Here on WordPress, there is a button. One click of this magic little button, and it sends you to a randomly chosen blog inside of the WordPressosphere. Seeing as how there are about a bajillion blogs on WordPress, and more added every day, the possibilities of where you could land are endless. This is my New Favorite Thing. Clickity-click-click-click-click.
There are some remarkably fascinating people out there.
One click dropped me smack dab into the world of Fat Man (this is not his real name, nor is it the name of his blog, although he is a self-admittedly fat man. Obese, even). Among other amazingly bizarre things, Fat Man is a ginormous fan of the online world, Second Life (use extreme caution, my gentle reader, in the clicking of this link). A few simple searches later, and I was engrossed in the world of People Who Love Second Life (capitalized as such because they really are a breed unto themselves).
For those of you who don’t know what Second Life is, well, I really can’t help you.
Ok, ok, I’ll try. But really, I don’t think there are enough words in the dictionary to describe this online anomaly. It’s just too… freakish. Second Life is, in a nutshell, a social networking site on crack. It’s the circus side-show second-cousin of the Godzilla of the social network internet world. It’s like Alice in Wonderland meets Carson Kressley throwing a giant virtual masquarade tea party in the middle of the Japanese Times Square and requiring everyone to smoke a big fat peyote blunt right before they arrive, then stealing their wallets when they get there. It’s like… well you get the idea.
The basic premise is this: you sign up, you create your very own super-avatar, and then you get to meeting people. Oh but it doesn’t end there! In order to really make your supertar really cool, you must buy things for it, like clothes and skin and hair and accessories and stuff. And here’s the kicker: in order to buy things for you supertar, you must buy pretend money. As in, you must use your real money to buy pretend money to buy pretend things for your pretend self. I’ll just go ahead and let you chew on that for a minute.
.
.
.
The thing is, not only are there people out there who are buying these things with their real money, there are people out there who spend all of their free time creating things for people to buy, and actually making real money off of other people’s pretend/real money. Oh lord I think I’m gonna break my italics on this one. And it’s not just clothing and nail colors, it’s so much more. It’s cars and pets and prostitutes and houses and islands for Bob’s sake. Do you have any idea how much a pretend island costs in the world of Second Life?? Yeah well, I don’t either, but I remember reading about it once and almost passing out. It was in the hundreds. Like, real money hundreds. Like, hundreds of real dollars for a pretend island.
Now, I understand gaming to a certain degree. I myself have gotten quite sucked into the worlds of Mario and Myst in days past. It’s fun, it’s something to do, it keeps your brain active, whatever. You spend forty bucks and get hours of entertainment. And, to give credit where credit is due, the graphics on this particular game are pretty darn nifty. The Second Lifers, however, don’t think of this as a game. Oh no no, don’t you dare tell Fat Man that you think it’s a game, or he might need a triple bypass. This is life to a lot of these people. This is, for many of them, their primary source of communication with other human beings. These hundreds (thousands??) of dollars that people are spending in this bizarre little corner of the online universe is, for them, achieving the same basic outcome I get from spending four bucks on a latte a couple nights a week.
Oh boy. Here’s the deal: I’m pretty sure I could just go on and on and on about this amazingly creepy phenomenon (who knows! Maybe there will be a part 2!). But since I know that you, my amazing and very real readers have things to do other than sit in front of your computers all day and night, I will end it with this, a plea to the White Rabbit Carson Party:
Please, please, please sign up for a pottery class.
Petros Miklos said
Well, first of all I should state that I’m part of that ‘breed’… so, that being said, all my opinions are potentially biased.
I’ll agree with you with most points, except that you really don’t need to spend real money to get things in SecondLife. Sure, most people do eventually, at least once, but you can actually make virtual money within SecondLife to sustain your need to buy stuff inside it, thus preventing you from spoiling real money in the ‘game’. And yes, we don’t really like to call SL a game, but that’s just us
And there are two main type of people who come to SecondLife and actually stay there. Those that see it just as a game, a place to have fun (many times on the expense of others) and real nice people, looking for a place to escape from the real world for a few minutes or hours (people with a real life, relationships, a job and friends and so on). In SL they find a place to express themselves without caring for social standards or anything else.
