Second Life? The online World that will become the new world

dgiharris · Oct 24, 2008

There is a phenomenon known as "Second Life"

It is the ultimate playground for your inner self, a place where you can fulfill your wildest fantasies or pursue your real self.

There are several MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game)

World of Warcraft, Maple, Guild Wars, City of Heroes

So, one of the interesting things about Second Life is that it has been having a profound effect on peoples real lives.

One that caught my eye this morning was in the Japanese news, "A woman jailed for killing her husband's online avatar character..."

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/online-divorcee-jailed-after-killing-virtual-hubby/1259111

TOKYO: A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.
The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Another story that is becoming more common is real life marriages that began in the virtual online world

http://www.cnet.com.au/games/0,239029232,240060343,00.htm

They met in the game, Edwards said, because they owned adjacent land, and they began to trek to each other's properties to see what the other was working on.
One of the things Edwards built in his house, he explained, was a floating brain in a jar -- along with tinted windows and a swimming pool that appeared in the floor. "Alayne just came over (sometimes) on the pretense of saying hello to my ... brain in the jar," Edward said. "We always say we fell in love over my brains."
Soon, the couple began to court. They borrowed some friends' private resort -- a digital property in "Second Life" -- and spent a virtual romantic evening together.

Lasty, people are finding a way to make real world money from these virtual worlds

http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/07/virtual-world-jobs_cx_de_0807virtualjobs.html

As the popularity and sophistication of MMORPGs has skyrocketed, enterprising gamers have found ways to make real money playing them--to the point where experts say that it has become common to run across gamers who make their entire income with virtual jobs.
"It's eminently doable," says Edward Castronova, an associate professor at Indiana University and author of Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games. "If a person in Shanghai can live on a dollar a day, they can make their living playing video games."
Gamers mine virtual worlds for currency, build virtual real estate empires and even sell their virtual bodies—all in the name of real-world profit.
One such entrepreneur is Julian Dibbell, a contributing editor for Wired magazine, who in 2003 challenged himself to spend a year making a living as a retailer in the massively multiplayer game Ultima Online. Dibbell sold in-game items, currency and real estate on eBay (nasdaq: EBAY - news - people ), eventually making almost $4,000 a month in profits, translating into roughly a $36,000-a-year salary. And Dibbell says that his income only qualifies as lower-middle class among virtual businessmen.

What are your thoughts?

Is this the future?

How long until we all have second lives?

Ironically, perhaps we already do, just that AW is really the scaled down bare bones (old fashioned) version of a MMORPG

Mel...

shawkins · Oct 24, 2008

In the same vein as doctors who can't stand to watch medical dramas, I recently read an article about a real-life special forces guy whose Second Life character sold real estate.

dgiharris; said:
Ironically, perhaps we already do, just that AW is really the scaled down bare bones (old fashioned) version of a MMORPG

The thought has crossed my mind. Wasn't there a real-life AW marriage not too long ago?

Sheryl Nantus · Oct 24, 2008

Michael Stackpole is VERY big in SL...

and if anyone else is in SL drop me a line... love to meet up virtually with some AW'ers.

there's already a huge group set up for NaNoWriMo.

dgiharris · Oct 24, 2008

You know what will eventually happen,

All virtual sites, AW, Yahoo, Amazon, etc. etc. will have plug ins into all MMORPGs eventually.

It is a logical extension and evolution of the 'online' world.

So old school people can still have 'this' current type of format,

whereas the new school people within the SL or MMORPG can link in from their virtual pad.

I say in the next 7 years, and in some cases, I believe it is already happening. I could have sworn that Amazon.com has virtual stores in SL that link directly into their database so people can make real purchases from their avatars

Mel...

donroc · Oct 24, 2008

I guess I am stuck in the old-fashioned worlds of multiple lives by creating MCs for my novels.

Plot Device · Oct 24, 2008

I see no "value" to having a second life unless you have an emotional investment on par with REAL life, such as multiple "relationships" within that second life.

As any cop or mystery novelist can tell you, crimes get committed for two reasons: either for passion or for profit. And so I see these kinds of crimes as crimes of passion. Thus we have people with deep emotional investment in these SL's.

Williebee · Oct 24, 2008

There is also a NaNo group in SL. They have a place to get together for "write-ins" there.

