I Don't Get It
I have been reading that Second Life and virtual worlds are the future of the internet.
This is what the focus of my article was going to be about. I say "was" because I'm not sure I have a thesis anymore. The more I try to wrap my head around the concept, the more elusive it becomes.
I have two Second Life friends. I call them friends because everytime one of us signs on, we immediately look for each other and then go to the same area together. I like it that a person from the U.S. (me), a guy from England (I'll call him Boris), and a lady from Germany (I'll call her Ellen) have so much in common and have clicked so easily. I enjoy talking to them.
In real life, Boris is in his 40's, married for over 20 years and has kids. He loves his wife and would never leave her. But, in Second Life, the wife and kids don't exist. He met Mary a few weeks ago on SL and now he's in love with her, but only on Second Life, not in real life. Those two worlds are completely separate. Yesterday, he bought some land and built a house on it. Mary has her own house, but eventually she'll move in with him. They also have decided to remain celibate for now because they take their SL relationship very seriously. That means they won't be having cyber sex (by clicking on an animated sex sequence ball).
When I question them about this whole fantasy relationship, they talk as if I just don't get it. That's because I don't get it. They don't know the other's real first name. They have never seen photos of each other. Yet, they are in love and say their feelings are real--when they're on Second Life. Yesterday, I discovered something new. Jealousy. Mary has no problem with Boris having a wife in real life (the wife doesn't even exist to her), but she does have a problem with Ellen and I talking to Boris and I'm getting the feeling she doesn't like us.
For awhile, I was talking regularly with a guy from Greece. After two weeks, he told me he loved me. Greek guy often told me that I was beautiful too. But, he was talking about my avatar, not me (although my avatar does look hot). But, the point is, he fell in love with my cartoon image. He doesn't know my first name or what I look like. We're from different countries and there's no chance we'd ever meet in real life. I didn't talk to him as much after that, until he PM'd me and said he wanted to discuss our relationship. I told him we are not a couple and then got the weird feeling that I was breaking up with him. This weirded me out so much, I muted him and deleted him from my friends list.
My main reason for being on SL is to research and write about it, although I have been drawn into the fantasy aspect of it in some ways. For instance, Ellen and I go shopping everytime we're on (but only for the free stuff). In SL, I own about 1,000 clothes and accessories. I change my avatar's hairstyle and color everyday. It is fun and satisfying to be able to shop and wear clothes that I can't in real life (my avatar even owns a Gucci bag).
I also understand that SL can be a creative outlet for people who like to build things. I read that real life architects go on Second Life and design houses. Second Life is also nerd heaven. Nerds can usually be found in "sandboxes" or areas where you can build things. I think they try to outdo each other in who can come up with the best creations (and if not the best, the strangest). I also use the word Nerd in a good way because I find them endearing. They're funny and weird, and I like talking to them on Second Life.
My husband chaperoned a school dance last week. In one room was the dance. In another room were was a video game called Dance Dance Revolution. He said there were more kids waiting in line to play the video game then actually dancing. On Second Life, there are dance clubs on almost every island. Your avatar can even order drinks, hold them, and drink them. Then you click on a dance ball and watch your avatar dance (mine is a good dancer too). This is unbelievably boring and a waste of time, yet many people love to go to the dance clubs. This is another thing I don't get.
I don't know what to do about my article. Maybe I should scrap it. I can't write about things I don't understand. Yet, right now I have the urge to go on Second Life because, dammit, I want to understand it. I keep hearing that I should get used to it because this is the future, and I don't think these people are just talking about the internet.
I'm putting up a new category called Second Life, because I have so much more to say about it. Like I said many times before, what scares me also fascinates me.
My avatar is smoking hot. Here I'm dancing with some random guy (I think he was Dutch, but I don't know)