You shouldn’t have an hard time understanding that, though I realize most people frown upon the words ‘Second Life’ and there’s lots of bad publicity going on about. But people do the same in web forums, in blogs such as this, even in secret lives they have hidden from their usual friends and family, so there’s nothing strange about it, its quite a normal thing, especially with the internet.
For us, Its just a fun way to spend our free time, others prefer to do something else, our ‘breed’ prefers to be online talking with our online friends and doing virtual things together.
Maybe you should try it sometime… but be careful, you might like it too!
Brain(less) « said
[...] em Julho 17, 2008 por Summer Wardhani Desculpa Marga estar a empurrar o teu post para baixo. Mas ceninhas como esta dificilmente me deixam impávida e serena. Seremos assim uns bichos realmente tão estranhos ? [...]
Summer Wardhani said
Guilty as charged. Together with a group of friends, I own not one but TWO “non-existing islands” in second life. Friends that I’ve met in-world and later on off-world as well.
Being a single mother of a 13 year old boy, I hardly manage to leave home at night and take that “latte”
This has drawn me a bit apart from many friends, as I suppose it’s common when ppl grow older and life takes its own path.
Second life gave me the chance to “go out” again and meeting people from all over the world. In-world, I attend different live music concerts each evening, I visit art galleries and get to speak to the artists themselves. Yesterday night, I rode a zepellin. The day before I attended a birthday party. And in the meanwhile, our two islands have been the root of a growing community of friends who meet to lunch, dinner, go to the movies or simply plan what to do next in Second Life.
This evening, our islands celebrate the first annivesary of the “Academia Portucalis”. A school where actual university professors provide for new-comers to be taught about the in-world tools – and where their actual university students are given academic contents in a totally innovative way (as one of my friends usually says – imagine you’re preparing yourself to become a heart surgeon and have the chance to have your classes INSIDE the human heart itself. How different and efficient can that be?).
This said… yes it is true we don’t see it as a game. I rather see it as a place where I learn so many many new things each day. About the world around me, about other people and even about myself.
If you ever decide to pay a longer visit and discover what makes us all go back, time after time, please feel free to look for me – I will be more than happy to show you around (and yes, to offer you some free skin, hair and clothes as well so you don’t need to spend your own money
)
erin said
Thank you guys for your comments! I expected to get some negative feedback about this post… but I’m really happy to hear what you guys have to say. Thank you for being so kind, and giving a little perspective on this topic
P.S. – to the Portugues person, I assume by the title of your blog (“brainless”), that you didn’t have very kind things to say… but since I can’t read Portugues, I can’t really respond!!
WTF Brain Goo - SLUniverse Forums said
[...] saw this link in a friends blog Well for sure he is listenning Phillip and the others lately But I already like my first one! « Brain Goo __________________ "This is an important announcement. This is flight 121 to Los Angeles. If [...]
Summer Wardhani said
Lol Erin… the title brain(less) was just a joke to your braingoo
. My short post in portuguese draws my friends attention to it and call on them to come and explain you and your readers what second life is about in it’s different perspectives.
Mmm… I figure it may bring you some more visits today, but also sure no one is gonna jump over you, hehehehe
erin said
Ah ha! Thank you for the clarification. I’m excited to see what everyone has to say, so thanks for the link
Winter said
/me waves to Siss and Petros. Hello guys
Erin, in fact Second Life can be all you want it to be, including a game, since there are lots of RPs going around.
It goes a lot further and it is being used for several things like:
- Architecture: Onde the laws of Physics apply in the platform, architects can test their buildings/other there and check if it would work in the “real world”
- Universities – a way of giving e-learning a new meaning. Did you know you can attend Harvard law classes in Second Life?
