I took my first little steps in Second Life today. I previously had some trouble getting the program to work on my laptop, but I finally managed to get the program running decently on my 3 year old computer.
I double-clicked the client's icon on my computer desktop and was created with a login screen and the Second Life logo. I put my login info in the boxes and clicked next. I am then greeted by a gratuitous interface containing so many choices I could play around with. Maybe a little more than I could handle at first. However, this qualm soon went away as I played around a little with all the stuff I could do- I could changed my clothes at will, teleport instantaneously to any location I desire in Second Life, or chat with someone nearby.
I thought to myself, "Well, what should I do first? So many choices." Second Life is just like real life in that you have so many choices you can pursue. And choice is good. Freedom is good. Humans desire nothing more than to have complete control over their own lives. Second Life is no exception.
I decided to begin with a change of attire. I wanted to display my own identity in Second Life, and not unlike in real life, I chose clothes that were rather modest but very modern (jeans and a T-shirt. Boring, but it works). However, unlike my real self, I chose to give myself tattoos on my body. I probably will never, ever get a tattoo in real life because of the bad rep tattoos have, but because Second Life doesn't have the same consequences as real life, I chose something more risque.
Tom Boellstorf's book "Coming of Age in Second Life" says that about humans and technology being inseparable. This is quite the case with Second Life. However, the book also mentions how our selves in the "real" world differ from the world in Second Life just a bit. I believe that Second Life isn't truly an extension of one's self. Because one can choose to become anything they want, they could be something that is the opposite of what they are or completely change themselves. One can become a completely different person on Second Life if they so desire. (Boellstorf 63).
I saw a few people wandering around the area I started out in, which seems to be an area all "newbies" start out at. I chatted with a person nearby, and they also commented that it was their first time using Second Life. They just wanted to see what the site was all about apparently. We talked about how Second Life has been talked about as being like an actual "other" world and actually considered one for many people who make money online selling "prims" or other such items within the Second Life economy. The convo went on for a little while after that, but not too long.
"The virtuality of online worlds inheres in their status as places, but it is with regard to time, particularly synchronic sociality, that the actual world intrudes most fundamentally into online culture." (Boellstorf 102).
The above quote demonstrates another thought I had of Second Life as I regard it with other online MMOs I've played. I tend to focus on other hobbies, so Second Life won't be a big part of my life like it is for other people. But despite that, for many, it is life. For me, life is more about video games and books (and I frequently spend more time in them than in the "actual" world). However, like Boellstorf, I do believe that just because I spend a lot of time on my hobbies (pretty much whenever I'm not studying or working) doesn't make it a form of escapism. (26). I do it because I crave information. I want to know about anything and everything and with the Internet, it's all at my fingertips. Second Life could be seen as an enrichment of one's life, not as a form of escapism as well. One can also find out a lot of various information in Second Life or have conversations about profound subjects.
After the chat was over, I chose a spot to teleport to off the island I started out on. I chose a location I thought I would be interested in. In other words, I chose "Japan".
I no more than a few seconds my avatar was now in "Japan", which seemed to be an area with a few shrines and some "Japanese-sounding" music. A bit disappointing. As a Japanese major, I was hoping for something a little more authentic. But I suppose the Japanese don't play Second Life that much.
I decided to leave the area since no one seemed to be around, and moved to another part of Japan. This time, the design was more authentic and it seemed like this particular area was once a spot where you could buy japanese maid cafe uniforms. I say "once was" because the area had absolutely no people there. I checked 2 other places in Japan, "Tokyo" and "Sapporo" but they were both the same deal as the previous two. How I would have liked more activity and more designs but I suppose Second Life isn't as popular as it was a few years ago.
I did find Second Life interesting though. It reminded me a lot of "The Sims", but instead of controlling a "Sim" you control your "Avatar" which is meant to represent yourself.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could find more people to communicate with on there. An important element to any online MMO is to be able to enjoy it with other people. Otherwise, there's little fun to be had in the final product.
I want to finish off this post by saying that I believe Second Life is a great idea with great intentions. But perhaps the reason why it seems "abandoned" now is because it was too ahead of its time. Most people then weren't ready to live their lives online. Maybe they aren't even ready now. But I have a feeling someday, a day probably not too far off in the future, another company like Linden Labs will swoop in and take what Second Life started and make it better. And once that day arrives, our very lives will be shaped by how we live them in the digital world.
"...all of us, online and offline, are virtually human." (Boellstorf 249).
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