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Second Life? I think I just don''t get it.

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Haven

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I just read this article, and I''m confused.

I did a little digging and it sounds like Second Life is a virtual world, but what does that mean? Is PS a virtual world? Second Life sounds like a different thing.

What does it mean that the couple in the article was involved in a "virtual relationship"--were they talking online and hadn''t met yet, or were they like two video game players in a fake relationship online? And if the answer is the latter, I don''t think I get it.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I''m feeling very out of touch.
 

JulieN

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PS is definitely not a virtual world. Second Life is totally different.

It''s the latter definition.
 

diamondfan

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I think those things are like real time games that go on and you have personnas? Not really sure!
 

Haven

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Thanks, Julie.

So does that mean that the two people in the article were interacting in Second Life, but it was fake? As in, they were behaving like characters in a play or something? Do people who are not acting in it watch Second Life? Is it like a virtual reality show? I can''t believe I haven''t heard of this until just now, it sounds like The Matrix or something.
 

neatfreak

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Date: 9/2/2008 12:09:05 AM
Author: Haven
Thanks, Julie.


So does that mean that the two people in the article were interacting in Second Life, but it was fake? As in, they were behaving like characters in a play or something? Do people who are not acting in it watch Second Life? Is it like a virtual reality show? I can''t believe I haven''t heard of this until just now, it sounds like The Matrix or something.

I think a lot of people don''t look at it like acting...to many people it''s another world they live in. So to this woman, this relationship was real, it just didn''t occur in her "first life", it was in her virtual world. But she couldn''t distinguish between the two and went a bit nutso in her "first life" because of something that happened in her "second life".
 

katamari

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The blur between real and virtual worlds is quite fuzzy. I would actually say that most people on Second Life do actually use it as a tool to tinker with their identity, much like facebook and myspace, and would not see the relationships as real (disclaimer being that I have never played Second Life or known anyone who did). This woman, though, imo, had mental health issues that I think were not at all due to Second Life, but got triggered by it. It is very sad.
 

Elmorton

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Second Life is CRAZY - I went to a professional development event where we had a discussion about it. Apparently, there are even universities that are on Second Life. You can walk your avatar into the university''s campus, walk into the library, and you can take a volume off the shelf that exists in real life. This blows my mind. Apparently, institutions of higher learning are buying "real estate" on Second Life for some pretty crazy real-life dollar amounts, and many people who believe that the future of classroom instruction is online see Second Life as a venue where it could occur (and is already occurring) since students can sit in a "lecture hall", ask questions in real time, and interact with an instructor (who may have a purple face and a leopard tail for her avatar).

I''m completely intrigued by Second Life but absolutely terrified of it as the same time. I''ve heard it takes FOREVER to tinker with and set up, so I have yet to even look into making an account, but I''m also afraid of its implications for an already inactive and socially inept culture.
 

Skippy123

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I guess I don't exactly get what second Life is, maybe that is a good thing.
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That story is beyond creepy!!!!
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fieryred33143

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Not only are people having relationships on Second Life, but married couples have gotten divorced because of it. I wish I can find the article but basically the woman got "married" on second life and was paying more attention to her virtual husband than her real husband.

It isn''t acting and it isn''t fake. You don''t type into it like you would a chatroom. You have a microphone and speak to one another, so you can imagine what kind of emotional affairs people can end up having.

It''s not for me although I love playing The Sims
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purrfectpear

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Second Life is like Dungeons and Dragons for adults...LOL. It has the same nerd factor, plus real estate, banking, jobs, interior decorating, vacations and sex. I think the appeal is that you can shed 30 lbs., find a job you really like, and take risks you would never take in real life.
 

jcrow

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it''s very strange. i tried it for a few days but bored quickly. it''s like a faux real world if that makes any sense. real people but fake versions of themselves. real companies, etc. a way to do things that you wouldn''t be able to do or have the guts to do in the real world.
 

Haven

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Interesting. Fiery--How horrible that people have had affairs that ruined marriages.

Purrfectpear--I totally get it now, thanks to your dungeons and dragons comparison. Hilarious. It''s definitely not my thing, this Second Life, it sounds time-consuming and PS is time-consuming enough for me!

I asked my students about it and they had no idea what I was talking about. Then I read your responses and realized that they all have very exciting, busy teenage lives so they definitely don''t need to create second lives! I wonder if there are more adults than teens on the program.

Thanks for the education, all. I think I understand what it is now, and I know enough to stay far away. :)
 

allycat0303

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I saw it on an episode of CSI where there was a girl that got killed in real life by her virtual boyfriend. I think like Jcrow, I want to see what it is like, and what you do? Do you live and go to school? I figure it must be like role-playing or something. But everything intrigues me about it, is it a video game and you control a character? It''s pretty mysterious to me.
 

OUpearlgirl

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After reading this I got on today.. As far as I can tell it''s like a more advanced version of the Sims where real people communicate. I got bored in about 30 minutes because I didn''t want to spend any of my own real money and everything seems to require that.
 

