Drama-rama
Okay, I admit it~I am a giant nerd.
I am completely hooked into the 'role-playing game' SecondLife. As much as I know that makes me a hopeless dork, I will defend my addiction in a few key ways: 1) Unlike other MMORPGs (WoW, etc) the goal in SecondLife (or SL, as it is commonly known) is not to complete some mythical mission, nor is it to conquer some monster-infested land. Instead, the goal is to interact successfully with people of varying nationalities in creative and productive ways. At least, that is my goal. 2) There is an element of creativity in SL that is lacking from most games, regardless of content. I have learned to use a fairly sophisticated graphic program in ways that will translate to other areas of interest quite readily...including designing invitations for weddings, and the like; while I am no graphic artist, I have the ability to create things that I would never have conceived before SL. 3) The completely immersive nature of SL is such that many people have businesses, perform music, conduct research, and interact in ways that are more sophisticated and productive than they otherwise might without a global platform that is enriched by its graphic/visual nature. Unlike standard Internet chat, or even video-conferencing, SL allows for the creative display and transmission of visual ideas through a 3-dimensional interface. It also allows people to project a version of themselves that can help to eliminate pre-conceived notions about who they are, or what they may be capable of.
Having said all that, many people use SL for the same reason they use the rest of the Internet: sex. Pixel on Pixel action is very popular in SL~the vast number of purveyors of sexual animation devices, beds, hot-tubs, and the like bears this out. The fact that sexually themed regions are consistently among the most popular destinations also points to this fact. This is neither a good or bad thing, in my opinion, and it certainly does not diminish the positive aspects of SL~the creativity, ingenuity, etc. In fact, I would argue that the demand for sexual devices drives some portion of the creativity in SL. Designers and programmers learn new techniques for building and scripting as a result of their work in the SL-Sex industry, and those advances, in some cases, bleed through into non-sex material as well. The art and technology of scripting certainly is advanced by the demand for more realistic sexual movements, for example.
The core value in SL though, in my opinion, is the opportunity to interact with people from around the world in ways that would otherwise be impossible. This has always been a draw of Internet based chat programs, and discussion groups, but in SL the RPG-like environment, coupled with the deep interactivity of the 'game' makes these interactions much richer than they would be in a text-only milieu. If, for example, I am interested in discussing architecture in SL, I can go out into the 'world' and find people who are actively involved in the design and construction of SL buildings, including real-world architects. I can see their work, I can see what they are trying to accomplish and I can experience it in three dimensions instead of trying to visualize it based on what they have to say about it. Even better, I can do it myself. I can build something, and then talk to another builder about how it could be better, or what techniques I used, or could have used, etc. The experience becomes much more interactive than it would be otherwise, because in the real-world, I am not going to build a house, just for the fun of it, and then solicit the opinion of some random architect I find in a phone book. The same is true for clothing design, for furniture design, and for many other visual arts.
Indeed, even music is touched by a broader, richer interactivity in SL than in the real-world. The availability of live music, and the broad spectrum of styles and personalities, coupled with the low cost (often zero dollars), and the openness of the performers makes the experience of live music much different from its real-world counterpart. Were I to attend the number of live-music shows in real-life that I do in SL, I would be broke for one thing. Not to mention that the time involved in travelling from one venue to the other, the parking, the time before and after the show...all prohibitive. In SL, I can see Phemie Alcott at three at one venue, Raspbury Rearwin at four at another, and Digby Smalls at five at a third. There is no cost, other than the tips that I voluntarily offer, and the time to get from one show to another is negligible because...well, because each venue is just a set of programming on a different server, or a different section of the same server at SL's headquarters. How long it takes me to 'teleport' from one venue to another really only depends on the speed of my Internet connection. The best part, though, is that when I arrive at Phemie's show, she will greet me as a friend, same with Raspbury, and many other musicians in SL. Unlike real-life where we are often separated from the performers on stage for any number of reasons, not least of which is the simple fact that we don't actually know them, and don't have any reason to get to know them, in SL musicians are often your friends and your friends are often musicians; and once you know one or two, you will likely get to know quite a few others, because the community is very close-knit. Your friends may also choose to own venues in which the musicians perform, opening up an entirely new avenue for meeting and befriending musicians. It just goes on and on.
So, as I said...I am a major nerd. I am hooked into this game, like some bleary-eyed kid staring at my computer screen for hours on end, but I don't mind. I built a new house yesterday, made enough in-world money to support my clothing stores for a few weeks, and got to talk to my friends in Australia, Canada, Italy, France, China, and various US states. I can assure you that my real-life, good as it is, was not that exciting yesterday.
