I originally heard about Second Life at work in 2007. My boss at the time wanted me to explore marketing opportunities for our department. I made an account and started exploring right away. I had never been into online gaming before, so everything from the creation of an avatar to the ability to move about was brand new to me. Although it was a bit of a steep learning curve, I got the hang of it after a day or so. After researching Second Life for a week, I presented a report to my superiors, hoping that they would find some use for Second Life as either a marketing tool or virtual meeting space. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided not to use Second Life. As for me, I had developed an insatiable appetite for exploration in the virtual world and decided to make an avatar for me to use at home.
I explored. I shopped. I experienced. I made friends.
After a couple of months, I bought land and made a home for myself and then invited my real life friend to join Second Life. Not long afterwards, we discovered the mermaid scene. It was a ton of fun!
My friend and I ended up buying beachfront property (the only beachfront property we will probably ever own) and opened up a shop with a mermaid playground below. A few months later, I became interested in the idea of creating a theme park. I thought at the time, "Hey, this is Second Life, why not?" In 2008, we ended up opening a park called Magicland that is still open today.
As a result of running Magicland, I've made many friends and acquaintances in Second Life; some of which have blossomed into real life friendships. As a result of Second Life, I've met people from all walks of life and from many different countries. These are everyday people that I would have not have met otherwise.
I cherish each friendship that has been made and every moment that has been spent building and creating new things. It's been a crazy 13 years and I'm hoping for more 🙂
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