Is anybody using this as a TOTAL fantasy life?

[QuicktapMcgoo]

What I mean is... some people make some very significant relationships (be it friends, or romantic) on here, and I wonder how deep/involved/invested people are in thier online life vs real life?

 

Does this make sense to anyone?

[Darya]

Yes it does make sense depending on someone’s personal situation. Everyone has his/her own reasons of being in a virtual world, and they all may differ. 

[Charolotte Caxton]

It makes sense. You are asking how real this gets for people?

For some people, it is just a game, complete fantasy.

For others, it may become more real than their real lives.

Then there is everything inbetween.

Much like any other passion. Some people get really into sports, or movie stars, or comic books, or even science and religion.

To some, it is everything and nothing else matters, to others, just a way to pass the time or mildly amusing.

Also, what it is can vary at different times for the same person.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

It makes sense.  Consider someone totally disabled in RL who is unable to do much of anything in RL.  They can't go out, they can't meet with people outside their home, they can't dance, they can't shop they can't play sports or create artistically.  They have a difficult time forming intimate relationships with another person because of this.  Basically they are stuck in bed or have very limited mobility.  There world consists of taking medical treatments and performing basic bodily functions, maybe having to be helped to even do that..  Other than an occasional visitor, a book TV or radio they don't have much to occupy themselves with other than surviving.

Now imagine those people coming into SL.  Suddenly the world is open to them and they are a whole person.  They can do everything in SL they can't in RL and more.  They are no different from any other resident and you would never guess they are severely disabled in RL unless they told you. They can have a home of their dreams, swim, sun. walk on the beach,  play sports go out on the town

The above is not just an theoretical example, it is the reality for a lot of SL residents.  If that were you how would you react to SL. Which reality would you prefer, the RL one or one where you are a whole person without limits and maybe even found someone to love who loves you back?  Over time which would become your 'reality'?

[Charolotte Caxton]

Wow. Excellently put.

[Jennifer Boyle]

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Amethyst Jetaime wrote:

It makes sense.  Consider someone totally disabled in RL who is unable to do much of anything in RL.  They can't go out, they can't meet with people outside their home, they can't dance, they can't shop they can't play sports or create artistically.  They have a difficult time forming intimate relationships with another person because of this.  Basically they are stuck in bed or have very limited mobility.  There world consists of taking medical treatments and performing basic bodily functions, maybe having to be helped to even do that..  Other than an occasional visitor, a book TV or radio they don't have much to occupy themselves with other than surviving.

Now imagine those people coming into SL.  Suddenly the world is open to them and they are a whole person.  They can do everything in SL they can't in RL and more.  They are no different from any other resident and you would never guess they are severely disabled in RL unless they told you. They can have a home of their dreams, swim, sun. walk on the beach,  play sports go out on the town

The above is not just an theoretical example, it is the reality for a lot of SL residents.  If that were you how would you react to SL. Which reality would you prefer, the RL one or one where you are a whole person without limits and maybe even found someone to love who loves you back?  Over time which would become your 'reality'?

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Thank you so much, Amethyst.  I could not have put it so eloquently.  The avatar has nothing to do with what the RL person is.

[TKAELA]

Amethyst is right on target.  I met quite a few people in similar situations as she stated and I have also befriended people who lead active lifestyles and use social sites for networking, finding true love, or simply entertainment. 

Its really  based on the individual and their expectations.  For example; Some may come with the intentions of keeping it strictly fantasy and end up meeting someone that can change it to reality for them.  It is possible for the fantasy realm  to overflow (emotions) into real life.

*I find that it is important to always communciate effectively as to what your expectations are concerning fantasy vs real... especially when getting involved with a partner. 

[Monti Messmer]

Hi, to add that not only physically disabled people have a second life. With the bad economy world wide alot people come here to party and go shopping, buy fancy stuff or be someone they couldn´t be in real.

Example ? The 65 yr old lady (RL) who became one of the sexiest and hottest strippers you can imagine She always wanted to try that in real but morals family wedding kept her from.

Monti

[Syo Emerald]

Or all the people who are really shy, who can't dance in the middle of a club without thinking that they might look silly. Second Life offers the save environment to try everything out. They can look like they always wanted and flirt and chat with people without the need to be shy, because they are always in the save environment of their home and when something turns out wrong, second life instantly offers way to get away. Just teleport to a new place with new people. :catvery-happy:

[QuicktapMcgoo]

Wow, those are all really great answers, ESPECIALLY Amethysts' (sp?) . I play table-top RPG's, and a few online games, but this one seems so much more immersive in a few ways.

Beyond the game though, have people met others on here that have become online, or even IRL relationship? I don't mean just romantically, but just good friends, gaming partners, etc?

I'll assume yes, just like most other tightly-knit communities online.

Well, if anybody feels that the following situation applies to them, PLEASE contact me to discuss.

The filmmakers involved are VERY non-judgemental, and are actually offering a helping hand ot people who wish to "come clean" or out themselves with an IRL meeting, provided by our production company.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679345/mtvs-catfish-casting-keeping-secret-from-someone-met-online-mtv-looking-people-who-dating-talking-someone-online-but-have-secret-theyve-been-keeping-from-them.jhtml

PLEASE be sure to note that you came from the Second Life forums. And if this isn't for you, perhaps you know somebody that should go down that road.

[MoiselleErin Teardrop]

There are many clever expressions for this fact - Life is not so much what happens but how you react to it.

 

When I first got in SL I was able to do something that I was not able to do in RL at the time. Once I was afforded the chance to do certain things in RL, SL kind of became more of a "game".

SL can be VERY addicting at first and it can mess with your emotions like nothing you have ever imagined. I was 34 when i first got in and I never imagined feeling the way I did when i experienced certain things in SL.

 

SL affords one a fraction of the satisfaction of doing things but with negligible risks. Without going into details, that is how my invitor to SL explained it.

People might say "But SL isn't real" and the hard fact is - no, SL isn't real. HOWEVER, in the real world, the amount of cost and personal risk to do things would off-set the enjoyment of the reward so severely that you might not even be able to enjoy it when all is said and done.

 

One thing i would give about anything to do in RL is to be able to live in my childhood home. It wasn't fancy, a townhome in a rental complex, but it was home and in my heart and always will be. But living there again will never be an option. So what I did in SL was to build a house that is very similar to that place with a couple necessary mods (long story). You would look at my SL house that I built from scratch and think, "This is Erin's dream home? Seriously?" Yes it is. Kitchen, furniture, my messy room, other rooms - replicated as much as i can to emulate the only place in RL i will ever call home.

Reality itself pretty much sucks. Why someone would want a life devoid of fantasy is beyond me. How that fantasy manifests comes in different forms, SL is a way to visually see the things you have only dreamed of. Without the drawbacks that "reality" loves to offer.

[DJStephi30]

So very true, after reading your post I had to add you.