Monday, December 13, 2010
Practicum 8- Krista
As I finish up on my practicum project, I am super happy that I do not have to go on Second Life anymore. For my last time on Second Life, I just did the same thing as always, look around and chat a little with random people. Throughout this whole experience, I was trying to figure out what the appeal of Second Life is to the many users. Personally, I want to say Second Life is for people who have no friends in real life and are too afraid to go make them in the real world. I think of the girl on true life who had anxiety about performing in real life so did it in Second Life. I just don't see the appeal of visiting virtual places when seeing real buildings and places are much more exciting and entertaining. As for making friends through Second Life, I don't think that people can ever really make true connections when they never meet face to face. It is just way too easy for people to hide things and pretend to be someone they are not. Second Life isn't a substitute for personal interaction, and I think some people use it as just that. Overall, it was an interesting experience, but it is safe to say I will never go back on Second Life again!
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I always thought second life was for people who don't have a lot of friends in the real world and after reading your post I guess you think its true also. I know you're done with second life but I think it would have been interesting if for your last time on it you did something completely new and random instead of just looking around and chatting with random people. I'm not sure what else there is to do on second life, it was just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI think you're looking at the game in a way that automatically makes it look like anyone who plays is a creeper. I haven't ever played the game, but if I had to guess from what I know, I'd say that most don't play it as a replacement for their life, but instead as a relaxing pass time. Some people read, others watch TV, and a few play SecondLife.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, based off of what I've read from this one post, the way you've been playing sounds like the creepy way to play. The point of the game is to establish a sort of respectable life for your avatar using the freedoms that aren't necessarily available in real life (like flying or something). If you happen to meet some "friends" along the way, all the better. I don't think most people go out, desperately searching for friends because they can't do so in real life: it just sorta happens. I would seriously doubt that most people play the game to fill some sort of void that they have in their real lives. For a lot of people, its just for fun.
For my project, I had to play World of Warcraft. The stereotypes for a game don't get any worse than for people playing that game. Sure, theres always going to be the occasional hardcore person that goes all out 24/7, but I'd say that most are no different than myself or, and I don't remember who in our section said it but, the mom that plays with other family members and talks about recipes while playing. I had no personal void to fill, I have plenty of friends in real life, but I still had a good time playing. I'd say that the same goes for most people who play WoW or even SecondLife.
For you to make the assumption that every one who plays the game is creepy because you think they play exactly how you played makes me think you kinda missed the point of it all a little bit... But thats just me.