Location: Not in the Invented Worlds of Cancun, South Padre Island, or the Bahamas

During our Spring Break, I had time to review my students’ Wiki projects.  They are considering many things aside from Second Life, but I wanted to give readers a sample of their ideas.  This post is longish for this space, but the reactions, uncensored by me, show how 18-22 year-olds (not the prime demographic for Second Life) react to the world.  Of particular interest to me is the reaction of those who already play online games.  Note that each paragraph below represents one student’s reaction.  For more of their work, consult our class Wiki.

Keep in mind, the praise and critiques are those of new Second Lifers; I will be curious to share later feelings by these writers.

Disorientation:

My journey, as does everyone else’s, began at Orientation Island. This place is more or less a gathering of n00bs that continually bang into each other and other various objects.

The best way I can describe Second Life is like the Sims on crack.

Fascinated by this crazy world, I think I just wanted to believe the existence of this. I watch avidly as people interact as if they were there in person. My roommate comes over with disdain and says I am crazy.

Fear and Loathing:

Furthermore, without the consequence of death, criminal punishment, or any other form of accountability for one’s actions, it becomes easier and easier to lose touch with reality and the actual world. For example, whipping out an automatic weapon and inserting bullet after bullet into another avatar within SL cyberspace has no consequence for the person behind the keyboard.

There are many who think SL is doomed to become a cesspool of corrupt businesses. . .and sexual deviants. I think we need to wake up, escape the cave, see the light, and Rage Against the Machine.

I really wanted to dance, and earn some Lindens, so I teleported to places like Hippie Pay and Dance Island. . . .I now saw a mass of digital zombies attempting to mimic the boogie woogie dance moves from Saturday Night Fever, and something didn’t seem right.

Communication:

As I entered the world I was confronted by dozens of “strangers”, people who look legitimately strange. In my first ten minutes “in world”, I met an Alien, a talking dog, and a Kenny (from the show South Park). . . . Second Life is vastly different from any game I have ever played before. In World of Warcraft, one can buy items and use them, but one cannot simply create an item from scratch using programming tools.

As a college sophmore I would be considered against the grain, or even weird, if I didn’t use communication devices such as a cell phone, e-mail, or instant messenger. In my opinion there is a difference between these modes of communication and communicating through SL. I have personal relationships with all of the people listed in my cell phone or on my Instant Messenger Buddy List. When I venture into SL, anyone can chat with me.

The Beauty of Creation:

Second Life is an experience in creation. It is the ability to remake your world and your self in a way not possible in the 1st Life. . . . This unsettles me. As a gamer, I keep using Second Life and expecting there to be a coherent gaming experience. I expect plot. I expect measurable growth. I expect direction. These do not exist in Second Life. It truly is what you make it. . . . I am not even sure if this was not the exact desire of Linden Labs: to make the user feel lost in the face of the realization of near infinite possibility.

And I daresay there is something about an invented world that amplifies its beauty beyond what is found in worlds we were born into and with which we are familiar.

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

Well I think the common mistake is to call SL a game since it is none and lacks all features a game has.

Once you have changed you point of view you will see SL in a different light ... otherwise I sadly have to attest you a lack of imagination

SecondLife is one of those amazingly popular games which I just can’t get over how anyone can play it? It looks really boring to me.

Post Your Comments: