Degrassi: TNG Goes Virtual
Degrassi's The DOT Grill Opens Shop in vSide's Online Virtual World
Forget sitting passively on the couch; log on and take a stroll in the new online virtual hot spot courtesy of Degrassi: The Next Generation and vSide.
Once upon a time, all you could do was watch a show and wait until the next episode. These days, however, your choices are almost endless: read the fanfiction, listen to the podcasts, watch the webisodes, buy the graphic novel or discuss spoilers in a forum. And now, you can even create an avatar and hang out in one of the settings of your favourite show.
Virtual Hang-out for a TV Series a First for Canada
In April, Degrassi: TNG launched a new addition to the free 3D virtual world called vSide, making the show the first Canadian series to do so. Based on one of the popular hang-outs of the Toronto-based CTV teen drama, The DOT Grill offers users the chance to interact with other fans in a simulated hang-out that should be familiar to the show's fans.
In a preview available on the CTV website, avatars are greeted by a version of Mike Lobel (who plays Jay Hogart on Degrassi), watch a clip of the show and then attend the premiere a fanvid upstairs in the personalized dorms above the Grill.
The Whole World of vSide
But there's more to vSide than the Grill. Similar to the popular virtual reality environment, Second Life, vSide offers users a chance to create an avatar (a virtual version of themselves), dress them up and let them explore any of three futuristic cities: RaiJuku, New Venezia and LaGenoaAires (where The DOT Grill located). And like Second Life, you can buy clothes, throw parties and meet new people. Here, you can be whomever you want to be. As the slogan says, "Your [insert characterstic here: blingier, cuter, crazier] side."
And the Fans Love it
And how are fans of Degrassi: TNG enjoying the new interactive experience? On a Degrassi forum on the vSide website, users from all over the world posted about their excitement when actors Jake Epstein (who plays Craig Manning) and Jamie Johnston (who plays Peter Stone) dropped by the Grill. Actors from the show are also involved at the Grill when hosting the weekly After School Radio show. And during "Degrassi Spirit Week," users were asked to design posters encapsulating the week's activities and spirit. Winners won 5,000 vPoints and had their banners made into official vSide posters.
So although the show may be off the air for the summer, there's no need to lose touch with the world of Degrassi. You just need to log on to keep up.
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