RPG REVISITS INNSMOUTH, THE ICONIC SECOND LIFE SIM BASED ON THE WORKS AND IMAGINATION OF AUTHOR H.P. LOVECRAFT
The moon is high in the night sky with fog rolling in from the sea. It’s too late to turn back now.
The fierce wind blows by tousling your hair, trees and anything it’s path. The sounds of creaking wood fills your ears as the fog seems to keep rolling in, making it difficult to see what lays ahead. Your heart begins to race. Your breathing is slightly labored out of fear. And your eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness. Uneasiness sets in as you make your way down the broken path towards the little seaside town of Innsmouth.
This is the magic of Innsmouth. It truly brings the imagination of acclaimed horror author H.P. Lovecraft to life. The seaside town was ravaged by creatures from another world, leaving behind
a desolate wasteland with a town of survivors, continuing to fight for their lives.
“INNSMOUTH HAS BEEN A TRUE LANDMARK OF SECOND LIFE FOR YEARS, AND FOR MANY IT IS THE FIRST EXPOSURE TO THE WORK OF HP LOVECRAFT”
— ARIK METZGER
Lovecraft had an uncanny ability to draw out one’s fear of the unknown. His stories are where the barriers between nightmares and reality are blurred and even broken. Innsmouth is a vision of one of the great works of Lovecraft’s work “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” and “Color Out of Space.” It was constructed by Darmin Darkes and BaileyMarie Princess for Joyous Parkin nearly six years ago. Eventually Darkes took over the upkeep and costs of the sim.
Many people have a deep love for Innsmouth and the works of Lovecraft. Primary admin and resident of Innsmouth, Arik Metzger (Arikthered Resident), has been a driving force in preserving Innsmouth by remaining active in the daily lives of its residents and visitors.
“Innsmouth has been a true landmark of Second Life for years, and for many it is the first exposure to the work of HP Lovecraft,” said Metzger.
This once sleepy town, is home away from home for Metzger because his father use to be a fisherman. He had always been drawn to H.P. Lovecraft and his great works and shares a love of similar types of works from others.
But this beloved sim faces an uphill battle for survival. Due to the rising financial costs of maintaining the community, Darkes decided it was time to let it go.
“Innsmouth sim is for sale. I’m giving first dibs to you folks in the hopes that someone will want to keep some of the build,” she said in announcement. “Worst case is having to flatten it and sell it. I just can’t afford it any longer.”
The startling news prompted the emergence of the Innsmouth Preservation Society. The society itself is currently working to rejuvenate various aspects of the sim including role play, events and sustainability. Long-term plans are in the works to ensure the life of Innsmouth.
“Big things are happening with this sim’s transition,” said Metzger. “Though essentially my goal is to maintain the sim’s multipurpose uses [with] no drastic changes to the overall layout.”
In a matter of two days, nearly 100,000L was raised in order to keep the Innsmouth online for at least another 30 days. What happens next is crucial. Long-term plans are currently in the works with the possibility of residential and commercial rentals and monthly events are just the beginning for Innsmouth.
Many regulars and visitors are also hoping that Innsmouth will be around for awhile.
“A friend of mine of showed [Innsmouth] to me … I felt at home here,” said Unnr Resident and Innsmouth Preservation Society member. “I worked on the Lovecraft Festival for a couple of months and got to know a lot of amazing people.”
She is optimistic for the future of Innsmouth and said she hopes many of the current features will be maintain specifically the general look and feel of the sim as well the “open style RP sim,” to allow and encourage both role play, visitors and observers.
