GoJiyo: Godrej’s Second Life-Style Virtual World for India
GoJiyo was Godrej’s 3D virtual world for young Indians, launched in 2010 and pitched as India’s own version of Second Life. This article covers what GoJiyo was, how it worked, and which virtual worlds you can explore today if you are looking for that kind of experience.
Quick answer: GoJiyo was a 3D online virtual world built by the Godrej Group in 2010 as a youth marketing platform. Users created an avatar, customised clothes and accessories, made friends and earned virtual rewards. If you want a similar experience today, Second Life is still running, and Roblox, Minecraft and VRChat are the most popular virtual worlds.
Table of Contents
What Was GoJiyo?
In March 2010, Godrej announced GoJiyo with teaser promos promising “a world where flying, teleportation and time travel are routine”. A countdown on the site counted down to launch, and preregistration was open. It looked like a Second Life (external site) for India, and we wondered whether it would replace Second Life as the favourite virtual destination for Indian youth.
Here is the original promo video for GoJiyo:
How the GoJiyo Virtual World Worked
According to launch coverage in the Indian marketing press, GoJiyo was built as an online activation platform for young people to engage with the Godrej brand. The main features were:
- Avatars: you picked an avatar when you signed up and dressed it with clothes and accessories.
- 3D world: the world ran on the Unity 3D web player, which you installed to enter it.
- Social features: you could link your profile to Facebook and get friend suggestions.
- Rewards: virtual rewards, with plans to link them to the real world.
It was an ambitious idea for an Indian brand in 2010, when most marketing still meant TV ads and banner campaigns. Not everyone was impressed, and some advertising professionals criticised the early graphics and customisation as basic.
GoJiyo vs Second Life
Second Life, from Linden Lab, was the best-known virtual world of the time. We covered it often, from Second Life passing one million residents to Anshe Chung, the first virtual world millionaire, and its Linden Dollar economy.
- Purpose: Second Life is an open world built by its users. GoJiyo was a branded world created to market Godrej to young people.
- Audience: Second Life is global, while GoJiyo focused on India.
- Access: Second Life uses a downloadable viewer. GoJiyo ran in the browser through the Unity plugin, which browsers no longer support.
Virtual Worlds Like GoJiyo to Try Today
Browser plugins like the Unity web player are gone, but virtual worlds are bigger than ever. These are the main options:
- Second Life (external site): still running, with user-created places, events and a virtual economy. Best for adults who want an open social world.
- Roblox (external site): millions of user-made games and worlds, very popular with kids and teens. Brands now build their own Roblox experiences, much like Godrej did with GoJiyo.
- Minecraft (external site): build anything, alone or on multiplayer servers.
- VRChat (external site): social virtual world with custom avatars, playable on PC or in VR headsets.
For children, check each platform’s age rules and turn on parental controls before they start.
FAQ
Who made GoJiyo?
GoJiyo was created by the Godrej Group in India in 2010 as a 3D virtual world and youth marketing platform.
Was GoJiyo like Second Life?
Yes, in spirit. Both let you create an avatar and explore a 3D world with other people, but GoJiyo was a branded world aimed at Indian youth.
Is Second Life still available?
Yes. Second Life is still online and free to join, with optional paid membership.
What is the best virtual world for teenagers today?
Roblox and Minecraft are the most popular with teens. Both offer parental controls.
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first let me know what you all think about second life…
i observed everybody’s answer…many of you will be right also but its according to how you are interpreting second life…its the very perspective which caused the divergence of opinions…do let me know what you think about the second life..
i think its a sincere effort by godrej but not in par to second life
we are far behind to second life.
i think that it’s amazing.godrej complete my one of beautiful imagination
gojiyo will never beat secondlife…besides why would we want to meet the same indians in the virtual world again..