Virtual worlds built on OpenSim and Kitely platforms offer a variety of free digital assets for users. These assets include clothing, furniture, vehicles, and other virtual goods. Users can access these items through specific destinations known as "freebie stores" or "shopping areas." The availability and licensing of these items vary by location.
Overview of Freebie Destinations
Several regions within OpenSim and Kitely grids are dedicated to providing free content. These destinations often serve as hubs for users looking to customize their avatars or virtual environments without cost. The content is frequently CC0 licensed, allowing for unrestricted use, including commercial applications.
Major Freebie Locations
- Wright Plaza: Located on OSgrid, this is described as the "grand-daddy of all freebie destinations." It is considered a primary stop for free content.
- Lani: Also on OSgrid, Lani is a science fiction-themed region featuring over 50 shops and more than 2,000 different products.
- The Spoiled Diva Freebie Store: Found on the Dynamic Worldz 2 grid, this store offers clothes, furniture, homes, games, and shoes.
- Seanchai Mall: Located on Kitely (grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI MALL), this destination provides a wide array of free items, including furniture, clothing, animations, textures, and vehicles.
- Watson Freebies: Situated on OSgrid, this location offers female and male clothing and mesh bodies, including adult content.
Grid-Specific Shopping Areas
- Logicamp Grid: This grid hosts several shopping areas, including "Logicamp" (cars, furniture, clothing), "Boardwalk Park" (beach supplies, clothing based on Linda Kellie OAR), and "Bot7" (based on Linda Kellie Boardwalk Amusement Park OAR).
- Xmir Grid: The "Murat" region on Xmir offers freebies for men and women, including clothes, skins, shapes, and animations. The content includes CC0-licensed Linda Kellie creations, original designs by Geir Nøklebye, and US Army MOSES project work. The "Andwest Bay" region features free original mesh content by Geir Nøklebye.
- Kitely: Beyond Seanchai Mall, Kitely hosts "Avatari" (extensive avatar freebies) and "La Tortuga." Kitely forums mention resident-owned worlds offering free parcels for shop owners, such as "Ratsdam" in a megaword with an old Dutch city theme.
- The Kaz Grid: "Ginza" offers mesh clothing and garden items, mixing free content and items for sale (Gloebits). "TheKazLand" is another freebie location on this grid.
- Social Mouse Grid: Features a "Mall" with furniture, landscaping items, textures, and baby furniture.
- DigiWorldz: "Power Angels Paradise" is a beach-themed shopping area. Most content is for sale, but there is a freebie section in the center.
- GBG World (GreekLife Breath Grid): Hosts "The Mall" for clothing, hair, and shoes.
- Continuum Grid: "Bastion" is a region with stores offering free content from OpenSim designers, including shabby chic furniture, nautical items, and items for Ruth and Roth mesh avatar bodies.
- NextLife World: "Plaza 1" offers female and male clothing and mesh bodies.
Content Types and Licensing
The freebies available range from basic avatar clothing to complex mesh items and full virtual homes. A significant portion of the content mentioned is CC0 licensed (Creative Commons Zero), meaning it is free of copyright restrictions and can be used for any purpose, including commercial builds and products.
- Linda Kellie Content: Frequently mentioned as a source of CC0 content, available in various stores (e.g., Spoiled Diva, Murat, Boardwalk Park).
- Original Designs: Grid owners and designers like Geir Nøklebye (Xmir) and Marianna Monentes (Continuum) provide original mesh content.
- Military Simulation: The US Army’s MOSES project contributes content (Atropia OAR) found in the Murat region.
Access and Navigation
Access to these destinations typically requires a viewer compatible with OpenSim or Kitely. Users navigate using "Hypergrid addresses." These addresses function as coordinates to teleport between different grids and regions.
- Example Address:
hg.osgrid.org:80:Wright Plaza - Example Address:
grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI MALL
Guidelines and Community Standards
For merchants or grid owners looking to add destinations or establish free shops, specific procedures are available.
- Listing Requests: To have a destination added to curated lists, one can email the list maintainer with grid name, region name, hypergrid address, a photo, and a description.
- Content Legitimacy: In community discussions, there is an emphasis on ensuring content is legitimate and avoiding "copybotted" items. There is a preference for original content or properly licensed CC0 works over excessive reliance on Linda Kellie content, which is already widely available.
- Shop Availability: Some grids, like Kitely, offer free parcels for shop owners in specific worlds (e.g., Ratsdam). Merchants can claim these to offer free items or direct sales to the Kitely Marketplace.
Conclusion
The OpenSim and Kitely ecosystems provide a robust network of freebie destinations for users seeking virtual goods. From extensive malls like Wright Plaza and Seanchai Mall to specialized regions like Lani and Bastion, there are diverse options for avatar customization and environment building. Users are advised to verify licensing terms, particularly regarding CC0 usage and the avoidance of unauthorized content, when utilizing these resources.