haven't burned to the ground

Introducing Michael Abrash, Oculus Chief Scientist | Meta Quest Blog The Path to the Metaverse I'm tremendously excited to join Oculus, and when I think back, it's astonishing how unlikely the...

Yeah & Abrash. Cory told me FB wasn't slinging around the term "the Metaverse" yet when he was there, he just discussed virtual worlds with Zuck et. al.

One piece of the story I still want is how Carmack went from there to literally rolling his eyes about Meta's plans.
www.meta.com/blog/introdu...

Thanks! Wow great thing to just learn when I'm today year's old

WAIT WHY THO

Fun interview with S&P Global Market Intelligence industry analyst @neilalanbarbour.bsky.social on what went wrong with Meta's metaverse strategy -- and what other companies are getting right! 👇

VRChat Featured in "LifeLike", Award-Winning New Indie Movie Profiled by the Hollywood Reporter. Watch This Exclusive Scene, Read My Chat With the Director! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

NEW: I talk with filmmaker Ali Vatansever about "LifeLike", his award-winning new feature movie about a teenager with a terminal disease who finds solace and friendship in @vrchat.com.

Plus a scene from VRChat and some behind the scenes production details! 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/vrchat...

I posted this report / interview on Reddit and several AI bros said, "gamers will get used to it."

Great ad campaign idea: "Yes the game you're paying $65 for is full of AI slop. Get used to it."

Would love to interview you about this! DM me plz!

Tell me you're looking for an excuse to hate on the Dodgers without telling me you're looking for an excuse to hate on the Dodgers

BREAKING: Linden Lab Making Major Executive Hire to Hugely Grow Second Life Starting in 2026 -- Company Head Brad Oberwager Explains Why | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

Share with laid off Reality Labs staff (or anyone else in XR): My recent talk with Linden Lab head Bradford Oberwager on hiring a SVP of Engineering, part of his strategy to grow Second Life's user base (which ticked *up* by about 120K last year). 👇

www.patreon.com/posts/breaki...

This is the stupidest Terminator reboot ever.

Most Gamers Overwhelmingly Hate Gen AI in Games, Major Industry Report Finds -- Here's Why! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

NEW: Sam Altman may promise that with gen AI, "video games are going to become something unimaginably better."

But a new report reveals that people who reliably spend the most money on games *hate* the idea of gen AI in them.

Nick Yee and I discuss why below! 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/most-g...

Finally playing Cyberpunk 2077 was my immersive gaming highlight of last year, a mind-bogglingly deep, surprisingly moving open world RPG, as breathtaking as Keanu promised.

Thrilled the game's creative director (& its sequel) @srznsk.bsky.social is on BSKY sharing behind the scenes insights. 👇

UNIBLOCKS PRO [modular homes, buildings, structures] UNIBLOCKS PRO is an unified set of meshes & blueprints for quick grid-aligned assembly of houses and other constructions of arbitrary design. This is a fully-featured version with all design optio...

Patreon supporter shout-out to @lex4art.bsky.social, veteran virtual world builder and creator of UNIBLOCKS, a unified set of meshes & blueprints for quickly creating houses and other buildings in Unreal. Check it out on Lex's Fab store! 👇

www.fab.com/listings/fbb...

Finally playing Cyberpunk 2077 was my immersive gaming highlight of last year, a mind-bogglingly deep, surprisingly moving open world RPG, as breathtaking as Keanu promised.

Thrilled the game's creative director (& its sequel) @srznsk.bsky.social is on BSKY sharing behind the scenes insights. 👇

Cajsa's Choices: My Top 10 Favorite Second Life Images We Featured in 2025 | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

Love this: @cajsa.bsky.social's top ten favorite Second Life-based images from 2025. Join my New World Notes Patreon to read for free! 👇🏼

www.patreon.com/posts/147117...

My Top Eighteen Favorite New World Notes Posts of 2025! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

New Year's Eve gift: My top 18 favorite New Word Notes stories of 2025, including how Second Life avatars wound up on a NYC Times Square billboard, and Linden Lab's secret island of avatar dating bedrooms.

Join my Patreon for free to read! 👇

www.patreon.com/posts/my-top...

My Top Eighteen Favorite New World Notes Posts of 2025! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

New Year's Eve gift: My top 18 favorite New Word Notes stories of 2025, including how Second Life avatars wound up on a NYC Times Square billboard, and Linden Lab's secret island of avatar dating bedrooms.

Join my Patreon for free to read! 👇

www.patreon.com/posts/my-top...

Type Help by William Rous The Unsolvable Mystery

Please enjoy my top 10 free browser games of 2025:

1. Type Help william-rous.itch.io/type-help
2. Dragonsweeper danielben.itch.io/dragonsweeper/
3. Clues by Sam cluesbysam.com
4. Stimulation Clicker neal.fun/stimulation-...
5. The Collector split82.itch.io/the-collector

Just to be clear. It’s the John F Kennedy center legally.

Just like it’s still the department of defense

Basis Breaks New Concurrency Record -- But Can the Virtual World Framework Bring in Enough Funds to Break 1000 CCU? | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

New: I look @basisvr.org, an open source virtual world framework for VR/PC that just hit *679* local concurrent users in a stress test. (VRChat/SL can only do 250 max.)

I talk w/lead dev @dooly123.bsky.social on what's next. Now free for all members of my Patreon: 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/146015...

Basis Breaks New Concurrency Record -- But Can the Virtual World Framework Bring in Enough Funds to Break 1000 CCU? | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

New: I look @basisvr.org, an open source virtual world framework for VR/PC that just hit *679* local concurrent users in a stress test. (VRChat/SL can only do 250 max.)

I talk w/lead dev @dooly123.bsky.social on what's next. Now free for all members of my Patreon: 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/146015...

Fun factoid from my interview w/ Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager:

Linden Dollars in @secondlife.bsky.social are transacted about 1.5 MILLION times per day. 👇🏼

That's 3X the average number of daily Bitcoin transactions.

Tell your tech bro pals: L$ is used far more than BTC to buy goods & sevices.😜

Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.

a16z gave a million dollars to a phone farm that's flooding TikTok with AI-generated influencers. A hacker contacted 404 Media to reveal what these accounts are and what products they're promoting www.404media.co/hack-reveals...

"I banish thee to... the global central of popular culture and the nation's foodie mecca, where thy pizza and bagel options shalt still be great but verily overwhelmed by infinite taco and sushi choices."

BREAKING: Linden Lab Making Major Executive Hire to Hugely Grow Second Life Starting in 2026 -- Company Head Brad Oberwager Explains Why | Wagner James Au / New World Notes Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

Got the inside word on the future of Second Life from Linden Lab's Brad Oberwager. He tells me why the company is making the most major team hire since Philip Rosedale rejoined as CTO & shares new milestones.

Join my New World Notes Patreon to read it all here!
👇
www.patreon.com/posts/145551...