Has Second Life improved your "First Life"?

[Gopi Passiflora]

In a way, it has - at least somewhat. Having some female avatars helped increased my confidence for some reason. I guess because I don't feel as strong a need to have a girlfriend in "real life" because I can make my dream girl in Second Life already. My female avis also helped me understand how creepy men can be when they try to pick up women, so I learned some lessons as what not to do when courting someone.

[Rhonda Huntress]

Seeing things from a new perspective is never a wasted endeavor.

[Syo Emerald]

Maybe.

Being exposed to kinks in a virtual world makes it easier to handle the situation of being confronted with them in RL. At least on a conversational level, can't confirm it for the practical one, yet.

[Coffee Pancake]

Totally.

[Cindy Evanier]

yep

[RaeLeeH]

Definitely! I've met some amazing people in here that I've come to know in the real world, and developed friendships across continents that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, I doubt we would have ever crossed paths without SL. I've learned a few skills with various programs; not enough to do much with, but it's certainly opened my eyes to creative outlets I hadn't considered before. I've also been able to experience motherhood even in pixel fashion, something I will never get to experience in real life. So there's been a lot of positives. Like most things, I think it's a matter of perspective. If you're not looking for the good you're probably not necessarily going to see it much less appreciate it.  

[ThorinII]

Definitively yes.

[BelindaN]

SL has taught me how to relax, and build my creative side. So I'm more chilled in RL and I have a better understanding of who I am.

[Beth Macbain]

Indubitably improved.

[Sukubia Scarmon]

Of course. I learned a lot about myself through my interactions with  and observations of others.

[Fritigern Gothly]

I met my RL partner in SL. We met in 2009, got married in 2011. We now have 2 lovely girls, aged 5 and 3.

So yeah, it greatly improved my first live!

[ArgontheDevil Ormega]

Yes.  It makes it possible for me to have business meetings with people on the other side of the world with a lot less hassle.

[Aeromia]

When I first discovered SL, I was lost for a week inside a newbie college. I quit and about 4 months later I had a car accident that very nearly killed me. In a frustration born of the inability to move, a fear of driving (I love to drive, so this was horrible) and feeling absolutely isolated, I dug my account back up and decided to actually look at it. I found freedom, and the ability to smile again despite everything that was happening to me in first life.

Nearly a year after my accident, I met this crazy, goofy person and we instantly became best friends and nearly inseparable. Everything felt better with this person around and they were with me through every obstacle I had to overcome and a few curveballs that life was giving me as well. I'd never opened up to anyone like I did this person. So, several months after we met, I drove 12 and a half hours (Yes! You have no idea how terrifying that was) to meet them in person. We spent a fantastic two weeks together and a year later, I moved up here because I couldn't see myself being anywhere else but next to this amazing person who had the ability to make me smile despite everything. Who sat beside me in the dark and held me, didn't judge, and cried with me.

We're going to be celebrating our 7th year together this November. We don't even know when our friendship became this bond, so we celebrate the day we met, because every day together is confirmation that good things do come from a determination to at least smile if you can't do anything else.

Yes, Second life has vastly improved my life. It's still hard, I have bad days, we live paycheck to paycheck but we're happy, because we're together. And things will continue to get better.

 

[callistanull]

It's inspired me to learn some new things, particularly with GIMP and Blender, though I still have a long way to go. Learning that was a big deal when I was going through some tough stuff IRL, since it gave me a little something that I could look at and see yes, I improved something and had a small accomplishment to be happy with.

[monykony]

for me, it helps me to make true some of my dreams i can't do RL because you know... RL, it gave me a love for 3D stuff i didn't know i could have and it makes me feel like my world it has no limits, wonderful people, amazing artists, lot of things are hard to know RL because of the places i've been able to do it here, so yeah, i just love it x3

[Ceka Cianci]

I don't know about nowadays,but at first it did when I got settled in..

Before second life,information used to be kind of like it is on news blogs nowadays when thinking of other countries..Just going from what I've heard rather than actually having good solid sources..

I've met so many people from around the world in here and enjoyed so many conversations and learned so much from people from other countries about their countries..

It really showed me what a snow job we get fed and still do from school and news and just everyday people that don't know any better themselves..

I was 20 years old when I came to SL,so still very impressionable....Before I got here..

After,not so easily swayed by hearsay anymore..

If SL did anything for me,It set me on the right track to question everyone and everything when something just doesn't sound right or doesn't have common sense feel to me..

