Have you ever played a game where it never seems to end, there is always something new to do, a place you have never visit or just new people too meet? Then let me introduce you to Second Life, it is a virtual game on the World Wide Web that has become very popular to millions of people around the world. But what is so addicting about this game? How does it create an addiction for those who play the game so they will keep on playing? When I had first entered the game I was overwhelm with the likeness of the real world in the virtual domain. This virtual world place has everything that a person could want (besides food). This certainly lives up to the name Second Life. Because of the computer generated existence we live and look the way we do in real life, here we can perfect our avatar to the smallest detail : from our skin tone to the eye brows. In a world where there are limitless Boundaries and no laws everything is possible even the impossible. Later in my analysis, I will be discussing about the type of medium that allows us to play Second Life and the audience that surrounds it.
The Internet is the medium that provides us with this amazing game called Second life. By communicating with other people through a computer monitor we are able to hide our own imperfections that we do not want to project. It acts like a barrier, we see what others want us to see and we allow others to see us the way we want to be seen. Thus, this gives us the ability to create avatars to be the perfect cyber version of ourselves and changing or modifying our Identity. But what is Identity? This word alone is complex without a true meaning. In a sense Identity is how we project ourselves to other people that we meet. Second life allows a person who does not like their first life in a sense to start over. They can sign on and create a new image of how they want to be seen in the Virtual world. Their identity can change anytime with the features that Second life makes available to the user they can become anyone and look like anything. I think this is why Second life is so appealing to its users. Whenever in life they feel removed or outcast by those around them they get on Second life to seek refuge. They come on to a place where they are able to change who they are to fit in, unlike the real world. I can not simply go around making myself look taller when I am around people who are 6 feet tall or make my skin tone lighter or darker. In the real world we are who we are, but Second Life the limits are endless. I can become a lion, a cat; I can even change genders through a click of the button. Again there are no boundaries to what we can really do. We can travel around by flying, driving, and even teleporting. We can carry guns and be half nude and no one really deem it as different or unacceptable. This is a world where people fantasies come to life. It is promoted on there website; the have two perfect avatars looking happy with a big get started button.It is even in the slogan, "Your World. Your Imagination". Every thing on the website has its purpose, the colors the layout, they style, and it is all used to attract us. The best part about Second life that they make sure we recognize is that it is free; there is no downside in new comers trying it out. We do not pay anything and we get a chance to start over and begin a new experience.
Last week after watching a MTV clip entitle “I Live Another Life On The Web.” It talks about three different girls who were so fed up with real life that they retreated to virtual world to get away from there imperfections. One of the girls on there that stood out to me was Amy. She is a young musician whose dream is to make it big; however, she suffers from stage-fright. How can someone who wants to succeed in life as a performer when she freezes on stage? In order to deal with this dilemma she goes on to Second Life and creates a new identity. Here in the Second life she has virtual concerts and play for the residents that reside in Second Life. It seems that by hiding behind the computer screen she is able to live out her fantasy to play music. People that we have talk to in Second Life have openly admitted that they prefer their second lives over their first one. They seem to be more satisfied in the relationships and companionship the virtual world provides.
But if they hold such high regards to their virtual lives does in any way take replace the real world? Do people on here confuse their real identity with their virtual one? In an article by CBS they reported a strange kidnapping. Apparently a women name Kimberly Jernigan was arrested for charges of attempted kidnapping of her ex-cyber boyfriend on Second Life, burglary and aggravated menacing. She and her former boyfriend meet on Second Life. When their relationship went sour she resorted into trying to kidnap him with a teaser. This is a situation where the woman was lost between the real and virtual world. Originally I was dumbfounded by her actions to kidnap. It made no sense to me how a virtual relationship could be considered a real relationship. Since being Virtual is only as close to real as it can be but not being truly existing. However, as I read on and looking at her picture I started to understand why she was attracted to Second Life and why she held on to her virtual life just as if it was real. In today society people judge others on outer appearances. Honestly Kimberly was not much of a looker in the real world. But I am sure her avatar was different. She probably got attention from the residences of second life then she did in the real world.
In Second Life the audience that they are aiming for are the users and people who browse the internet. Second life is constantly changing to the demands of the people. People are building new homes, resorts, clubs, adding new features. They want to attract more people while keeping the ones they already have. Now it is not simply a game like halo or Super Mario. The people in this game consider this real. In another interview with a girl she straight up told me that her only real friends are the ones in Second Life. She seem to be offended when I mention how this was just virtual, nothing was really real. But to her and many others this virtual life is their life. They are on this constantly to a point that the only day light they see is the virtual sun in the game.
I can understand why they would be in this virtual world so much. Again, it is just the ability to live out ones desires, fix ones flaw, and the need for perfection. Everyone wants to belong is a place where people accept them. In Second Life different is the norm, people walk around looking like animals or beast and no one care. It is a place to unleash ones imagination without criticism. One point the audience of the Second life was just the users alone, it like reading a book the reader was the audience. However as times flies now the readers are writing there own books to their imagination. This is why significantly Second Life is so appealing. To be able create a happy ending for yourself who would not want that? It is games like these where it is amazing to see the lines of the real world fuse with the virtual.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This post is an improvement from your previous ones: you do not have as many grammatical mistakes (though there are still a number of them--you need to keep proofreading); you use more specific examples; and your language is more formal (again, there are exceptions here too--do not use words like "told me straight up" in formal writing).
Your post reads like an advertisement for Second Life. From your description, it sounds like utopia. Is this really accurate? Why were you not able to converse with people right away? Why were people suspicious of the new people? You write, "We can carry guns and be half nude and no one really deem it as different or unacceptable." Note the grammatical error first: you have a missing verb. Second, is this truly possible? I know it is technically, but my impression is that people are very wary of "outsiders."
"In the real world we are who we are, but Second Life the limits are endless." Note first the typo, but also, I would argue that in the "real" world, people have countless methods to disguise themselves. Do you disagree?
You start to do some important close reading with "Your world. Your imagination" but then quickly move on to another point. You could have written your entire post on these two statements; therefore, you are still covering too much ground in your writing, which means it is underdeveloped. Feel free to visit my office hours for strategies to avoid these issues.
Post a Comment