Second Life- An Extension of Real Life or Just A Game? - Pandora Drezelan Reporting...

My Description Of A World.

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs or Viewers enable Second Life users (Residents) to interact with each other through their avatars (a graphical representation of the user) Residents can explore the world (known as the grid) meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade virtual property and services with one another. Second Life is intended for people aged 16 and over and as of 2011 has about one million active users.

My Description Of A Game.

The Sims is a strategic life simulation video game series developed by Maxis and later by The Sims Studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful video games series of all time. As of May 2011, the franchise has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide and is also the best selling PC Franchise in PC history.

The games in The Sims series lack any defined goals (except for some later expansion packs which introduced this gameplay style)The player creates virtual people called "Sims" and places them in houses and helps direct their moods and satisfy their desires. Players can either place their Sims in pre-constructed homes or build them themselves.

And so the debate goes on, is Second Life a virtual world or an online game? Some Residents within Second Life still class it as a game and refer to it as in-game rather than in-world and many of them will say that they ‘play Second Life’ in opposed to ‘living it.’

Unlike a computer game, Second Life does not have traditional game play rules, there are no winners or losers, you don’t go up in levels as you would within a computer game. Second Life is about social interaction, exploring different places and so much more.

We socialize with each other using our avatars, in instant message or voice, we build or buy and set up houses, go shopping with friends, have relationships, get married and have children. Some of us choose to stay single or pursue a career in Second Life, just as we would in real life.

Many of us play games in real life of some description and in Second Life there are many games available to residents also and other entertainment such as role play communities, places of interest, clubs, hunting for prizes, lucky chairs and midnight mania boards to name a few.

I compared Second Life to The Sims because to me they have a similar concept but in no way are they the same. The Sims is a game and you do have goals and levels etc. However it is not a world like Second Life just as Second Life ‘in my opinion’ is not a game like The Sims.

I have always seen Second Life as a virtual world, it is a huge part of my real life and I embrace that. My real life niece told me about Second Life and after Pandora was born in December 2009 she went on to become an extension of my real life self.

All of my family and friends know about my life in Second Life, they accept it and take it as seriously as I do and often ask me how life is going in my virtual world, most of them have seen photos of Pandora or have been with me while I am in-world. I am not crazy, I am just lucky.

People choose to live their Second Life for many reasons, some have disabilities, are house bound or just not good at socializing in the real world, whatever the reasons, Second Life truly connects people and brings them together in many different ways.

I realize their are people that are the outdoorsy active type or more hands-on involved in their own hobbies, just like there are people into virtual worlds and social networking that allow us to connect globally.

We get to be creative in our own way, doing what we love. If more people saw it that way there would be less ignorance and more respect for what the virtual world is used for, as long as people are doing it responsibly and not neglecting other priorities.

I think if more people took virtual worlds seriously and didn't see it as just a game or using it as a tool to be involved in secret relationships and mischievous behaviors, others would not be so judgmental and would be more accepting of how technology is being used these days.

Some people may not agree with my views regarding Second Life and at the end of the day you log off and go back to your real life but when you log back on it will always say ‘Loading World’ not ‘Loading Game.’

Just to clarify things, I don’t dislike The Sims. I play it almost every day but I choose to live my Second Life and it doesn’t matter what grid your’e on or what game your’e playing as long as you enjoy it.

Is Second Life an extension of real life or just a game to you?

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