A couple of related notes: Universities and High Schools are holding lectures/classes in SL.

There are folks making (real world) money selling property; clothing, houses, furniture, etc.

And, in the Netherlands, the cops arrested a guy last year for stealing, furniture and personal items in the VR world "Hablo Hotel". I can't remember the exact quote at the time, but some police official said that they were working hard to make sure that all of the items were returned, from the thief, to their owners. -- That would be kind of like RT changing your avatar, and then the cops coming, finding your avatar on his personal PC, and returning it to you, so that you could put it back on the site. You know, instead of the site admin saying "Click -- There you go."

Williebee · Oct 24, 2008

There used to be an ad campaign for SL that went "Get a Second Life".

There are a number of stores in SL, most, if not all, of the major car manufacturers have a presence, the TV networks (Discovery has a large presence, working with educators)...

Pretty much, if it is in the real world, it is in SL.

Meanwhile? I have a t-shirt that reads: "Get a First Life."

vixey · Oct 24, 2008

My friend's husband recently interviewed for a job with SL. He was asked to hold the interview "in world." He couldn't because it was during his regular job hours. He had a phone interview instead. They've offered him the job and he's considering.

I had a long talk with my friend about her concerns about this job. Frankly, I don't think he should take it, but now would be the time to do it. It's during times of severe economic distress that liquor stores sell the most booze. An alternative reality could become just as strong an aphrodesiac as anything else to escape the sh*t many of us are coping with now.

dgiharris · Oct 24, 2008

vixey said:
My friend's husband recently interviewed for a job with SL. He was asked to hold the interview "in world." He couldn't because it was during his regular job hours. He had a phone interview instead. They've offered him the job and he's considering.

I had a long talk with my friend about her concerns about this job. Frankly, I don't think he should take it, but now would be the time to do it. It's during times of severe economic distress that liquor stores sell the most booze. An alternative reality could become just as strong an aphrodesiac as anything else to escape the sh*t many of us are coping with now.

Interesting point

Williebee · Oct 24, 2008

I see no "value" to having a second life unless you have an emotional investment on par with REAL life, such as multiple "relationships" within that second life.

And there you go. A very valid point. SL allows you to develop those emotional and intellectual ties, much as we have here in the 'Cooler, with visual and group interactions as well.

In education we've used it to create opportunities for teachers/kids/experts/officials to reach and teach each other, from all over the world. (And nobody had to buy gas or airfare.)

Example: Rural schools can't afford to hire a person to teach higher level math one or two sessions a week. With things like SL and video-conferencing, we bring a college math professor (or a grad student) into the classroom.

MsK · Oct 24, 2008

I'm just wishing I'd bought a bunch of property in Second Life back when it all began.

Don · Oct 24, 2008

I used to have a business (Chatterbox Gestures) in SL selling what are called 'Gestures,' which combine movement and sound clips. I was making around $50 a month when they outlawed gambling and things really stagnated for a while, so I dropped out.

dgiharris · Oct 24, 2008

Plot Device said:
I see no "value" to having a second life unless you have an emotional investment on par with REAL life, such as multiple "relationships" within that second life..

I view SL as the natural evolution of the online world.

Like the next generation of AW.

The nice thing about AW is that I do get something out of it that I don't get in real life.

At the click of a mouse I can jump into a room and argue with people about complex issues that most people I work with either don't want to talk about, or they don't like to argue. I love debate. And I can have instant debate whenever I want it.

Or, I can post a story amoung like-minded people 'who get it' and then I can get candid feedback on a story that is impossible to get from those around me.

I can easily see lots of opportunity to explores aspects of life or yourself in a SL world.

I have not yet fallen into one, but I imagine it is really only a matter of time before i do.

mel...

MissLadyRae · Oct 24, 2008

There's a pretty big writing, reading and art community in SL. I heard of the group gearing up for NaNo (maybe the same one you mentioned, Sheryl??).

I like it. It's pretty cool because there's a few islands built from real world companies like Nasa/JPL island which has 3d models of all the vehicles sent on missions and Publishing Island where Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press and a few others have booths. PL also has a yearly Book Fair where you can showcase your work to readers. I think Bantam, Penguin and Random House also have islands there too with bookstores featuring little books on the shelves you can click on and visit online. Author Gena Showalter recently had a book party for her new release there.

