Different Perspectives on Second Life

[Josie Ryder]

I'm just looking to collect different people's thoughts on what Second Life is,,,,,,

 

I'll list a few perspectives, with the caveat that depending on who you are...."all are correct"

 

Its a Chatroom..... a place where people can get together and talk.  Yahoo Messenger on steroids.

 

Its a Game............a diversion thats not to be taken seriously. Relationships here don't really "count" because its all a game.

 

Its 3D Facebook....an online community where people put "themselves" out there to socialise as an extension of their Real Lives

 

Its an Art Gallery...a place where people can create 3d art that employs visual, sound and motion...for the enjoument of others

 

Its a Market...........a place where people can sell virtual products of various degrees of quality and utility

 

Its wish-fulfillment...a place where people can be anyone or anything and transcend the limitations of Real Life

 

Its..____________..fill in the blank :-)

 

The method to my madness is to get a list of the divergent perspctives on Second Life, so that when people of those different paradigms met and interact, hey can better understand one another better.....

Who knows?  Maybe if people are more aware of how redically different Second Life is for others, we can even minimize the drama that happens when "Its a Game/Brothel" meets "Its my emotional life" .......

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Second Life is a virtual world where you can do all of the above and much more.  Your defininitions of what SL is are too limiting IMO. 

[Josie Ryder]

Those were just a few initial ones to kick start a dialogue :-) My hope is that others will fill in the blanks.....

[Madelaine McMasters]

It's a place where I can attempt to kill my friends, over and over again, and be appreciated (I think) for it.

[Perrie Juran]

It's a virtual mirror of Real Life.

But the one nice thing is when I crash and burn in my car it doesn't hurt as bad.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

The one nice thing is when I crash and burn in my car.

---

... swoons.

;-).

[Canoro Philipp]

its a software designed to give you the possibility to live an alternative life with all its possibilities and more.

i think this is the main objective of SL, that thru the years you feel like you have a life separated from your rl, a second life, however you want it to be if you could decide how your rl life was going to be, a chance to start over or walk a different path, to have your life redesigned by you.

i think once a user reach this stage, the objective of Second Life is accomplished.

[Orca Flotta]

In SL you gotta create your own personality, define for yourself what you are. That's huge, since in order to create a new life you have to confront your old, the physical one. Look deep inside yourself, reflect on your own being. That's the biggest hurdle for many newbies, and that's why we see so many drop-outs.

[Phil Deakins]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

It's a place where I can attempt to kill my friends, over and over again, and be appreciated (I think) for it.

---

Does that mean that, if a person has only been killed once by you, you don't consider them as a real friend?

[lucagrabacr]

It's whatever someone wants it to be for them it's different for every person, though there are some consensus.

 

To me, it's a virtual world, or a game, where you can do almost anything in it. Some people seems to got edgy when I said Second Life is a Virtual World or a game to me because they think I don't have any respect to other people on SL and their feelings by saying it's a game, which is not true at all, I respect other people anywhere I could, even in video games.

[MBeatrix]

It is what you want it to be, what your make it for yourself.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Phil Deakins wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

It's a place where I can attempt to kill my friends, over and over again, and be appreciated (I think) for it.

---

Does that mean that, if a person has only been killed once by you, you don't consider them as a real friend?

---

I'd never considered the possibility of success. I appreciate your faith in my abilities, Phil. I really do!

I suppose I'd consider them a late friend?

[Dillon Levenque]

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Josie Ryder wrote:

I'm just looking to collect different people's thoughts on what Second Life is,,,,,,

 

I'll list a few perspectives, with the caveat that depending on who you are...."all are correct"

 

Its a Chatroom

..... a place where people can get together and talk.  Yahoo Messenger on steroids.

 

Its a Game

............a diversion thats not to be taken seriously. Relationships here don't really "count" because its all a game.

 

Its 3D Facebook

....an online community where people put "themselves" out there to socialise as an extension of their Real Lives

 

Its an Art Gallery

...a place where people can create 3d art that employs visual, sound and motion...for the enjoument of others

 

Its a Market

...........a place where people can sell virtual products of various degrees of quality and utility

 

Its wish-fulfillment

...a place where people can be anyone or anything and transcend the limitations of Real Life

 

Its..____________..fill in the blank :-)

 

The method to my madness is to get a list of the divergent perspctives on Second Life, so that when people of those different paradigms met and interact, hey can better understand one another better.....

 

 

Who knows?  Maybe if people are more aware of how redically different Second Life is for others, we can even minimize the drama that happens when "Its a Game/Brothel" meets "Its my emotional life" .......

---

 

I don't think many people have a fixed notion of just one thing that Second Life is for them. I know I certainly don't. I'd probably agree with all the ones you've already suggested except that I'd edit "It's a Game" to insert the word 'too' before 'seriously' and delete the second sentence entirely. It really is a virtual world and can be damn near as complex and varied as the real world.

As for possible drama when people who think one way interact with people who think another: if it happens, it happens.

