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Sometime in the early 2000s I came across Active Worlds, a kind of 3D version of the internet where you could chat, build and travel. It had a registry of 3D objects and used simple scripting to set define texture, text, picture, colour, interaction, animation. It was a gateway to all kinds of dev.

Wes Bos@wesbos.com

How did you get into web development? MySpace? Comp sci? Made the jump from print? Bootcamp?

Josh Brown

@joshantbrown.com

I must have been no older than 13 at the time. People were creating all sorts of things, and open to sharing it all. For example, PHP was being used to sequence through images that could be rendered on in-world tv object creating a kind of virtual image-only TV station. People built entire tv sets.

3/11/24, 9:57 pm0 reposts0 likes

Josh Brown

@joshantbrown.com

3 Nov 2024

Everyone was building community websites for their creations too. The biggest of which was SW City. swcity.net SW City created an entire quest system using the in-app web browser. That brought to life the world this community had created.

swcity.netSW City // The Largest City in the Active Worlds Universe

Josh Brown

@joshantbrown.com

3 Nov 2024

Active Worlds also had an SDK for C/C++ and Visual Basic that let anyone create an in-world bot. People used it to create entire RPG games, paintball, and various other experiences and tools. It created a space that made it easy to access lots of tech, and people doing interesting things with it.