I am completely hooked into the 'role-playing game' SecondLife. As much as I know that makes me a hopeless dork, I will defend my addiction in a few key ways: 1) Unlike other MMORPGs (WoW, etc) the goal in SecondLife (or SL, as it is commonly known) is not to complete some mythical mission, nor is it to conquer some monster-infested land. Instead, the goal is to interact successfully with people of varying nationalities in creative and productive ways. At least, that is my goal. 2) There is an element of creativity in SL that is lacking from most games, regardless of content. I have learned to use a fairly sophisticated graphic program in ways that will translate to other areas of interest quite readily...including designing invitations for weddings, and the like; while I am no graphic artist, I have the ability to create things that I would never have conceived before SL. 3) The completely immersive nature of SL is such that many people have businesses, perform music, conduct research, and interact in ways that are more sophisticated and productive than they otherwise might without a global platform that is enriched by its graphic/visual nature. Unlike standard Internet chat, or even video-conferencing, SL allows for the creative display and transmission of visual ideas through a 3-dimensional interface. It also allows people to project a version of themselves that can help to eliminate pre-conceived notions about who they are, or what they may be capable of.
Having said all that, many people use SL for the same reason they use the rest of the Internet: sex. Pixel on Pixel action is very popular in SL~the vast number of purveyors of sexual animation devices, beds, hot-tubs, and the like bears this out. The fact that sexually themed regions are consistently among the most popular destinations also points to this fact. This is neither a good or bad thing, in my opinion, and it certainly does not diminish the positive aspects of SL~the creativity, ingenuity, etc. In fact, I would argue that the demand for sexual devices drives some portion of the creativity in SL. Designers and programmers learn new techniques for building and scripting as a result of their work in the SL-Sex industry, and those advances, in some cases, bleed through into non-sex material as well. The art and technology of scripting certainly is advanced by the demand for more realistic sexual movements, for example.
The core value in SL though, in my opinion, is the opportunity to interact with people from around the world in ways that would otherwise be impossible. This has always been a draw of Internet based chat programs, and discussion groups, but in SL the RPG-like environment, coupled with the deep interactivity of the 'game' makes these interactions much richer than they would be in a text-only milieu. If, for example, I am interested in discussing architecture in SL, I can go out into the 'world' and find people who are actively involved in the design and construction of SL buildings, including real-world architects. I can see their work, I can see what they are trying to accomplish and I can experience it in three dimensions instead of trying to visualize it based on what they have to say about it. Even better, I can do it myself. I can build something, and then talk to another builder about how it could be better, or what techniques I used, or could have used, etc. The experience becomes much more interactive than it would be otherwise, because in the real-world, I am not going to build a house, just for the fun of it, and then solicit the opinion of some random architect I find in a phone book. The same is true for clothing design, for furniture design, and for many other visual arts.
Indeed, even music is touched by a broader, richer interactivity in SL than in the real-world. The availability of live music, and the broad spectrum of styles and personalities, coupled with the low cost (often zero dollars), and the openness of the performers makes the experience of live music much different from its real-world counterpart. Were I to attend the number of live-music shows in real-life that I do in SL, I would be broke for one thing. Not to mention that the time involved in travelling from one venue to the other, the parking, the time before and after the show...all prohibitive. In SL, I can see Phemie Alcott at three at one venue, Raspbury Rearwin at four at another, and Digby Smalls at five at a third. There is no cost, other than the tips that I voluntarily offer, and the time to get from one show to another is negligible because...well, because each venue is just a set of programming on a different server, or a different section of the same server at SL's headquarters. How long it takes me to 'teleport' from one venue to another really only depends on the speed of my Internet connection. The best part, though, is that when I arrive at Phemie's show, she will greet me as a friend, same with Raspbury, and many other musicians in SL. Unlike real-life where we are often separated from the performers on stage for any number of reasons, not least of which is the simple fact that we don't actually know them, and don't have any reason to get to know them, in SL musicians are often your friends and your friends are often musicians; and once you know one or two, you will likely get to know quite a few others, because the community is very close-knit. Your friends may also choose to own venues in which the musicians perform, opening up an entirely new avenue for meeting and befriending musicians. It just goes on and on.
So, as I said...I am a major nerd. I am hooked into this game, like some bleary-eyed kid staring at my computer screen for hours on end, but I don't mind. I built a new house yesterday, made enough in-world money to support my clothing stores for a few weeks, and got to talk to my friends in Australia, Canada, Italy, France, China, and various US states. I can assure you that my real-life, good as it is, was not that exciting yesterday.
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