- Learning languages, programming, photography and tons of other things
- Having business meetings in closed islands (private access) thus allowing people working for the same company or to a customer/supplier company to meet without travelling costs
- To keep in touch and actually “be” with your family and friends who are not exactly leaving near you
- To help charity causes like the American Relay for Life, that in the last year has raised thousand of real USD to fight cancer
- To increase the quality of life of disabled people, people with autism and other syndroms, people with terminal illnesses.
And I could go on and on telling you all the possibilities of Second Life but I think you got the picture now
Oh… and if you decide to join us I’ll be glad to show you the first steps inworld and after I walk you through the first tutorials gently deliver you in siss’s hands (Summer is my twin) for her to show you the good life in SL
Just one thing… be careful cause Second Life can be quite addictive… after all we don’t have many chances in life to do everything we want, do we?
Winter Wardhani
Winter said
P.S.: And like you I also love my first life
Summer Wardhani said
*waves back to sis and tucks Petro so he raises his eyes from the microscope
Mmm… one can tell that my twin’s the brain in the family, can’t we ? Me, I just kept the good looks. Though… er… we are identical twins… errr, ok, just forget it and pay attention to what she says, hehehehe
Ronin Devinna said
Hi brain. I dont like my second life, in fact, I dont like my first life either. Someone tolds me that when we die we have another life. I bet i will not like it to.
I also play World of Mario in the intervals of psychoanalysis.
ps: learn something before writing about anything.
Portugal Decosta said
Well erin,
I find this line very curious:
“I expected to get some negative feedback about this post…”
Meaning you were just provoking people.
I’m always amazed by people who go on and on posting about issues they know nothing about.
But that’s why there are millions of blogs.
Otherwise there would be just a few…
I wonder why Second Life is bizarre while “Mario and Myst” aren’t.
By the way, what on Earth are they?
It’ funny to know you spent “forty bucks” to “get hours of entertainment”.
Well, what productive outcome resulted from that $40?
Second Life is a virtual environment where spending $40 can create real value.
Can actually generate more money!
Are you able to do that in “Mario”?
Tell me erin, who is more alienated:
a person that spends money to play with a machine and writes blogs, which may, or may not, be read by other human beings;
or people that use a FREE virtual environment to:
see friends;
to have fun;
to visit virtual exhibitions;
to listen to music;
to watch movies;
to appreciate theatre or ballet performances;
to create virtual reproductions of monuments or any other art form;
to deliver classes;
to learn;
to build up companies;
to have corporate meetings;
to express their creativity as never before?
All of the above without leaving home or spending money – I never spent despite being a SL resident for more than a year – and with the least possible environmental impact!
You spend four bucks on a latte a couple nights a week to be with a few friends…
Well, I spend NOTHING and I can be with hundreds of friends from all over the world without leaving my room!
Who is better off?
At least I’m not ripped off by that capitalist juggernaut called Starbucks, which besides ripping off its customers, employees and suppliers, steals other countries’ coffee production areas names, to make even more money.
Thank you for contributing for global poverty!
Keep spending your $4 in Starbucks and keep Howard Schultz happy and filthy rich!
PS If you go to Caribou Coffee it’s pretty much the same…
erin said
I can assure you that provocation was not my intention, and I’m very sorry that you are offended by my post. Thanks for the feedback.
A proposito de mais um artigo ignaro sobre a SL… « Portugaldecosta’s Weblog said
[...] http://braingoo.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/but-i-already-like-my-first-one/ [...]
Summer Wardhani said
*points an accusing finger to Petros
All his fault, Erin – hehehehe. But as you see, it’s not different from fighting or against a soccer club for instead, hehehe. And yes, in this “breed” as you see, you get to meet a lot of different people.
Ronin – I was totally impressed !!! Maybe we should appoint a date between your psy and mine ? lololol
Portugal – true all that and much more. Can we just leave McDonalds’ out of this ? I’m a fan
))
Electro – *me bits her tongue then doesn’t resist… will you light me up ?
Ofland said
Erin,
You…. chuif…. arf, arf, roarrrrr…….. are………..gasp, gasp……right!
