JON NEVERDIE JACOBS INTERVIEW Posted by Zac Simpson on Nov 8, 2009 02:35 (49 days ago) |
Jon Jacobs, described by the Los Angeles Times as “the world’s first cyber-superstar,” is an internet sensation. Never heard of him? Neither had we until TGS ran a three part feature on Mindark’s Planet Calypso MMORPG and discovered that Jon, AKA NEVERDIE, was a key player in the burgeoning alternate reality of the Entropia Universe. NEVERDIE, also a movie star, director and musician (his portfolio includes more than thirty movies and the internet anthem Gamer Chick) rose to fame when he purchased Club NEVERDIE, the world’s first virtual asteroid and niteclub, for the tidy sum of US$100,000. So great was the interest in the virtual asteroid (which floats above the Planet Calypso), that NEVERDIE was offered US$200,000 to sell it just one day after he made the initial purchase. Even the Guinness Book of Records decided that the purchase was worthy of record in the annuals of history (at the time of sale the asteroid was declared “the most expensive virtual item” in history).
NEVERDIE, speaking to TGS from Miami, is well aware of the unique nature of his fame.
“It’s an ironic twist of fate. My objective was to be as famous as Elvis and The Beatles. It shows you have to be very specific when you make wishes. You can’t just say I wish to be the most famous person in the world, otherwise you end up the most famous virtual person in the virtual world,” he said.
 Jon NEVERDIE Jacobs and Recording Artist m00n.
NEVERDIE’S next project, ROCKtropia, is sure to launch his public profile to even greater heights. ROCKtropia will soon become the second planet in the Entropia Universe (Calypso is currently the only planet) and by doing so, will change the nature of the Entropia Universe forever. Unlike Calypso, which has a completely fictional story, the world of ROCKtropia will be based on real life using a single premise: music.
Players who join the world will be able to explore a music inspired landscape, rub shoulders and network with other musicians (some of whom are reaping the rewards of prolonged careers), and even set up a virtual studio. Virtual studios will perform a vital role in the world and allow both successful and aspiring musicians to promote themselves within the virtual realm.
“Initially a studio is designed for artists to customise, upload their content to, [as a place] where they can meet their fans, host events and stream live. It’s a virtual destination available to artists of all levels. In terms of functionality, a studio will be similar to a house on Calypso except that it is designed as an artist space and that some studios may have streaming rights and others may be built on land areas and have taxation rights,” NEVERDIE said.
NEVERDIE envisages that the studios will allow musicians to go beyond the traditional website approach to promotion and instead “enable them to create a more immersive experience for their fans online”. He is also quick to point out that the virtual real estate is designed to have real value.
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