Cemeteries/memorials

[ggunhouse]

I think Decentraland opens up the possibility of perpetual virtual memorials commemorating the dead. I'm thinking of virtual equivalents to Pere Lachaise cemetery (pictured above), or the cemetery at San Miniato al Monte in Florence, or any similar cemetery in which streets are lined with tombs and memorials. A famous ancient example would be the streets leading to Rome (like the Via Appia), which were lined with eye-catching tombs and memorials whose architecture, sculpture, and inscriptions were designed not only to preserve the memory of deceased loved ones, but also to attract attention on account of their value as artworks. Such places end up being tourist attractions as well as memorials.

The owner of the land would lease plots on which virtual memorial structures could be built. Grander memorials and larger plots would obviously cost more money. No doubt there would be competition (as in the real world) to commemorate one's loved one, or one's ancestors, with the largest and most beautiful (or at least most visually interesting) memorial structures. If the design of the memorial were to be left up to the lessee, an independent market would develop for the design of such memorials.

Since this would be a VR environment, the memorial structures could be more than buildings or sculptures. They could include videos, photo albums, audio recordings, guest books, etc. There are already web sites that do this. The difference between a web-page and the VR space would be that the VR version would present 3D objects and buildings within a 3D setting that people could walk around in. On the grandest scale, such a place could end up resembling Pagan:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjcjJK5xqTVAhUCRz4KHYcjAvMQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazingplacesonearth.com%2Fbagan-myanmar%2F&psig=AFQjCNHMZmb5CjRw-W50C_ijXC-wRh4zPQ&ust=1501076110209368

Glenn

[pookage]

To clarify - is this a cemetery for deceased decentraland denizens, IRL people, or more conceptual deaths like the cancellation of a TV show?

[ggunhouse]

I'm thinking that it would be a place for the public memorializing of deceased real-life people. I think a lot of people would like to build an impressive monument to a loved one in real life (something like the Taj Mahal, perhaps), but cannot afford to do so. A virtual monument might satisfy their needs. As I noted, there are already web sites that provide this service, but a VR memorial park would be a much more interesting place to visit. It could even be beautiful. Of course, there is a serious risk that it would be treated as a joke, or that visitors would vandalize it, or torment those who use it in earnest. Such behavior is probably inevitable, if I understand correctly that Decentraland is intended to be a land of total freedom.

[pookage]

I think that it's a wonderful idea, but have the same concerns as you - I don't think we can rely on the community to treat anything as sacred.

That said, if the plot were managed by someone and by default nobody could add anything, then it could be managed by a trust whose role it would be to review proposals for a memorial, and allocate write permissions to specific users in specific places.

This could maybe be handled by smart contract, but I'm not sure how to determine algorithmically whether someone is trolling. It's such a human thing.

[widedot]

Like this idea!

[ggunhouse]

Soon after I posted the original comment, someone on VRChat posted a VR memorial space for the (then) defunct Altspace -- a statue of an Altspace avatar, a commemorative inscription, and memorial candles. People mourning the demise of Altspace gathered there to commiserate.

[Loosifr]

A major question is what kind of denomination theme will be generally implemented? Christian would probably be the first proposition, but there are numerous burial rites that could all be allocated to one DCL area. This would most likely be the best solution since it would be the most educating environment! A universal cemetery to commemorate those who have passed on in the international community.