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Every
day I see at least five headlines related to Second Life. From the corporate marketing angle to IP
issues to the upcoming virtual Playboy Mansion to political terrorism to the
sad, yet unsurprising, investigation into SL child porn. All of the hype and news led me to wonder why
I’ve never entered the great wide world of Second Life to find out what it’s
all about.
So I
went to the Second Life home page, created my SL name and chose my avatar, the
“girl next door” type. Although you can
drastically change your appearance once you’re in the site, I really hoped I
wouldn’t seem out of place in my ordinary jeans and purple shirt. I didn’t want to spend any Linden dollars on new clothes, so the
standard garb would have to do.
As I
waited for the SL software to load, I realized I was nervous. What would await me in this virtual world
I’ve heard so much about? Will there be
crowds of people wandering around? Will
I be able to find the American Apparel store?
What will I talk to people about?
That
last question made me more anxious that anything. I am shy in real life, so why would my Second
Life avatar be any more outgoing? I know
people hide behind their computer screens, using the virtual world to break out
of their shell and be someone they are not, but I was afraid the other avatars
would be able to see through me.
Amidst
all of my worry and anticipation, the program loaded and suddenly I was
transported into the crazy world of SL.
Well, actually, it looked cool but it wasn’t exactly what I had
expected. I don’t like to read
directions, so I wasn’t sure where I was or what I was supposed to do. I ended up in some castle, where I ran into a
man who – gasp – actually started talking to me. Agh! I
hate making small talk with people I don’t know! Why am I torturing myself with this virtual
world?!
The
man’s name was Murilo and he asked me if I knew Spanish. “Un poco,” I responded, hoping my four years
of Spanish in high school would get me through my first Second Life
conversation. I suppose I could have
told him “no” and ended it right there, but I wanted my avatar to seem
smart. He told me he was Brazilian and
then asked me if I understood what he was saying. “Yo entiendo,” I said, though that was the
end of our conversation.
Actually,
it was the end of all my conversations in Second Life. After my run in with Murilo, I failed to converse
with any other avatars. Later, I would
realize that was because I needed to complete my communication tutorial before
I could speak. Murilo didn’t even know I
was attempting to impress him with my basic Spanish vocabulary.
In the
end, I never left Orientation
Island. But I can see why SL has more than 6 million members…it’s
a bit addicting. I always wanted to know
what was around the next corner. With a
few more spare hours, I might actually be able to find some cool people and
places. After all, there has to be more
out there for me in this SL world.
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