I’m uggly….rrrrrrrr….. arf, arf….. glup, chuif…… I’ve spent all my family monthly income…..sshhhh….. I have no social life….fghghhghhhh…….. I’m a monster… (for better reference, please imagine the character from “The Phantom of the Opera, Erin, ops, Erik, sorry).
I’m in constant…. ddddhhhhhhh….. conflict with myself!
I feel a pain in my brain…….ghhhhhh ahhhhhhhhh…. every 3 seconds…… dddhhhhhh……
You’re right, Erik, ops, Erin, sorry… ghhhhhh…..
Summer Wardhani said
Allright, better to explain that Of is the Head Master of the Silly Department ? As such, he has a reputation to defend. Guys, since we’re all here maybe we could meet in here instead of Portucalis tonight ? Mmm… and later on maybe we could bring her along to this concert we’ll all attend ? <3
fwokos said
I’ve been in SL for over an year, met my real life girlfriend in SL and actually next semester i’ll be doing my internship earlier thanks to SL, since my university motion capture department wants to organize some lectures and stuff in SL and I’ve been picked to be part of it, thus getting my internship done.
I’d say your lil’ blog post it’s based on prejudice because u found about it on the “fat man” blog.
So.. you’re just talking crap about something you don’t know shit about it, like 50% of the bloggers out there.
Winter said
Erin, you better create an account and come and meet this bunch of people in Second Life… I know we sound crazy… and believe me we are: crazy for life, or better for all the lifes we can possible live
Oh… hope you are over 18, if not you can always log in the Teen Grid but then you cannot meet. Teens and adults can’t mix in SL
Siyu Suen said
You’ve been swarmed by Second Lifers!
Yes, I’m another one, and I just wanted to add another point of view. Really, what’s the difference between $20+ spent at the movies and $20+ spent online in one of these worlds or games? You don’t get anything physical from the experience, except maybe left over popcorn, and you have nothing but the memory of the story that you saw. In my opinion, virtual “goods” aren’t much different from things that charge you for the experience of something, except you get to “keep” it.
I’m a content creator in Second Life, and when I started building things it was really just for fun and to pay for making my avatar prettier. On a whole, I have put in about thirty USD into SL, and taken out a living wage. Second Life is an artistic medium for me, a chance for me to freely express myself without making a mess in my small apartment I share with my fiance. I hope to save up enough some day for a lovely wedding, and SL is allowing me to do that doing something I love. I could be waiting tables, working as a cashier, or being unappreciated by bosses and a gigantic corporation that gives me food pellets in exchange for my hamster hours. Yes, you’ll get people hemming and hawing over it being called a game, because games don’t tend to let you make your own content, make real money, and they have plots or stories or at least some sort of goal. The goal is whatever you want it to be. It’s been an opportunity for me to find direction on what I really might want to do, and it’s actually completely changed my career goals.
It really is a world, and whatever talents you have on you right now can get you far in it
erin said
Swarmed is right! I certainly had no idea when I wrote this that it would garner so much attention. It’s pretty neat to hear what you all have to say, so thank you… and congratulations and good luck on your wedding!
Arch said
I hope this doesn’t turn into a double post, the first one did not seem to take when I submitted it.
I also am a great fan of Second Life. I was originally drawn to it after reading an article in either Time or Newsweek. As an Architect/Artist in RL I had become interested in 3D computer games, particularly in the ability to model buildings and environments in a 3d computer space. I started dabbling in SL in 2005 and found it to be a wonderful creative outlet. Here are some photos of things I have created there.
[url]http://www.pbase.com/cptinrn/sl[/url]
I originally put only a little bit of money into SL so I could buy a small piece of land where I could build things and leave them in place. I was surprised and pleased when my creations started selling. It became necessary to buy more land to expand my store. According to the SL Economic Statistics only about 58,000 people have a positive monthly cash flow of US$10 or more. I count myself as very fortunate to be one of those. At the same time there are many who earn more then I do.
