Just thought I would start a post about Second Life for reasons I will try and explain further down; having done a quick search in the forums, I did not find any thread about this topic.
So, what do you think about Second Life - and other virtual worlds?
For some reason I am not quite sure I understand, I feel I need to get to know virtual worlds better; I know very, very little about them and have a kind of nagging feeling I have to find out, not because I am desperate to take part in them, but to figure out the implications and potential of such communities.
I would like to leave this topic as open as possible, and hope you will share your experience with SL or views about the topic.
While I'm not interested in second life itself, I find creating virtual worlds lots of fun - I've create quite a few myself. VRML was a flop but soon we will see Flash 3D (opensource) engines come to life - count me in.
I sometimes get on There which is competing with SL even though I'm sure SL is much more popular for reasons I haven't looked into. I do know There is much more family friendly (while SL is much more open) and I occasionally meet whole families on There. Me, my brother, and both my sisters all play There to various extents; so apart from my parents, my family is on There. Most (99%+) people on There are very friendly and will help any "newbie" that enters the world of There.
second life .... how bout all of them(ok most of them i guess) get a first life ??? ..no honestly i dont't see the point.
I see SL as a way of making money of lonely and socialy isolated people driving these people even further into isolation.
I actually created an account and the first thin i came across was something like you need credits go buy some ...
Let's put it this way: if I had the time necessary to really get involved in something like SL, I think I would try to invest it in something more constructive. But that's just me, of course. MUDs and stuff like that never really got my sparkplugs crackling. In fact, I think I just have a distaste for online communities in general.
From: Happy Hunting Grounds... Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 03-21-2007 12:26
I think that such "cyberspace" type things will eventually become the "norm" - meaning that as the internet lines get faster, computers better, and graphics easier to render and more realistic, a cyberspace type environment becomes more and more feasible.
Escaping reality seems to be a favorite passtime of the human race.
WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles
I think that such "cyberspace" type things will eventually become the "norm" - meaning that as the internet lines get faster, computers better, and graphics easier to render and more realistic, a cyberspace type environment becomes more and more feasible.
Hmmm... Yes, I agree... But do any of you think the whole thing might become a second reality? If not economically, at least socially - although I have a feeling it could well become an economical matter too? For instance, do you think people will be able to fail or/and succed in any of the real and virtual world? I mean, there are already people who have successful businesses in second life; does that mean that we might eventually be able to "choose" which "life" we want to invest in?
I know we will still need to "run" our real world, as well as look after ourselves as human being (feed ourselves, reproduce ourselves, etc.) what do you make of the potentiality of having a split world, organised in such a way that "Real Lifers" could provide "Second Lifers" with the usual stuff, while "Second Lifers" could provide "Real Lifers" with new types of services for instance?
I know it sounds a bit crazy, but there is no way the whole stuff is not going anywhere IMHO...
Being a computer programmer, I still like to read Dr. Dobbs Journal. This months issue has two articles on Second Life. I thought you might find them interesting.
Since those days, I've gotten much better at building, texturing, and scripting. I did some really cool geomorphs. I did a texture changing Uber Panorama that I scripted myself. And some really cool Hubble space stuff. I got 2 space do-hickies that are absolutely huge at 20m x 40m. The space spheres that I did are really fun to dance in. Ever ballroom dance in the middle of Doradus or Orion? I have.
Can't say I know much about the economics of SL.
I do know a few things about the social aspects of SL. Families, mafias, and gangs are rather popular structures. Then there are the sub-cultures, like neko, anthro, furry, goth, vampire, child, and many others.
For the most part, I run around as a kid or a teen. When I'm in a certain mood, I can get pretty crazy with the antics. One of my favorite antics involves a big bottle of vodka. I've also been known to get annoyingly odd when in my newb disguise.
I only have a small handful of friends. One of my better friends is the matriarch of a rather huge family. She and her partner have adopted well over 20 kids and they have 3 private sims to play in.
I don't socialize nearly as much as I used to. It's very rare to see me in the same spot for more than 15 minutes. I'm almost always wandering around waiting for lightning to strike, or I'm working on a build of some kind.
Now that I think about it, I've logged in for maybe a total of 20 minutes this past week.
From: Out on the Sea of Madness... Insane since: Dec 2003
posted 04-20-2007 08:16
quote: WebShaman said:
I think that such "cyberspace" type things will eventually become the "norm" - meaning that as the internet lines get faster, computers better, and graphics easier to render and more realistic, a cyberspace type environment becomes more and more feasible.Escaping reality seems to be a favorite passtime of the human race.
Just let me know when I can get my cyberbrain installed. I'll be glad to play on the net that way.
quote:The Vancouver Police Department is already recruiting in Second Life for tech-savvy talent. They want people who have a good grasp on new technologies, and can help them combat cyber-crime and eventually, even crime that takes place within Second Life. Remember, there are real dollars changing hands and a real economy, and there are people that will try to take advantage of this. Depending on how popular this gets, the police may have a very vested interest in protecting their citizens.
This is exactly what I talked about in the first place, this is quite scary I find when the virtual world has as much importance as the real world, that's when we're doomed -- or saved.
posted 03-20-2007 16:27
when the virtual world has as much importance as the real world, that's when we're doomed -- or saved.