Virtual Sustainability
Posted by duncan, 763 days ago
Link: http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2006/12/avata... 
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More and more people are using the Internet to play games and, as a result, more and more people are taking part in virtual worlds - simulations like Second Life and World of Warcraft that are the next 'big thing' for computer games.
One clever blogger has come to the realisation that virtual worlds might not be so intagible. Indeed, it seems that the popular Second Life game makes no attempts to mitigate the electricity it uses, and, as a result, there's a direct correlation to be drawn between your in-game avatar and it's real-world energy efficiency.
By doing some rough estimates, Tony Walsh deduces that your average Second Life avatar "consumes about as much electricity as your average Brazilian", 1,8884 kWh.
One thing remains to be seen, though. Are reports like these are going to lead to a surge in demand for sustainable web hosting, with ISPs buying carbon offsets to balance their constant electricity usage?
From the article:
"Walsh notes that on average there are between 10,000 and 15,000 avatars in Second Life at any given time, a number that's growing rapidly. He wonders: "How much power do 15,000 human beings consume daily compared to 15,000 avatars?"
[...]
If there are on average between 10,000 and 15,000 avatars "living" in Second Life at any point, that means the world has a population of about 12,500. Supporting those 12,500 avatars requires 4,000 servers as well as the 12,500 PCs the avatars' physical alter egos are using. Conservatively, a PC consumes 120 watts and a server consumes 200 watts. Throw in another 50 watts per server for data-center air conditioning."
More and more people are using the Internet to play games and, as a result, more and more people are taking part in virtual worlds - simulations like Second Life and World of Warcraft that are the next 'big thing' for computer games.
One clever blogger has come to the realisation that virtual worlds might not be so intagible. Indeed, it seems that the popular Second Life game makes no attempts to mitigate the electricity it uses, and, as a result, there's a direct correlation to be drawn between your in-game avatar and it's real-world energy efficiency.
By doing some rough estimates, Tony Walsh deduces that your average Second Life avatar "consumes about as much electricity as your average Brazilian", 1,8884 kWh.
One thing remains to be seen, though. Are reports like these are going to lead to a surge in demand for sustainable web hosting, with ISPs buying carbon offsets to balance their constant electricity usage?
From the article:
"Walsh notes that on average there are between 10,000 and 15,000 avatars in Second Life at any given time, a number that's growing rapidly. He wonders: "How much power do 15,000 human beings consume daily compared to 15,000 avatars?"
[...]
If there are on average between 10,000 and 15,000 avatars "living" in Second Life at any point, that means the world has a population of about 12,500. Supporting those 12,500 avatars requires 4,000 servers as well as the 12,500 PCs the avatars' physical alter egos are using. Conservatively, a PC consumes 120 watts and a server consumes 200 watts. Throw in another 50 watts per server for data-center air conditioning."
http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2006/12/avata...
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