Pandora II

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I had a play around on it a while ago. I was quite impressed with some of it - the amount you can personalise your avatar for example.

You can make a heck of a lot of $$$ if you know what you are doing. I had a go at doing some ''virtual'' jewellery!
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It does need a HUGE amount of time - and I have other commitments. I could see the attraction, but I refused to ''talk'' to anyone over there and was quite freaked out by how many men try to chat you up.
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(And yes, my avatar looked VERY respectable
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diamondsrock

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I joined Second Life probably a year and a half ago, but have rarely used it. I just haven''t been able to find the cool places to hang out or get educated (I wanted to join a support group, book club, etc.) You kind of have to know where you want to go to make it work. I hadn''t logged on in so long I wasn''t sure if my virtual self was even still there (by the way, she is really cute!).
The first time I was on there some guy wanted to have virtual sex so that was weird.
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I was like, no thanks! I ususally would get bored after about 20-30 minutes so haven''t really gotten much out of it.
 

luckystar112

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Forgive me if any of you participate in any of these online alternative lifestyles, but they FREAK ME OUT!

DH thinks its weird that I talk to complete strangers on the internet, he would go crazy if I showed him that article.
 

HollyS

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Isn''t real life complicated enough? Are we all that dissatisfied with what we have that we need to create ''alternate universes'' for ourselves?

It is NOT real. No matter how this ''game'' is played, it is not real. Virtual, not virtual, makes no difference; it isn''t real life.

Anyone deeply involved in this stuff is not shuffling with a full deck.
 

Lynn B

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First off, believe me when I say that I don't play Second Life and know VERY little about it. BUT, my (adult) niece does play, and she totally enjoys it. It is just entertainment for her, much like reading a book, or doing anything else for a little fun or relaxation. And FWIW, she is an educated, employed, well-rounded, very social person. (And most definitely "shuffling with a full deck"!
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HollyS

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Date: 9/2/2008 8:47:46 PM
Author: Lynn B
First off, believe me when I say that I don''t play Second Life and know VERY little about it. BUT, my (adult) niece does play, and she totally enjoys it. It is just entertainment for her, much like reading a book, or doing anything else for a little fun or relaxation. And FWIW, she is an educated, employed, well-rounded, very social person. (And most definitely ''shuffling with a full deck''!
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The difference is, your niece looks at it as ''entertainment''. She is not immersed as though it were actually her life. Those are the people I was referring to. Like the woman in the article that Haven linked.
 

MonkeyPie

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Date: 9/2/2008 4:54:47 PM
Author: Daydreamer7130
Second life is for people who don''t have a ''real'' life.

I am kind of offended by this comment, whether you actually meant it or not, but whatever.

I used to do chat rooms and things very similar to Second Life. It wasn''t my LIFE, as in I didn''t spend my entire day in it, but I was pretty close. I made "friends" all over the world and spent a lot of time talking with them, either via text, a mic, or a webcam. I don''t know how to explain this sort of thing to someone that hasn''t done it, but it didn''t consume me and I didn''t turn into a crazy person like the woman in the article. It was, however, an escape for me because at the time, I didn''t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was still basically a kid, had no idea what I was going to do with my life (still don''t, but I have tried), and didn''t have many friends because I was sort of secluded and ackward around people.

It was something I outgrew, but not everyone does. I think it is a "safe" way for people to meet others, exactly like I used to do. It isn''t fair to say they have no life or they are all grotesque and that is why they can''t find a mate. Neither of those things applied to me - it was just something I did.
 

Circe

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An interesting, balanced article from Business Week. A lot of the info. on Second Life (and D&D, for that matter) tends to focus on the extreme fringe element, on the "sexy" stories that make for good soundbytes. At its core, it seems like it has the potential to be deeply fascinating ....
 

Lauren8211

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Date: 9/2/2008 4:49:48 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Second Life is like Dungeons and Dragons for adults...LOL. It has the same nerd factor, plus real estate, banking, jobs, interior decorating, vacations and sex. I think the appeal is that you can shed 30 lbs., find a job you really like, and take risks you would never take in real life.

Sorry, PP, but your post made me LOL.

My 29 year old boyfriend still plays D&D regularly. I still regularly make fun of him for it.

Should I tell him to grow up and switch to Second Life?
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fieryred33143

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Date: 9/2/2008 11:07:51 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 9/2/2008 4:54:47 PM
Author: Daydreamer7130
Second life is for people who don''t have a ''real'' life.

I am kind of offended by this comment, whether you actually meant it or not, but whatever.

I used to do chat rooms and things very similar to Second Life. It wasn''t my LIFE, as in I didn''t spend my entire day in it, but I was pretty close. I made ''friends'' all over the world and spent a lot of time talking with them, either via text, a mic, or a webcam. I don''t know how to explain this sort of thing to someone that hasn''t done it, but it didn''t consume me and I didn''t turn into a crazy person like the woman in the article. It was, however, an escape for me because at the time, I didn''t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was still basically a kid, had no idea what I was going to do with my life (still don''t, but I have tried), and didn''t have many friends because I was sort of secluded and ackward around people.

