Location: Femme Fatale Shop
By Guest Writer Cynthia Barley

Note from Iggy O: Two Germans, Cynthia and Tenchi Morigi, are doing columns for me.  They are among my (and Pappy Enoch’s) best friends (both are Pappy’s cousins, too) in SL. The ladies just helped me on a forthcoming story about an all-women’s weapons shop that sells defensive (and humorous) items to ward off male “griefers.“

News reports in May noted that German police were investigating SL’s “age play” characters—those avatars in the form of children who may become involved in virtual sex. Sordid, yes, and illegal under German law. Linden Lab has cracked down on residents engaged in such activity (I’ve not seen a child avatar in months).  Good. As Cynthia points out, that is not what SL is about for almost all of us…

What is the meaning of life? I honestly don’t know, but I at least figured out the meaning of my Second Life. I live in Germany and I was surprised to find out that the topic of virtual worlds is covered in an overall negative manner. The biggest controversy arose over the “child porn” debate. All of a sudden I had to start defending myself when talking to people who don’t know much about SL. Everybody who found out that I have a SL account started to ask if it was true that the game was only about sex and violence.

So is it? No, it’s not – at least not for me. Many journalists have researched the Second Life phenomenon, but most of them only had a quick look at the program and then wrote articles that I regard as too superficial and exaggerated. I have spent lots of time “in-world” and have seen a few things I didn’t like, but from my viewpoint SL is not all sex and violence.

So, what is it about then? It’s friends! I met many avatars and got to know the people behind them. That’s when you stop being fascinated by the elaborate avatar looks and establish a real connection to the person behind that façade. Interestingly enough, people are more willing to reveal their inner thoughts in the virtual world than I ever noticed in “real life”.

When I was deeply hurt by the behavior of another Second Life resident I suddenly realized how many friends I had in-world. I was offered hugs, shoulders to cry on, distractions through parties and also some very precious heart-to-heart talks. Even if you live in different corners of the world, Second Life gives you the chance to get to know people you would have never met otherwise and to establish friendships that are sometimes even closer than in the “real world”. And if you’re lucky, you could even be adopted by a hillbilly family!

Be sure to check the “In a Strange Land” Archive for old posts

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