The emotions are real…

 

This oft-repeated phrase which crops up in discussions of SL has become almost cliché.  Almost all of us can identify with the powerful feelings of belonging and loneliness, euphoria and despair, giddiness and melancholy that seem to intertwine themselves in the world of SL.  

 

Superficially, SL is nothing more than an animated chatroom.  And if you read some of the less complimentary reviews, a rather crudely animated one at that.  But all who become immersed in SL can attest that it is far more than a cartoon chatroom.  Why is that, and what is the magic ingredient that not only keeps us coming back day after day, night after night, but results in feelings and emotions that many describe as “as strong, or stronger than RL?”

 

I have a few hypotheses, which I’ll briefly share.  I’m sure one more formally trained in psychology could easily turn this topic into a book!

 

First off, we have faces.  While few of us really use all the “emote” tools at our disposal, being able to picture someone, even if not quite photo-realistic, brings you closer and adds some element of personality.  And since most of us are idealized, we’re generally all attractive and, well, cute.  No zits, no pot bellies, and no receding hairlines.  We’re what we all want to be, and that adds quite a bit of appeal to our personas,  Stated a bit more simply, it’s easier to be drawn to nice looking people.  

 

Appearance is superficial though.  And I mention it just as a prelude to the real issue, which is personality.  Personality is evident in ordinary chatrooms, so what is it about SL that makes it so acute, and gives it such a lifelike dimension?

 

Well, SL is situational.  We have a shared sense of events, whether we’re at a dance club, a fireworks display or a shoe store.  Other than RL news events, that’s something the traditional chatroom generally lacks.  When we’re at a dance, and a giant fire-breathing dragon lands outside, we’re all in it together, so to speak.  Our comments and reactions speak volumes.

 

Chat in SL is also mutli-dimensional - that is, you can talk publicly, semi-publically in a group chat, or privately one on one.  This allows for asides and comments to each other reacting to comments in public chat.  In other words, it mimics RL in that you can essentially whisper.  

 

While all of this seems obvious, what it provides is an interactive environment that allows the expression of a great deal of personality and character traits.  

 

It’s no wonder that “the emotions are real…”

Rezzday Reflections

Rezzday Reflections

My first rezzday seemed an appropriate time to look back on Robin’s first year in Second Life. (That’s me above, shortly after I started!)

Robin was born Oct. 22, 2006 when a RL friend who had discovered the game a week earlier told him to come in and check it out. I signed up, and began my journey into the world of Second Life. My friend, whose SL avatar is named Alki Jefferies, first took me to Nemo, where we visited Loki’s shop and I bought my first kid shape and clothes. As I recall, the shape was either Rupert or Ellis. Later that evening, Alki took me to the Vortex, and I got my first experience with a dance animation.

Some of the earliest kids I met (aside from Alki) were Wolf, Sola, Ron and Flash. On my first trip to Aspen (in its old home at Gyul) I met Austin and Tommy, Caleb, and Tekkie. Geoff at the scout camp also befriended me early on. (One of my quiet regrets is not having become more involved with the scouts, but the camp seemed to draw griefers, reporters and other unsavory types.)

My first home was under the original “First Land” program, and was located in Solbitgil. It was only 512sm, and after only about a week, someone decided to build a giant gothic castle about two feet from my front door. I couldn’t even leave my house through the front door. True story. Welcome to the mainland. By the beginning of November, Alki and I found new land in Amondeu along the top ridge of a hill. We found four 2048 parcels all in a row, and we each bought two. I found a nice little house at Out of Time, and built on one of the parcels. I used the other one for prims.

Alki and I stayed at Amondeu for about two months. Those were happy times. I met a few new friends, and my greatest memory from that period was Ron and Flash’s huge party at the beginning of December. They had a large parcel on Bellagio, and invited around 20 or 25 kids out for the evening. As I recall, I was up till after 2am that evening. Woot!

Alki found some land in Keener in late December, and even though I was happy at Amondeu and a little reluctant to move, I went with him. We sold our old land for a good profit, and bought some land with a spectacular view overlooking a river which opened into a bay. I got a new house with an indoor pool, but shortly after we moved to Keener, Alki left the game. He sold his land to a Brazilian sex shop promoter, who began to build a giant sex mall right next to my house. January and February were increasingly bleak. I was lonely, in this huge house being slowly encroached on by a huge mall. Plus, a new friend I had met and really liked also left. I was ready to leave the game. I sold my land to the sex mall guy, and retreated to a tiny 512 plot just to get my stuff together, and make a graceful exit.

Well, I spoke to a few of my friends, and between Ron, Austin and Tommy, they convinced me to stick it out for a while longer. Tommy mentioned that Mattie was thinking of putting together a kid sim. That sounded intriguing, so I talked to Mattie, and got on the list for what later became Kikai Shima. In early March I think, Kikai opened up. I got yet another house, and set up on an 8192 sm plot. I no longer had to worry about kid unfriendly neighbors and ugly sex malls! Yay. Things began to look up quickly!

About a month later, Mattie had a little party down on his parcel. There, I met Harold! We hit it off right away, and for about a month, we talked briefly each day. Being in Europe and contending with a nine hour difference, we only saw each other a few minutes a day during the week. But on weekends, we spent more and more time together, and in late April, we partnered, and he moved to Kikai! Harold is the kind of person I can just lie on the beach for an hour with, and say almost nothing, and be happy the entire time.

During the summer, I made some wonderful new friends. Some on Kikai, and others who I had known for a while, I got to know better. Friends like Bahde, Danny, Flo, Howie, Immer, Johna, KJ, Krin, Mavro, Pais, Pix, Red, Rick, Russy, Shakes, Sky, Tobi and LT, Todd, Tsu, and my extra special buds Bobby and Gray as well as all the people I’ve named earlier make the game incredibly rich and worthwhile.

My wish is that I’ll be able to celebrate a SECOND rezzday in Second life, and that all of the people I’ve mentioned in this entry will be around to help me enjoy it! Hugs to you all!

RR

So what am I doing here, and why am I a kid?

Since this is my first post, I guess I’ll answer a question that nobody asked.

I’m here because last October, a RL friend told me to give it a try. Next thing I knew, I had no more free time. Yeah, I’m addicted… and SL is my crack. There are worse addictions. Like reality television. Or idiotic amateur elimination game shows. I kicked the TV habit years ago when commercials began to consume about 40% of the airtime. And I discovered the internet. I mean, everywhere you look, people want your money. But at least with the internet and a good popup blocker, I can tolorate it.

And as for being a kid… well, all the male adults I saw in SL were 24 years old, about 7′6″, with arms bigger than their waists and acting like complete jackasses. The adult women all had breasts like beach balls, bodies like Karen Carpenter and enough hair to fill Yankee Stadium. Just like RL, right? Where are all the people who take up two airplane seats and wear spandex stretch pants?

I decided to be a kid because I am an adult when I’m not in SL. Frankly, being an adult all the time gets old. So much responsibilty… so little time to “woot”. Plus, the other “kids” in the game are a great group. More intelligence, insight and good conversation than anywhere else in the game.