Second Life (SL) is a 3D world designed and partly owned by residents. You’ve probably heard that people “make money in a virtual worldâ€, then take a look at it and read a few reviews on games websites and think it sounds like a bunch of fuss over nothing.
You should look again. If you want to think of yourself as a progressive thinker, you really can’t afford to ignore SL.
Firstly SL is not a game. You don’t shoot things for hour after hour, you don’t grind for XP, you don’t advance your character. Well not in a lvl 60 way.
Secondly it’s not just “Sexy Sim Worldâ€. You don’t have to get involved in anything seedy whatsoever. Even though some residents choose to create and indulge in virtual thrill seeking pleasures, most residents I’ve met are interested in using SL in a different way, for instance designing meditation spaces. Virtual spiritual retreats with streaming wisdom from the Dalai Lama, or support groups for manic depressives.
Universities like Harvard have cottoned on to the benefits of virtual learning in SL. Here is what they have to say about their online course – Law in the Court of Public Opinion
“If we do say so ourselves, the course will be unlike any that has ever been taught. It is a course in persuasive, empathic argument in the Internet space. Throughout the course we will be studying many different media technologies to understand how their inherent characteristics and modes of distribution affect the arguments that are made using them. Students will be immersed in this study through project-based assignments in which they will be using these technologies to make their own argumentsâ€
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/
Having tried a few of the online lessons in 3D building and scripting, I found the environment to be extremely creative. For a start my teachers varied in appearance, from a Feline Fatale to a “normal looking†Cheerleader, I got a unique perspective on how my teacher sees themselves. Of course my classmates were all pretty unique, one of them was actually a random object. And why not?
Public Radio’s popular health and Science show The Infinite Mind, recently ran interviews with novelist Kurt Vonnegut and technology and social forecaster Howard Rheingold.
(Click for clips and more info) http://lcmedia.com/
Performers like Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega have done live shows. Music concerts, sponsored by big movers have become more popular, with MTV and Coca Cola getting their filthy fists in on the action, however plenty of alternative groups are around, and you can’t keep a good bit of creativity down. Whilst the Evil Empire of Sony Online Entertainment shafted angry SWG players, the SW community thrives in SL, creating their own worlds, weapons and stories. There are weapon zones, but I’ve heard from other second lifers that they aren’t that fantastic, however I’ve not tried them out myself. I know that people have fun shooting the “trespassers” on their land, so maybe that is something you should consider if you start exploring the infinite lands within SL.
It’s not about possessing money either. If you look you can find financial opportunities within the game, but only if you are talented. There are plenty of guides to working in SL, but that is only going to be your thing if it is your thing, if you see what I mean.
For a deeper look at Second Life check the wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life
Wagner James Au reports on SL
mexia mcconnell, and 
Scott 11:17 am on September 27, 2006 Permalink |
i been on the website and it looks like a very interesting concept, so a game as such like WoW but never the less fun.