OpenSim’s Land Area Surges to New Heights: A Record-Breaking Month
In a remarkable turn of events, OpenSim’s public grids have reached an unprecedented total land area equivalent to 133,076 standard regions this month. This achievement marks an all-time high and represents the third consecutive month of record-breaking growth for OpenSim. The virtual world platform, known for its open-source nature and user-friendly interface, continues to attract users and creators alike, solidifying its position in the realm of virtual environments.
Steady Growth in Land Area and User Base
The latest statistics reveal a 1,196 standard region equivalent increase compared to last month, showcasing a robust expansion in the virtual landscape. This growth is complemented by a surge in the total number of registered users, which increased by nearly 2,000. However, it’s worth noting that the number of active users experienced a slight decline of just over 500. This decrease can be attributed in part to grid outages affecting some popular grids. For instance, ProxyNet, which boasted over 400 active users last month, faced downtime this month. Similarly, Vivo Sim reported a drop of more than 500 active users, potentially due to database issues.
Currently, the OpenSim ecosystem comprises 2,655 public grids, with 309 of them being active. Out of these, 245 grids published their statistics this month. If you manage a grid that is not currently tracked, you can reach out to the author at [email protected] to ensure your grid receives the visibility it deserves.
A Call for Contributions and Updates
In an effort to streamline communication, the author has decided to discontinue the monthly email reminders for grid owners to submit news and updates for the report. Instead, grid owners are encouraged to send any news items before the 10th of each month for inclusion in the monthly wrap-up. For more extensive announcements, press releases can be submitted at any time.
Understanding OpenSim
OpenSim is a free, open-source virtual world platform that allows users to create and explore virtual environments with ease. It serves as an alternative to platforms like Second Life, enabling individuals without technical skills to quickly set up their own virtual worlds. Those with technical expertise can run OpenSim worlds on their servers using various distributions, including DreamGrid or the official OpenSim installer. Commercial hosting options are also available, starting at less than $5 per region.
For those interested in exploring OpenSim, a list of OpenSim hosting providers is available, along with recommendations for the Firestorm viewer and resources for acquiring content for your OpenSim world.
Monthly Newsletter Launch
In addition to the monthly statistics report, a new Hypergrid Business newsletter will be launched, providing a comprehensive overview of OpenSim news from the previous month. This newsletter will be sent out on the 15th of each month, right after the stats report is published. Interested readers can subscribe here to stay updated on the latest developments in the OpenSim community.
Top Grids by Active Users and Land Area
The popularity of grids is often determined by their active user counts. The following are the top 25 grids by active users this month:
- OSgrid: 5,276 active users
- Wolf Territories Grid: 5,271 active users
- GBG World: 2,221 active users
- DigiWorldz: 2,138 active users
- Alternate Metaverse: 1,971 active users
- Darkheart’s Playground: 1,634 active users
- WaterSplash: 1,342 active users
- AvatarLife: 1,196 active users
- Moonrose: 1,111 active users
- Littlefield: 1,000 active users
- Neverworld: 989 active users
- AviWorlds: 972 active users
- Party Destination Grid: 879 active users
- Vida Dupla: 864 active users
- Trianon World: 848 active users
- Craft World: 750 active users
- Astralia: 678 active users
- Eureka World: 658 active users
- Kitely: 650 active users
- Virtualife: 618 active users
- The City: 553 active users
- Little Big City: 553 active users
- Resurgence: 550 active users
- Jungle Friends Grid: 518 active users
- Herederos Grid: 511 active users
Top Grids by Land Area
In terms of land area, the following grids lead the way:
- Wolf Territories Grid: 28,496 regions
- OSgrid: 27,145 regions
- Kitely: 18,216 regions
- ZetaWorlds: 11,687 regions
- Alternate Metaverse: 9,995 regions
- Groovy Verse: 7,896 regions
- Discovery Grid: 5,094 regions
- DigiWorldz: 3,543 regions
- CandM World: 1,579 regions
- Tag Grid: 1,464 regions
- Shoalwater Bay: 1,072 regions
- GBG World: 952 regions
- Virtual Worlds Grid: 916 regions
- 3rd Rock Grid: 872 regions
- AviWorlds: 854 regions
- Friends Grid: 816 regions
- ArtDestiny: 784 regions
- Kinky Haven: 653 regions
- AvatarLife: 577 regions
- Littlefield: 515 regions
- GorGrid: 430 regions
- Tomi’s World: 400 regions
- Craft World: 387 regions
- DreamNation: 378 regions
- Furry World: 373 regions
Conclusion
OpenSim’s continued growth in land area and user engagement highlights the platform’s increasing relevance in the virtual world landscape. As more users flock to create and explore, the community thrives, offering endless possibilities for creativity and connection. If you know of any public grids not currently in the database, please reach out to [email protected] to help expand the OpenSim ecosystem further.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights as OpenSim continues to evolve and redefine the virtual experience.