Photo from AP

Kodak is making the jump to the virtual world in the new Cities XL from developer Monte Cristo.

Cities XL is the latest in the PC city builder game that puts players in the position as mayor and let’s them take care of the city.

Offered to players, the new Kodak Express Digital Solutions store can be included in their game as well as the Kodak Theater from Hollywood. Kodak will be displayed on billboards and will sponsor contests within the Cities XL community.

“The Kodak brand is ubiquitous; we’re found in every city, so it only made sense that Kodak became a part of the CITIES XL experience,” said Jeffrey W. Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “Today, in addition to traditional marketing channels, we reach many people on the Internet where we have a significant social media and online advertising presence. Through interactive channels like CITIES XL, we reach consumers in yet another innovative outlet.”

A Guest Article by Joylia

Sometimes all we want to do is escape into a world that allows us to be who we want to be, dress how we like without reservation, and live without any limitations, including gravity. That very world that we wish to dwell in can differ just on a whim in regards to our mood and what we are looking to get into that exact moment. Perhaps as we wake for the day we may decide that we want to just hang out with friends, talk, shop, or spend a day on a beautiful beach even if we are hundreds of miles away from our friends or the warm ocean breeze. Or maybe we choose to enter a post-apocalyptic realm as we load our guns, sheath our swords and set out with a select few to assert just who truly rules the ruins and waste of land left from some war riddled back story.

Welcome to Second Life. Created six years ago June 23rd by Linden Labs, Second Life is a virtual world that allows you to create and customize avatars and objects in immense detail that no other game has been able to compare with. It is completely player driven and the world itself is HUGE and ever growing. Broken up into parcels called islands, or sims, the land is bought and owned and the purpose is up to the imagination of the land owner. On these very islands exists shopping malls, learning and education centers, spots set up as homage to for a variety of reasons, and even player created role-playing areas of every nature, genre, and type. Aside from this, Second Life has allowed people’s creativity to truly come to life. People have created amazing works of art, music, buildings, creatures, clothes and jewelry. Whatever you can imagine made, people have done or are doing.

This has become such a world-wide phenomenon that you can find people from every country, from every background, and from a wide age range entering this world and playing. In-world translators are constantly being worked on and updated in order to better help people who do not speak the same language, communicate with each other. This virtual world works on integrating people so that no one is left out. I believe that it does this so well because the people who work on creating tools, such as the translators, are the players themselves. Coming together has never been so easy.

And coming together has never been as life impacting. Second Life has given the gift of gathering and helping to many causes. Since 2005, the American Cancer Society has been able to successfully raise funds in Second Life for their Relay for Life®. On July 18, 2009, both Second Life and ACS hope to raise even more funds this year. Many events are being hosted, so it is something to definitely check out! So whether you are looking for new friends or experiences, come explore the possibilities. Come explore your Second Life.

It should be an interesting time this afternoon when Buckell, author of “Halo: The Cole Protocol” and “Ragamuffin” takes the stage with his virtual-world avatar on Metaplace and talks about his website.

If you want to attend, you can do so here: http://www.metaplace.com/TheStage/play

Any Metaplace fans out there that plan to attend this event?