 

Like President Bush said once..

“There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”

― George W. Bush

 

hehehehe

[Wildefire Walcott]

My most active years in SL until now were 2005-2008, but the game positively affected me in several ways. It was a source of learning, play, and friendship.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Wildefire Walcott
TLDR

[Vanity Fair]

Being in SL has been an unparalleled creative outlet for me. I've even taken my first steps using programs like Blender, Avastar and Marvelous Designer to create content for virtual worlds like Sansar.

But the biggest change in my life because of SL was becoming a virtual worlds blogger 2 years ago, and discovering that I had a knack for writing and reporting on social VR, virtual worlds, and the metaverse. I've even started a monthly pre taped interview show called Metaverse Newscast, and it's been wonderful to discover new talents I never thought I had!

And of course I've met some wonderful people and made new friends and acquaintances. 

[AlexandriaBrangwin]

Of course, it allowed me to express those ideas in my head that till SL came along...would have died with me!

Now my Flickr approaches 8 million views!

[panterapolnocy]

Being rather closed and reserved person in real life didn't help me much with meeting new people, so I've turned my head to online communities. Yet, role-playing discussion boards or chatrooms just felt... dry. Sure, imagination was still needed and literate descriptions never were a problem, but it was all just not as expressive as I'd like it to be. Despite all the effort it was kinda limiting; Some visual aids would be welcomed. Then, one day, a friend from one of these poked me with Second Life registration webpage; My first contact with the grid was not too "improving first life", as I've basically had no idea what to do and while I was exploring the possibilities of camera usage in some forest place all alone on my own - suddenly someone appeared in front of me and said "hi there". I was so startled, that I've instantly logged off with an eep, removed the client and deleted the account. Yep, I was so odd back then! And returned to sit in the hole I've crawled out from, knowing I'm not ready for such revolution - yet.

I've re-registered after few years... decided to do this right that time... meeting people, visiting places, turning from a scaredy-cat, slowly, into a curious one. What I've learned from SL also had direct benefits in RL (well, maybe not all the adult stuff I've seen on the grid ~). I've joined few roleplaying and coding groups, started to figure out how to push some life into a freshly rezzed cube - I've become a scripter, which was a nice after-hours exercise for my real life job, where I've also been (and am) programming. And here I am today, even occasionally using my voice in-world and writing this post - something I would not decide to do 10 years ago. I've met many very nice people, few of them are now close "long distance friends" I can count on inside and outside of SL, few of them I've already met in real life (yay for planes and trains). I would not be able to do all of this in relatively short timespan without Second Life and its possibilities, I think - and my life would look totally different right now. Better, worse? No idea. But I like where it is at the moment, and what person I am.

Edited June 29, 2019 by panterapolnocy

[Adam Spark]

I have a RL relationship in which SL is our medium (long-distance, separate countries, physical and other challenges temporarily keep it that way right now). I have outlets I never had before. I have discovered things about myself and my people skills are improving. So yes, SL has improved my life tremendously.

[Mahala Roviana]

I recently returned to SL after a few years away. I lost my job about three years ago and after a series of events, it became evident that I wasn't going to be working anymore. I live in a very remote area and have few friends. I became almost a recluse. After my old computer finally bit the dust and I was able to upgrade, I decided to try SL again. I used to be super friendly and had lots of friends on the grid, but my RL,  I have learned, has invaded my experiences in SL. I struggle to make friends or even move from the back corners of busy dance floors. I've found that in SL, I can push myself to speak up more, to take more chances. I still spend most of my time changing my little parcel around, sorting inventory, etc., but I do venture out occasionally. I went from feeling totally useless for the past three years to starting a small business and blogging again. I can say it's helped my self esteem already, but I'm still working on it. 

[Cinos Field]

Yes. Certain body dysmorphic stuff I'm working on resolving... SL is both like therapy and training.

[TheDarkhand]

In 2006 I started, over the years and a few accounts I got addicted to script making, then PHP coding which  turned into me going back to school gaining a CCNA then CCNP and scored me a much better income and life.( from 12 a hour 40 a week  to 90k a year) After that in 2015 I met my now RL wife in SL , got married and moved from the US to the UK(not 100% on the choice to change of country's yet) and next year I plan to be at summer solstice at Stonehenge (bucket list).

Did it help me? I like to think so, I do not think I would find my self on this path/life if I choose not to log in all those years ago.