All total I invested US $300 or so in land and expanded the store. After that initial investment my business in SL has produced a profit above and beyond my monthly expenses. Last year I cleared US $16,000 before taxes, working part time in SL. Yes I report my income and pay taxes on it. I treat it as a real business. I retired from the Architectural Project Management profession 2 years ago with a nice pension, now I work part time in SL and thoroughly enjoy the creative outlet. I would create stuff in SL even if I didn’t make any money at it, I enjoy it that much. Its also a great way to socialize with other people in a much more realistic fashion then chat-rooms. If I get tired of creating stuff, I often go dancing or exploring with friends from all over the world in SL.
While my avatar is normally human, sometimes I wear unusual avatars. It can be great fun to go flying thru the skies as a dragon with a pretty girl riding on my back.
It is a wonderful opportunity to experience your fantasies in ways that never used to be possible. You really can experience almost anything you can imagine in SL, swim through underwater caverns as a mermaid, fly thru the sky on the back of an eagle, or jet thru space in all manner of spaceships and flying vehicles, explore ancient mayan ruins and jungles on horseback, dance with elves and faries in dark mystical forests. I find the people who enjoy it the most are those who are creative and have great imaginations.
Cocoanut Koala said
I got kind of hung up on your incredulity that people bought stuff, and – wait for it, har har har people actually MAKE and SELL the stuff people buy!
I’m not getting how there’s anything strange about that. I mean, that is what happens in real life, isn’t it?
People who want to have clothes, skins, hair, etc, in SL can simply buy them, and many see this as an improvement over having to grind and level up for them, as in more traditional games. (Which God knows can’t offer even a smidgeon of the variety of content available in SL!)
Or you can make all your own stuff, if you want. Or just stay in your default stuff, or roam around for freebies. But even if you do spend money to dress up your avatar or your home by buying things from others who make those things, I don’t see how any part of that equation is anything unusual, or worthy of all those incredulous italics.
Looking at it from your point of view, I’m guessing some people might see this as some sort of scam? A place where people are lying in wait to fleece others who want these things? But – I’m not getting that, either. Why would it be fleecing, if someone wants to buy something rather than make it themselves? After all, that’s the way it is in real life.
Starbucks – I’m way too frugal; I wouldn’t DREAM of paying big bucks for a cup of coffee I could make myself. (If I drank coffee, that is.) Same for other things in the real world that I would rather make from scratch. But for most real-world goods, I’d rather buy than make them. Clothes for instance – I could sew my own clothes, but I don’t want to.
Not everyone in SL wants to make their own stuff. Like me and real-life clothes, they’d rather make their money some other way, and then have fun shopping for what others have made. And people in SL make an awful lot of fun stuff, and not just stuff to wear or live in. Even those of us who make stuff buy all sorts of other stuff from other people, stuff that we don’t make ourselves – and we use that stuff to have fun with.
We all pay for entertainment all the time. TV, movies, books, magazines, amusement parks, concerts, sitting in Starbucks – the list goes on and on. So what is so odd about spending money in a virtual world you are using for entertainment? You might want a dance floor, for instance, but not want to make it yourself. So you shop around, pick one you like, and purchase it.
And since virtually all of the content in SL is made by other players, most of those players are naturally going to want some recompense for their efforts. I just don’t get that there is anything weird in that.
I think you should take up some of these offers to come to SL and see for yourself some of the things people are involved in. Come look me up, too, if you do!
coco
Arch said
I should add in regard to my post above, that the 58,000 people who make more US$10 per month, do not include all of the numerous landlords who own and rent out private islands, many of whom are paid via paypal or other methods outside of SL. Private Regions/Islands currently cost US$1,000 up front and US$295/month to own. Once you own one you can subdivide it and rent out portions of it to others. Many people do this. There are currently over 21,000 private islands owned in SL
Reference Economic Statisics
http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy_stats.php
Anitia Loire said
“bizarre little corner of the online universe”???? You’ve got to be kidding…
Well my dear… We are normal people/friends sharing ideas in a virtual community. People that, in many cases, ended to get knowing at the “real world”. And yes, we still being great friends (even more, I shloud say) after it… seems to me that you shouldnt even talk about something you dont know… “this amazingly creepy phenomenon”, as you said, enables you to have a lot of experiences, but, above of all, enhances your life.
