Rawan Khatib - Second Life

Summary 

The article my "Virtual Life"speaks of the new trend in the social networking; a program called Second Life that allows it's users to create a replication of themselves as avatars on the game. Users can simply purchase the software and have it installed onto their personal PC's and with a simple click join the rest in creating their own visionary world. 

The creator Second Life is Linden Lab of San Francisco, their intention had been clear to follow the trend and create a game where users could simply re-create themselves in any shape or form that they choose. It had been modeled after similar games such as World of the Witchcraft where users venture on continuous quests to gain power and gold. However as according to the author Second Life has taken a majority of that and pushed it to the " extreme end of the playing field" for one important reason the players of Second Life are the ones who create their surrounding and their personalities unlike in other games where the basic set of tools and characters are pre-chosen. In Second Life characters are created from scratch dependent on the user's preference. Not only are the characters yours to create but as well the user controls the merchandise, and other items that they wish to purchase. An achievement for Second Life is that it has managed to gather more followers than a majority of other games and it has managed to establish its own currency which has now become equivalent to the US currency. 

Now as the author points out what is the reason behind such a creation and what would be the benefits of becoming involved in such a game. As Linden Lab states that many do not wish to sit and observe but they much rather become involved and have something to call their purely own and that is what Second Life offers consumers. 

Reflection  

Second Life is only one of the many virtual games that we as a virtual public have been introduced to however as the author says Second Life is nothing typical. It is a game where not only are users allowed to create their "avatars" from their own imagination but they also are allowed to re-create or create any environment that can be suited to they're liking. Another factor is that Second Life management allows it's users to own all their personal possessions online. 

I found that Second Life is stimulating and interesting but something that struck me was that it was similar to other games, such as Sims.  In Sims users can create versions that are any shape and color and they can dress them and get them jobs to participate in the game. The difference between the two games is that in Sims you can all control the characters in the household while in the Second Life you can only control your own avatar. A second difference is that in Second Life you are able to interact with others who are participating in the game while in Sims it is different and less easy.