OpenSim User Growth Slows as Temperatures Drop – Hypergrid Business

This time of year, the U.S. often experiences a chill in the air—though the weather’s been quite unpredictable lately. It’s a bit of a relief to find a distraction in the virtual world, given everything else happening across the country. This change seems to have had an interesting effect on the figures for public OpenSim grids, with both user registrations and land area on the rise.

Yet, perhaps unexpectedly, we’ve observed a decline in the number of active users, dropping by over 2,700. A few notable grids like Moonrose, which previously boasted over 900 active users, are struggling with website issues and haven’t updated their stats. Vida Dupla also left their numbers unreported, and the Great Canadian Grid, which hosted more than 600 actives, has closed its doors.

Several grids have reported sharp drops as well: OSgrid saw a decrease of over 800 active users, Craft World reported losses exceeding 200, and over five grids each saw their numbers dip by more than 100.

But there’s more at play here than just closures and data-reporting glitches. It’s possible these figures reflect folks taking a break to enjoy Halloween festivities or soaking in the fall ambiance outdoors—cozy sweaters included.

However, that’s not the whole story. Paul Clevett, a reader from Wolf Territories, alerted me that OSgrid is actually undergoing maintenance. I confirmed this with an announcement from the grid itself. Apparently, OSgrid has been offline since November 7 due to storage issues stemming from nearly 17 years of data accumulation, amounting to several hundred million assets.

They’re working to reconfigure the storage by moving assets and cleaning up redundant space issues, which unfortunately means placing the grid in maintenance mode to avoid disrupting user experience. The timeline for this maintenance isn’t clear, though they’re optimistic that no data will be lost.

Currently, I’m tracking 2,677 public grids, with 295 active this month and 232 releasing their statistics. If you’re managing a grid that isn’t on my radar, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Including your grid in these reports can boost its visibility with users and search engines alike.

In November, OSgrid held onto its title as the largest grid by land area, despite losing more than 2,000 regions. Meanwhile, Wolf Territories Grid was the most active, clocking in 7,379 unique logins over the past month.

Our stats don’t typically cover grids running on DreamGrid, a simpler OpenSim version, as many tend to be private. OpenSim offers a freely open-source world similar to Second Life, enabling people without technical skills to rapidly create virtual environments and even travel to others. Those with tech skills can also host OpenSim worlds for free using DreamGrid or other setups, with commercial hosting starting as low as $5 per region.

For those eager to dive into more OpenSim territories, check out this directory of hosting providers. You can also download the Firestorm viewer and find resources for content creation in OpenSim environments.

This month marks the launch of the Hypergrid Business newsletter. Each month on the 15th, it will summarize the previous month’s OpenSim news, sent directly to subscribers. You can sign up here or via the included form.

Now, let’s explore the top 25 grids with the most active users this month. Busy grids typically attract more social interactions, merchants, and events, which is advantageous for expanding communities.

The most popular grids include:

1. Wolf Territories Grid: 7,379 active users
2. OSgrid: 4,046 active users
3. GBG World: 2,498 active users
4. DigiWorldz: 2,190 active users
5. Alternate Metaverse: 2,058 active users
6. Darkheart’s Playground: 2,011 active users
7. WaterSplash: 1,497 active users
8. Trianon World: 1,092 active users
9. Neverworld: 1,042 active users
10. AviVerse AlterEgo: 1,020 active users

Another aspect of OpenSim that’s been thriving is the Kitely Market, boasting 20,973 product listings and 41,105 variations, with nearly 35,866 available for export to other grids. Kitely Market’s reach now extends to 632 OpenSim grids, emphasizing the expansion of exportable contents.

Looking at new grids, NakedWorldz has been added to my database this month. If you’re aware of public grids not yet recorded, do let me know so I can update my lists.

On the suspension front, nine grids faced suspension this month, with Angel Grid, Ares World, and others affected. If these grids don’t return online soon, they might be marked closed in future stats. Some grids simply change their login URI or web addresses, so if that’s the cause, please reach out to update me.

Next, examining the top 40 grids by land area, many institutions and private entities don’t publish their user numbers. However, this list details those that do:

1. OSgrid: 32,867 regions
2. Wolf Territories Grid: 29,987 regions
3. Kitely: 18,126 regions

And it continues with other substantial grids like ZetaWorlds and Alternate Metaverse.

In conclusion, if there are any other public grids that we might have missed, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at [email protected].

Maria Korolov, your guide through the virtual ventures of the OpenSim world, stays ever busy. By day, she’s an award-winning journalist covering AI, cybersecurity, and VR; by night, a novelist. Catch up with her on social media or through her speculative fiction, and stay tuned for more insights into the evolving realms of virtual landscapes.