For my practicum assignment, I have been studying a virtual social community called Second Life. I accessed this virtual world by first going to www.secondlife.com and creating a log in name for free. Next, I downloaded the Second Life "Viewer" software and had to create my Second Life avatar (which I could really customize). The first time I went on Second Life, I was very confused and did not know what to expect with the virtual world. I found out that I use the map to navigate by clicking on somewhere I wanted to go, then the avatar would "teleport" to that area. Interacting with people was the easiest thing to learn since you talk through a text chat or you could speak using your microphone. Other activities I discovered on Second Life include the avatars building houses/farms, dancing, or listening to music.
For my presentation tomorrow, I have a few discussion questions that I will go over at the end. First of all, before this assignment, did anyone use Second Life, hear of anyone else using it, or seen it advertised anywhere? Why do you think people join online virtual worlds such as Second Life? In what ways is using Second Life different and/or similar to using Facebook? Also, could you see Second Life being addictive? Why or why not?
Great job today Mallory!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Second Life before this class, but I have seen online virtual worlds being used before. My young aunt (27) enjoys playing games where there is role playing involved like in online virtual worlds. I am not much for role playing, but I have never really gotten into it, so maybe I would like it! I have asked my aunt before why she likes these virtual world games instead of a shooting game or something like that and she says that it is more like real life. Although it is obviously not reality, a "Second Life" can be how you envision your life being in your perfect world. I also find it interesting that there are different reasons why people join Second Life or other virtual world games. For some people, it seems that they join these communities to be someone they aren't, whereas other people say it that they do things in the virtual world just like they would in real life. I could see why Second Life could be addictive because it seems like people spend a lot of time making their avatar, so they feel that it is a part of them and that it expresses who they truly are. I don't necessarily see being addicted to Second Life as a bad thing, just as long as you understand what is real and what is not.
Hey Mal,
ReplyDeleteAwesome job on your presentation, I really thought your avatar looked like you! I heard of many people using the SIMs before, which is an online virtual reality life, but I think that you have to install it on your computer. "Second Life" seems to be a virtual world that people are able to escape their everyday living and come into a space where they can experiment with different personalities, people and places. It is similar to Facebook in that though people might not be communicating face to face, this virtual communication can allow people to feel connections and cameraderie with others. Even though this can be a very good thing, I do feel that it could be a bad thing to be addicted to a virtual reality like this, because time spent online with other strangers whom they will likely never meet, takes away time from going out into the real world to make real connections face to face. This is a problem only for people who take a place like "Second Life" a bit too seriously, and not just for recreation. Over all, I feel that this would be a fun place to experiment in, and it seems like you enjoyed it Mal!