Second Life, First Priority

Okay, fine, I get it. I didn't want to love it, but I did. I freaking love Second Life.

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Last week in class, I had the opportunity to create my own avatar on the online virtual world of Second Life. In the past, I've played The Sims, Club Penguin, Mochi Monsters, Neopets, and other types of games in virtual worlds. I was excited to try Second Life because I knew there was more freedom of creation in comparison to other games. That's just what I discovered: freedom.

I jumped right in, finding myself in this shopping plaza-like area with stores, tutorials for the game, paths to different parts of the virtual world, and plenty of other users. Almost immediately, someone sent me a message through the chat feature saying, "Hey, you seem pretty new to SL." (I assumed they could tell because I didn't change anything about the appearance of my pre-made avatar.) I confessed that I was and asked if they had any tips about the game. Immediately, this person was welcoming, encouraging, and expressing excitement about my development in Second Life, saying almost anything is possible. If I played around, I'd get the hang of it. It was interesting to me that a person was so quick to initiate a conversation and so quick to help me succeed.

Navigating through Second Life was interesting. I teleported to Japan where my friend Dylan and I (link to his blog here) received free sailboats to wear. We wore the sailboats. On our bodies. Just casually. I remembered what my new SL friend told me: almost anything is possible here. After Japan, I teleported to a place called the Sexy Islands, because... Why not?

The Sexy Islands had one rule, which was to be dressed in beach attire or not be dressed at all. I was having difficulties trying to change (well, strip) my outfit. People were sending me messages saying , "joannesally you need to take your clothes off." I was finally able to figure out the clothing situation and felt very relieved that my avatar was indeed naked on the beach of the Sexy Islands. I thought the whole situation was hilarious-- In real life, I would never be comfortable or in such a hurry to remove every article of clothing from my body, but in SL I was having fun. It surprised me that the community members of the Sexy Islands followed the rules and held others accountable. The people who messaged me weren't scolding me, they were just reminding me of the island's rule.

I have to admit, I was sad when class ended and I had to leave my online life. No, not because I thoroughly enjoyed being naked on a beach, but because I could be naked on a beach. I definitely see the appeal of online virtual worlds. So much so that on Thursday, when this blog post was actually due for class, I was working on two projects and studying for an exam while thinking how nice it would be to escape to Second Life.

I truly believe that in Second Life, I could create, accomplish, and do almost anything. This got me thinking about a TED Talk from Jane McGonigal earlier this semester in which she claims gaming is the key to a better world. Typically, in a gaming world, there is a sense of community in which people interact to help others succeed. When we do succeed, it feels pretty damn great. If we could apply that sense of community and encouragement to real-life problems, we could succeed in solving them.

After my experience in Second Life, I finally see McGonigal's point. For most of my life, I've been surrounded by communities in which everyone is competing instead of helping each other succeed. Having peers initiate a conversation in real life was rare for me. Feeling included in a community was rare for me. One hour in SL changed my outlook of online communities and gaming.

If this blog post was due through a virtual classroom in SL, would I have completed it on time instead of procrastinating? Maybe. If class was held in a virtual classroom would I be there on time? Most definitely. Maybe it'd be easier for me to talk (or type?) in class. Maybe I would be more confident having that sense of freedom. Maybe I'd feel included in a community. Something I do know is if someone told me that almost anything is possible in real life, I would probably laugh and disagree. But it's true, isn't it? So why are we more competitive in real life than we are in an online game?