Observe (but do not contribute to) at least one of the following and share your findings with your study group –and alert your seminar group:
Having never used or even heard of Second Life before, I registered at http://secondlife.com, and downloaded the software, then created an avatar. The process of registering includes choosing a name. You can type your chosen first name then pick a surname from a list of available names. Other details taken from you are DOB, email address and real life name.
Once the software had dowloaded and set up I entered the 'Grid' and looked at all the functions available. As I had not used Second Life, or anything similar, before I have used my interpretation of what I experienced along with some background research to answer the following questions.
How does it work?
Second life is a virtual, 3-D world which users, called ‘residents’, create themselves in the form of an avatar. It is inhabited by millions of users.
Second life works by a user creating an avatar – a movable 3-D image which represents a person in cyberspace. The avatar can be customised from clothes they are wearing down to their facial features and body type. Once the user has an avatar they can explore and meet people, and even buy land, create a home and business or travel the world, which residents call ‘the grid’.
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I also registered on Second Life for the sake of this blog. Did you find it hard to use? Personally, I thought it was very time consuming. In the time it took to register, download the software and create my avatar, I could have gone to meet a real friend.
ReplyDeleteI think in regards to comparing Second Life with meeting real friends, obviously real friend interaction will but much more rewarding. However, from my own experience back in my hometown I only had male friends. I used to play similar interaction based games because it game me chance to express my 'girlier' side. If I'd asked one of my male friends if he wanted to 'do lunch' or go shopping he'd have thought I'd lost the plot!
ReplyDeleteI've not registered on S.L. yet but I hear it's a very influential program in some universities (who use it for long distance seminars). I'm registered on IMVU which is a similar idea. There's more customisation (which I think appeals to the female role players) but you have to buy credits in order to change hairstyles/clothes etc. Another quiet way of making money for nothing!
In reply to Emma, yes i did find it quite hard to use, it took my a long time to complete the setting up process. I agree you could have gone and met a real life friend in the time!
ReplyDeleteI guess it comes with practice.
In reply to Joanne, i can see why you would have used interaction games for that resaon, to express your more feminine side after being surrounded by males. I imagine that many people use Second Life to reveal a side of them they feel they can't infront of their real life friends and family.
I've not heard of IMVU but you can also exchange money into Lindum Dollars on SL and agree that it is indeed a quiet way of making money!
Just as an after comment - I registered on Second Life and found it incredibly difficult to get to grips with! The camera wouldn't go where I wanted it to and the character customisation required alot of background knowledge of the engine. I gave up eventually.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting point - in my exploration I discovered a shop. When I entered it I found it to be full of adult clothes and other such items. it gave me no warning that this would happen. This isn't something I'd want my child to be exposed to.