Games Gadgets n Technology

London: The popular reality TV show “Big Brother” plans to expand into virtual reality with a new edition in the online world of Second Life, television programmer Endemol said on Monday.

Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual world with more than 1 million registered users and its own economy and currency. It was created by San Francisco-based Linden Lab.

Endemol will select 15 international Second Life contestants to spend at least eight hours a day inside a specially constructed glass-walled house for one month. As in the real-world version of “Big Brother,” the contestants will be voted off until only one remains. The winner will receive a virtual island within Second Life, worth about US$1,675.

A number of real-world companies have entered Second Life in recent months, drawn by its rapid growth and large pool of tech-savvy consumers, including Toyota Motor Corp, Adidas and Sony BMG. Reuters also recently launched its own news bureau in Second Life.