A few months ago I blogged about the SL library systems which showcased Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the month of May and the SF portal had Black Author's of Speculative Fiction exhibit.

It's a geek's dream lol.

Albedo · Oct 24, 2008

I tried Second Life out at the beginning of the year. So far I'm reluctant to buy into the hype. After a week of explorations of a landscape of vast empty malls and vast mostly empty sex clubs, I came away reminded of a windswept beach resort in the off season. Ultimately the level of interactivity was disappointing and the architecture was ghastly. And it was slow.

Alpha Echo · Oct 24, 2008

I think that that SL stuff seems like a waste of time. When I'm here...it's different. I'm learning. MOst of my time is spent in the writer's forums. I'd much rather spend time enriching my real life by taking action than sitting at the computer pretending to be someone else...or whatever.

Just my opinion. I'm not trying to offend anyone.

Although, it does bring to mind several new story ideas...

Williebee · Oct 24, 2008

Alpha, no offense taken. SL is much like RL. You get what you put into it. As you can see from some of the posts upthread, there are a number of learning opportunities in SL.

(And there's a lot of time wasting crap... just like RL.)

It's kind of like the Mentos and Diet Coke thing. You can watch it and say "Cool! What a huge fun mess to make!" or you can say "Cool! Why'd it do that, and can I use that to power a boat?"

Additionally, just like everything else with computers (or real life), there is a learning curve. And the curve is steeper or easier for different people.

For kids? SL or something like it, is going to be a large part of the future of interacting and communication. Our goal is to help them use it for more than just play.

Don · Oct 24, 2008

One thing about SL... it makes The Matrix scarily believable.

Fraulein · Oct 24, 2008

shawkins said:
In the same vein as doctors who can't stand to watch medical dramas

I tried to watch an episode of House, and this was my reaction to what was going on: "you can't use antibiotics for viral infections, there's no such thing as Astrianam and Vincomiacin, and killing one baby over another to test your drug hypothesis is ridiculous :e2smack:

".

Williebee · Oct 24, 2008

It might be worthwhile to "de-mystify" this a bit.

Right now SL is largely a techno-oriented world. So a lot of "geeks", regardless of their profession, tend to get it, and care.

Much the same as NASCAR or musical instruments.

Not a musician? Then maybe you don't care so much about the art and science involved in building pianos or electric guitars, you just want to hear somebody play it well.

Not a motorhead? Then maybe you don't care about the science involved in making the car go fast, you just want to see it go.

Celia Cyanide · Oct 24, 2008

shawkins said:
The thought has crossed my mind. Wasn't there a real-life AW marriage not too long ago?

There will be on July 25th, 2009.

Albedo · Oct 24, 2008

Some thoughts on the digital world: It's here already, folks. Second Life is only one star in a constellation of applications, websites and games that one-and-a-half generations have grown up with and in. I spend my nights playing first person shooters, doing violence to my friends' avatars while we discuss politics, philosophy, science and cooking over the open mic. The level of immersion offered by online first person gaming is far beyond Second Life, and has been for years. I get most of my news and all of my opinion from blogs, feeds and podcasts. I'm networked 24/7 via Facebook and instant messaging. Youtube's my TV. My laptop is filled with enough free, open source software to make me a one-man publishing and design company.
And thus far, Second Life doesn't really offer my digital lifestyle anything new, beyond a fancy but slow interface and the chance to tour some seriously demented 3D environments that are devoid of people. Second Life may yet take off, but i'm skeptical that it's the forward front of the virtual future its enthusiasts talk about.

kuwisdelu · Oct 24, 2008

I wonder how many other students are left who rarely use facebook and have no desire to...?

Albedo · Oct 24, 2008

kuwisdelu said:
I wonder how many other students are left who rarely use facebook and have no desire to...?

I dunno. You guys should form a networking site to find out.

Second Life? The online World that will become the new world

Disgruntled Scientist

Ahhh. Sweet.

Holding out for a Superhero...

Disgruntled Scientist

Historicals and Horror rule

A woman said to write like a man.

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

C'est la vie!

Disgruntled Scientist

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

All Living is Local

Disgruntled Scientist

I vaahnt to suck your blaahd

Alex

I should be writing.

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

All Living is Local

Spooks? Where are you?...

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Joker Groupie

Alex

Revolutionize the World

Alex