Dont be such a small person…
Marga Ferrer said
Hi erin! Hi all!
I’m the Head of “Academia Portucalis” that Summer referred in her first comment.
I just want to tell you that tonight, in our 1st year celebration events, teachers and students, with no line between them, talked about and shared the experience of teaching and/or learning in SL. Ok, nothing special about that! It’s usual to speak about that subjects. But… tonight it was special. As an educational sciences researcher I have to tell that our experiences in SL are informing us how to do better in RL, in means of education. This is a boom!
roadpoet said
Holy canole. I thought second life referred to the new cell division therapy (started in 2006) being administered in Khoti, Freisland, where they actually create a second you which attends therapy via electrical impulses, and then the new cells are attached to the original cells and through some sort of scientifically proven osmosis, you end up happier than you knew you could be. There’s actually a lot of stimulating reading about this on the web. Rumor has it the APA has therapists working in Freisland, hoping to bring this back to America. No kidding, check it out – so far it has cured depression, addiction, mood disorders, and alzheimers (sp?). Guess I was wrong about that though, this other thing or game or societal happening sounds interesting too. I wonder if they have tatoos?
Elora said
They do have tattoos!
Summer Wardhani said
Wonderful beautiful imaginative all kinds of tattoos one may want to ! And piercings as well
Erin sweetie, hope you didn’t get scared with all this – the thing is… we simply love it. And no, it doesn’t split us apart from others – on the opposite, as you saw, it gather us together (us meaning different ppl with different interests and from different parts of the world).
Now for the good news: I’m sure you won a lot of new readers. I know I came to stay and from now on will be reading you on a regular basis
erin said
Summer (and all the other SLers),
No no you did not scare me away! A little overwhelmed, but that’s just because I did not expect that this post would get so much attention! In my mind, I was just writing and having fun, after all. I can certainly understand loving something so much – after all, if you’re not passionate about something, what good is it all? I am happy to hear that I may have acquired a whole slew of readers (or even just one!), and although I can’t promise to be so controversial in the future, I will try to be at least slightly amusing
Erin
Portugal Decosta said
Hi Erin.
I guess now you should have realised SL is far beyond anything you thought about it.
One thing seems to have happened.
Inadvertently, you followed Benetton’s marketing principle:
“regardless if they say good or bad things about us, what it matters is that they speak about us”.
You criticised SL and the number of hits on your blog has exploded!
Well done.
For Summer…
McDonalds?
You’re lucky Starbucks is infinitely worse
But…
Don’t push your luck…
Imso said
Dang Erin…
apart from all the rest…u got famous in Portugal…
if u ever think on coming here for hollidays, u might want to join us and meet our realselves.
P.S.- i would dare you to guess who are the portuguese commenting your post, and you would find, that apart from us beeing a lot, at least SL does wonders about our skills on comunicating in english.
And as anything, bad experiences sometimes can enlighten us about things. You wrote a post about something you were probably misinformed, and the reactions, may even have changed your way to look at it. If by any chance you decide to give it a try, or another try if u ever tried it before…i would recomend you a soundtrack to go along with it… Nine Inch Nails-The Perfect Drug.
djaya said
Hey, what kind of SL experience u have ?????
U talk like someone who doesn’t really know what is second life.
I wonder insult u, but I don’t know u, so if u don’t really know what is second life, please shout ur mouth.
TYM
Anonymous said
I can’t stand second life. I spent some time there and was shocked at what I saw. You covered most of what I saw in your article, but I must say, some of the people in this “game” (haha! it’s a GAME to me) really need a reality check. It makes me think, what if judgement day really came. What would they do? Nothing in that “game” could save you then.