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Josie Ryder wrote:

I'm just looking to collect different people's thoughts on what Second Life is,,,,,,

 

Its a Game

............a diversion thats not to be taken seriously. Relationships here don't really "count" because its all a game.

---

Why do you presume that people who find SL to be a game hold the views about it you ascribe?

I've written many times on why I call SL a game, and I stand by that. I would also seriously disagree with everying in the above after your line of dots....

 

[Josie Ryder]

Please note that the initial bullet - points are far from the ONLY way SL can be interpereted. I don' see any particular view as all - inclusive or exclusive; when dealing with people's subjective opinions....All views are "correct"

 

It's entirely possible for to view SL as a "game" and yet still be considerate of those who do not. The example listed is merely one of a myriad possibilities.

[Kelli May]

I will quote the wise words of an emergency mustelid.

Of course it's a game. It's a game AND a platform, and a floor wax, and a dessert topping.

SL is a flaming sword that burns ALL THE WAY TO THE POMMEL.

SL is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly, it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.

SL is a watermelon. SL is a queer bird, and a whole bestiary of metaphor, analogy, and synechdoche. SL is five pounds of flax.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Kelli May wrote:

I will quote the wise words of an emergency mustelid.

Of course it's a game. It's a game AND a platform, and a floor wax, and a dessert topping.

 

SL is a flaming sword that burns ALL THE WAY TO THE POMMEL.

 

SL is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly, it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.

 

SL is a watermelon. SL is a queer bird, and a whole bestiary of metaphor, analogy, and synechdoche. SL is five pounds of flax.

---

Kelli, due to inexcusably unanticipated foraging by the queer bird, SL is now only four pounds of flax.

[Persephone Emerald]

Second Life is a virtual, computer-generated world, with different possibilities & limitations than Physical Reality has.

If you like playing games in RL, or on other computer-generated platforms, you can play games in SL too.

Some people like to play the "Annoy Other people As Much as Possible"" game. We call them trolls, & most people in SL don't like them. 

Many people like to play the "Live Out My Fantasies" game, with all the variation & weirdness this game can create.

Some people like to play the "Build Cool Stuff" game. Some of them are so good at this game that they make money they can take into Physical Reality.

Some people like to play the "Virtual Dolls, Dollhouses & Worlds" game. (I like this game myself.) 

Some people like to play various Roleplaying Games, kind of like D&D or "Vampire, the Masquerade", but with wonderful, moving & dressable avatars, instead of pewter figurines, cards or drawings of their characters.

Some people like to play games where they shoot zombies, aliens, or other creatures.

Some people like to chat with other people, often while having their avatar dance at a club.

Some people like to play "Cartoon Porn Fantasy".  Some people like to play "Erotic Fiction Writer". Some people like to play both at the same time. The goal of all these games is to have fun & help your partners have fun, while virtually doing & saying things that you would likely feel uncomfortable doing & saying in RL.

Many people like to play "The Shopping Game", where you can buy all kinds of cool stuff you could never afford in Physical Realty, then get to complain about how hard it is to keep track of it all or get rid of stuff you don't really want anymore.

Some people like to play "The Dating Game". In RL, you win this game by hooking up with someone you like who also likes you, but you can also lose it by getting an STD, unwanted pregnancy, robbed, raped, or other unpleasant outcomes. In SL you can only lose it by having your heart broken, having virtual property stolen or destroyed, or having other people think you look foolish.

I'm sure there are many other fun games to play in SL (such as "Make Fun of Noobs Behind Their Backs"), but I can't think of any more right now.

 

[Treasure Ballinger]

There are several books on how people feel about SL.  My personal favorite is:

 

Coming of Age in Second Life: an Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human by Tom Boellstorff.

The author is a personal friend of mine, and he's still very active in SL, but with that aside, it's a really good book.

Another favorite is: Second Life, the Official Guide by Michael Rymaszewski.  

Those are the top 2 on Amazon, but there's several others, including descriptives on sexuality, romance, friendship, etc in SL.  People have been asking and answering this question of themselves and others since the inception of SL.  

 

[irihapeti]

for me SL is a game. The people in it are not. They are just people same as anywhere else

some with imagination. Some not. Some interesting. Some not. Some that need or want others to be with them. Some that dont. Some that make stuff. Some that dont. Some extraordinary. Some not

is pretty cool that part about SL. The people. Can be extraordinary or ordinary. Extrovert or a church mouse in SL if you want. And others quite happy to let you be that and not make any fuss about it. Is some nannies sometimes drive by but they dont last very long. So is pretty good overall I think

[LillyBeth Filth]

 

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Orca Flotta wrote:

In SL you gotta create your own personality, define for yourself what you are. That's huge, since in order to create a new life you have to confront your old, the physical one. Look deep inside yourself, reflect on your own being. That's the biggest hurdle for many newbies, and that's why we see so many drop-outs.

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I really don't think its that deep to be honest. lol

SL is not psychotherapy! 

It is what you want it to be.. if you want it to be anything at all.

You can't define it actually.

It's like trying to define what "life" is. 

Its different things for different people. Period.