It was something I outgrew, but not everyone does. I think it is a ''safe'' way for people to meet others, exactly like I used to do. It isn''t fair to say they have no life or they are all grotesque and that is why they can''t find a mate. Neither of those things applied to me - it was just something I did.
You know for as advanced as we are and as much as soceity places reliance on companies to keep up with technology, I find it surprising that so many people dismiss social online connections. The majority of people spend nearly 8 hours in front of a computer, so it would make sense that you gain friendships yet people find this weird. And it would make so much more sense to find love over the internet than at a bar for example but people are so turned off by that. I never understood why.

When I first moved to Miami I spent time in chatrooms too because I had no friends or family here. I met a lot of people through those chatrooms that I''m still friends with today.
 

MonkeyPie

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Date: 9/5/2008 3:24:55 PM
Author: fieryred33143

Date: 9/2/2008 11:07:51 PM
Author: MonkeyPie


Date: 9/2/2008 4:54:47 PM
Author: Daydreamer7130
Second life is for people who don''t have a ''real'' life.

I am kind of offended by this comment, whether you actually meant it or not, but whatever.

I used to do chat rooms and things very similar to Second Life. It wasn''t my LIFE, as in I didn''t spend my entire day in it, but I was pretty close. I made ''friends'' all over the world and spent a lot of time talking with them, either via text, a mic, or a webcam. I don''t know how to explain this sort of thing to someone that hasn''t done it, but it didn''t consume me and I didn''t turn into a crazy person like the woman in the article. It was, however, an escape for me because at the time, I didn''t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was still basically a kid, had no idea what I was going to do with my life (still don''t, but I have tried), and didn''t have many friends because I was sort of secluded and ackward around people.

It was something I outgrew, but not everyone does. I think it is a ''safe'' way for people to meet others, exactly like I used to do. It isn''t fair to say they have no life or they are all grotesque and that is why they can''t find a mate. Neither of those things applied to me - it was just something I did.
You know for as advanced as we are and as much as soceity places reliance on companies to keep up with technology, I find it surprising that so many people dismiss social online connections. The majority of people spend nearly 8 hours in front of a computer, so it would make sense that you gain friendships yet people find this weird. And it would make so much more sense to find love over the internet than at a bar for example but people are so turned off by that. I never understood why.

When I first moved to Miami I spent time in chatrooms too because I had no friends or family here. I met a lot of people through those chatrooms that I''m still friends with today.
I agree completely. I think if you do it safely and without the "crazy" setting in, then it''s a great way to meet people. I have a whole group from flickr that I am friends with purely because we are all photographers, and I have so much fun with them. We meet up all the time. I don''t see why that is more acceptable than dating, though - I did a bit of that, too, and while none of them worked out, I know lots of people that have gotten married and been completely happy after meeting on the internet.
 

Pandora II

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I have more in common with a lot of my ''online'' friends than I do with my real life friends.

Before people judge... imagine if you were physically disabled to an extent where having a normal life and going out and doing things is hard; imagine that you might have some kind of disfigurement that means that everywhere you go people stare at you - maybe you would get a lot of satisfaction and happiness out of belonging to a world where you can be whatever you want to be...

No-one is forced to spend time on forums, chat rooms, playing computer games or having a ''Second Life''. Nothing weird about those who choose to in my book.
 

Haven

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I don''t think it''s the spending time chatting and creating relationships online that is weird*, it is the way that Second Life seems to create a virtual reality that is disconnected from one''s real life. It is the fact that people can "marry" others or "date" others on SL, but it isn''t really a marriage or a relationship that I don''t understand.

The article I linked talks about how this woman had a "virtual" boyfriend, which insinuates that they weren''t dating IRL. I don''t understand that. I don''t consider the conversations I''ve engaged in on PS and the relationships I''ve built with other PSers to be fake, a part of a "virtual" reality. If I recognized Gypsy in real life, for example, I''d say "HEY!!!! Gypsy! It''s Haven from PS! Oh my gosh, I can''t believe I''m meeting you in real life!" I wouldn''t walk away because I only know her in virtual reality. THAT is the part that is a bit bizarre to me.

*OBVIOUSLY! I met my hubby on jdate.com, and I spend quite a bit of time chatting it up with you lovely ladies on PS.
 

musey

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Wait a sec, is this the thing that Dwight was on, and he was exactly the same except he could fly? Then Jim joined to annoy Dwight online TOO, and he wore a guitar on his back?
That episode was awesome!!
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(just like every other episode...
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can't wait for next season!!!!)


ETA: Here it is, here it is!
Dwight on 'Second Life'

His life was SO great, that he literally wanted a second one. There's our answer, kids.
 
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