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Conceived in September 2007, a test community was created on the Second Life® mainland early in 2008. Within twelve months a small group of like-minded individuals purchased three full regions (server space) and these were named Inverness City, Urquhart and Augustus. In February 2010 Loch Oich was added. Click to open the map in a separate window.
Although originally an environment designed to contain an on-line 3D playable version of Nessie Hunt, it quickly expanded to include, first an authoritative Loch Ness Exhibition and later the Story of Scotland Heritage Exhibition. These have been very highly acclaimed.
Simultaneously, a networking area was being created within a virtual Loch Ness Inn housed in a reconstruction of Aldourie Castle. This has gone from strength to strength becoming the centre of social events in the Second Life Scottish community.
A number of castles and Fort Augustus Abbey have been built under-scale in their relative locations.
In addition to sponsors and advertisers in the Virtual Scottish Highlands, there is an entire in-world economy. The High Street in the virtual Inverness is full of shops trading myriad products and services. The rents help finance the community and its objectives.
Most retailers sell in-world items for consumption by avatars, but some shops also sell real products for mail order delivery world wide. The in-world currency (Lindens) is freely convertible with the US$, € and £Sterling, so real-world business can set up and be trading within hours.
One of the most exciting developments is that visiting the Virtual Scottish Highlands is encouraging people to contemplate and even plan holidays in the real Highlands of Scotland and there is already a tourist information office with links to dozens of guest houses.