What would life be without someone else coming out with some new incarnation of virtual gaming? Internet giant Google is launching its entrant into this particular niche, calling it Lively. Considering the power and influence that Google has, it’s going to be interesting to watch how this game fares in the coming year.

Lively seems clearly aimed at Second Life fans rather than the World of Warcraft crowd. In other words, it’s more for the folks who like to chat, dress up and decorate their rooms - versus those who like to chat, dress up and kill stuff.

In Lively (which is free and runs through Firefox or Microsoft Explorer) you pick your avatar from a rather diverse group that includes men, women, a pig and a cat. Pick an outfit. Then you get a choose a room and decorate it with chairs, tables and other items.

But really, like all of these virtual games, the real purpose is reaching out to other people. Players will be able to set up themed rooms (I wonder how long it will be before someone designs a Cards room) to meet with other like-minded folks.

To learn more about it, check out the LA Times tech blog.

And here’s a video posted at YouTube.