Second Life's status is frequently debated. Unlike most traditional computer games, Second Life does not have a defined objective. Since the game has no clear objective it is pointless to talk about winning or losing inside of the Second Life world . Second Life contains an extensive world that can be explored and interacted with, and it can be used purely as a creative tool set if the user so chooses you really would not have to talk to anyone ever. you could go around and build your life and your property and home and be completely self sufficient. most online games that i have ever played were more objective based. i felt very lost when i first ventured into the Second Life world, it is very extensive and completely intimidating at the start because it is so in depth and you really just don't know where to start.
Most everything in the world is made by its residents. the world or map is built for you but all of the the things that happen inside of the game depend on the people inside of the virtual world that are customising it. there is a strong male female dynamic in second life. often you will find just a male or a female couple off to the side just talking about normal every day life. I honestly haven't encountered much sex at all on Second Life yet. the closest i have come is seeing Annie's naked avatar. most people are clearly male or female in this virtual world i think because the characters have no powers and you are no different in the game no matter what character you are. so i feel that most people are on here looking for companionship or to talk to people in some form or another. people aren't on this game trying to win things so i feel that its a different older more eclective crowd with people from all over the world.
do you feel that people are more themselves on second life because they feel that they might actually make a real love connection?
do the people on second life come here to try and make real social connections with people?
animals and minerals? where are you seeing this? haha.. now i want to get back on and risk my computer.
ReplyDeleteanywayyy. i still do not understand the appeal of virtual worlds, and i prefer to talk to people face to face, so i have a heard time thinking about people going on there to find a real love connection. however, i bet there are people out there using SL just for that purpose. i can see people being less afraid of be their true selves, including those obnioxious people that we were standing near while they repeated that one word over and over for like an hour. i really wanted to yell get a life.. but that might have been more rude than i tend to be.
i think people enter SL with all sorts of motives. like us just joining for class, some people join for real connections, and some people join to annoy people.
I think it's possible that people in Second Life are closer to their real selves than some other virtual worlds. Second Life is, indeed, in depth, and I feel just like you do in getting started. I have absolutely no idea where to start. Anyway, I think that, because Second Life is so realistic with the scenery, avatars and activities, that some people see it as a getaway from real life without venturing too far into a fantasy world. The name of this virtual world is very fitting.
ReplyDeletePersonally, computer loooove *Zapp & Roger voice* (lol, look it up if you need to) is not an option, but I can understand that some people actually communicate better via internet. I do think that no matter how close people make their avatars on Second Life, there will almost always be adaptations that do not reflect reality. That's where the "real love connection" becomes questionable, especially if the avatar doesn't represent the "real" you.
Virtual worlds such as this remind me of a movie called Surrogates, where the human race had been "replaced" by either duplicates of the host or other representations. The host (real people) owned mechanical surrogate bodies, or real life avatars to control as they participated in life's everyday activities. The host could live their life without ever stepping outside the comfort of their own home.
I agree, I think people go to SL and other sites like it to connect with other people in a way they can't in real life. I agree that SL is the closest virtual world to real life but I still think that finding "real love" in a fantasy world is crazy talk. I think that being part of a relationship has a lot to do with the physical part. Sure you can have a great conversation through a fantasy world but "real love" is about connecting with someone else is a physical way that brings you closer. I think that people use virtual worlds to make social connections and act in ways they would normally not act.
ReplyDeleteYes, people with out a doubt go to second life in order to gain new relationships in their lives. I feel that people who are either in need of private relationships due to conflicting ones in the "real world", or people who are unable to produce quality relationships in a personal matter, use second life and other worlds to gain new "friends". I am still yet to see how any virtual world experience can allow one to gain skills at relationships in real life. There is so much more to relationships than simple conversation, so unless these people are able to continue a friendship outside the limits of the game there is no other benefit than instant gratification.
ReplyDeletedo you feel that people are more themselves on second life because they feel that they might actually make a real love connection?
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on the person, her/his motivation for joining Second Life and how the person feels about her/himself. Many people have hangups about their physical selves and it is easy to create a whole new look for yourself without the ability to verify that you indeed look like that. It seems like it would be very tempting to enhance your appearance if you were looking to score true love on SL with the notion that once the person gets to know your spirit and personality, they would be bound to fall for the whole package.
Then again, I think the anonymity of websites like SL can allow people who are timid in real life to be jerks to other SL characters. That is not usually a recipe for a true love connection for most people, though.
do the people on second life come here to try and make real social connections with people?
I think there are definitely people on SL whose main goal is to make real social connections with others although this is probably not the case for everyone. Some of the people in class said that interacting with people in virtual worlds improved their social skills offline. I think it would take some serious time and energy to make real lasting connections with online characters and it might take some offline interactions to help the relationship really develop.