The SL Enquirer: The Dreamers Island

I’ve wanted to write about people doing great things in Second Life for quite a while because I think it’s very interesting how differently we each see it and the amazing things we can do in this virtual world.

I remember the first time I saw the charming Mr. Anthony Gartner and his intriguing eyes. I was relaxing on my favorite island, The Dreamer´s Island, when I noticed him.

It’s an Adult Island. The entire beach is full of goodies with excellent animations for both couples in love or singles if you just want to chill on your own. You can take a hot air balloon, explore, meet people, dance, swim, surf, have fun or just relax. If you’re in the mood for interaction with others, then you can check out the beach club. You can mellow out to the music as the sea breeze gently ruffles your hair. There are no strict rules and all avatars are welcome. The only restriction is that due to the adult nature of the sim no child avatars are permitted.

They say curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back… I clicked on various objects dotted around me to learn a little more about the creator when Mr. Gartner himself appeared. Since I’m always on the lookout for a good story I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to talk to him about Dreamer Island and his creations.

Here’s a little insight into who Mr. Gartner is. He’s very polite and took the time to grant me this interview. He’s the owner of The Dreamer Island. You can find and test all the objects in the The Dreamer Creations collection on the island. He has a store on the SL Marketplace. He creates Furniture, prefabs, beach and garden products, tropical tiki and other landscaping items, which include a multitude of different sit poses and cuddles. The island was built with the explicit purpose of testing Mr. Gartner's creations. What better way than getting them tested by those who'd be using them. The result, no buyers remorse. His creations can be found on a number of sims throughout Second Life.

Interview with Mr Gartner

Camury: How long have you been in SL and what do you bring to it?

Mr. Gartner : almost 7 years now. Always enjoyed the video games and the experience of a life in a virtual world was exciting.

Camury: How long have you had your store?

Mr. Gartner : since 2010

Camury: What inspired you to start making furniture and decorations?

Mr. Gartner : At first it was the interest of learning to build with prims in SL. I always liked decorating so when I realized I could create things that weren’t too bad I continued and started to sell.

Camury: Did you create everything yourself or did you you have help?
Mr. Gartner: I work alone. Although I don't make mesh products. These days I concentrate mostly on texturing and a bit of scripting and adding the appropriate animations.

Camury: What’ s your favourite thing about Second Life?

Mr. Gartner : It ‘s a bit like asking what is your favourite thing in life. Everything that can bring some enjoyment: the contact with friends, exploring beautiful places, shopping for clothes or furniture, decorating. And especially I love animations that bring life and expression to our avatars.

Camury: What don´t you like about Second Life?

Mr. Gartner : One thing that comes to my mind is I think the developers of Second Life could improve the avatars customization of appearance. Now people need to buy mesh bodies and heads created by others to look more "realistic".

Also to be able to create anything pretty in this world we need the use of external tools. Nothing really great looking can be created only inworld.

Also it is a very mercantile world. I hate the business of gachas.

And the sims are too expensive...

Camury: How do you feel about the economic situation in Second Life?

Mr. Gartner : Probably it's slowing down. There are too many events, people shop more in events and less in stores. Productivity is boosted at the expense of quality.

Camury: What do you love about Second Life more? What makes you keep logging?

Mr. Gartner : It became an addiction over time. It’s a part of my life here now and there's always things to do here.

Camury: Tell me how The Dreamers Island came into being?
Mr. Gartner: The idea of a Tropical Island has always appealed to me and I started creating products specifically for this kind of lifestyle. I developed rentals on four homesteads around The Dreamer sim, but unfortunately even though it was well supported I had too many public areas which meant it was unprofitable. Having a purely residential sim wasn't for me and I stopped this endeavour and kept the main sim for my store and for public enjoyment.

Camury: What are the rules since it's an adult sim?
Mr. Gartner: There are not many rules. It's a nude beach, but clothing is optional. I prefer visitors not to visit in winter outfits though and definitely no children are allowed on the sim.

Camury: Does The Dreamers Island have a group visitors can join?
Mr. Gartner: The group has been in existence from the time when I had the rentals. Some people still like to join it but basically it is useless these days.

Camury: Can you tell me what you were doing in SL before starting The Dreamer Creations?

Mr. Gartner : The same except creating, I was a noob, I was discovering SL. And I was playing Zyngo to earn my L$.

Camury: What usually inspires you to create objects?

Mr. Gartner : When I get an idea of something I would like to have for myself and to decorate my own sim or home.

Camury: Have you had experiences with bad things like copybot and griefing?

Mr. Gartner : Not really. Nothing I can think of right now.