Explore Second Life: A Virtual World by Linden Lab

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the virtual world "Second Life" created by Linden Lab, exploring its implications for real-world interactions, identity creation, and economic transactions within the virtual environment. Participants share personal experiences and opinions regarding its utility, philosophical concerns, and comparisons to other virtual meeting platforms.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants find Second Life an interesting attempt to replicate real-world interactions in a virtual setting, while others question its effectiveness and appeal.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential for users to become overly absorbed in their virtual lives, possibly neglecting their real-world responsibilities.
  • Participants discuss the economic aspects of Second Life, noting that users can engage in transactions that convert virtual currency to real money.
  • Some express skepticism about the practicality of using Second Life for serious purposes, preferring traditional methods of communication and interaction.
  • Personal experiences vary widely, with some users reporting technical difficulties and a lack of engagement, while others recount humorous or interesting interactions within the platform.
  • Philosophical questions about the nature of virtual existence and its long-term implications are posed, with references to cultural narratives like "The Matrix."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus; there are multiple competing views on the value and implications of Second Life, with some expressing enthusiasm and others skepticism or disinterest.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying personal experiences with the platform, differing opinions on its effectiveness for professional use, and unresolved questions about the sustainability of its virtual economy.

ehrenfest
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I thought this internet application created by http://lindenlab.com/" was interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_life

http://secondlife.com/

It takes the idea of a video game to an extreme. Video games normally either capture some specific portion of real life (i.e. life car-racing, or war, or airplane flying) really well or try to introduce like a complete fantasy world. "Second Life" attempts to reproduce the entirety of the real world in a video game with little embellishment or anything. This has been done before in games like "The Sims", but I think the scale on which "Second Life" tries to capture normal human life is new.

People are using Second Life to actually replace real-world interaction. For example, businesses are holding meetings in the Second Life virtual world, educators are having classes there, etc. I'm sure they save tons of money doing that.

It allows people to create an identity as a character in a virtual environment. For people who are physically handicapped, this might be an amazing opportunity for them to experience normal lives.

But, there are really a lot of philosophical issues involved. Should we be worried about people getting so absorbed into their "second life" that they forget about their "first life" in the real world? I don't know whether I should be scared of Second Life or consider a innovative and beneficial use of technology and the internet. There is always the Matrix scenario lurking in the back of my mind...I am not really sure whether Second Life is a step towards that or not.

There are also some interesting economic issues this raises. Apparently, people are making transactions on Second Life and converting that to real world money at "several thriving online Linden dollar exchanges". I would be interested to learn more about how that works.

Does anyone here have a "Second Life" account? What do people think of this?
 
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Professionals use services like Centra to hold virtual meetings and virtual classroom teaching. I'm on a session right now.

I can't imagine anyone serious using a game.
 
Er, I wouldn't quite say that Second Life tries to capture normal human life. It sounds like you've been mostly reading Linden Labs promotional materials.

It's a nifty idea and particularly the way that it was the first online environment, years and years ago, to develop its own internal economy is interesting. Though I am prone to wonder how that economy is holding up at the moment.

Most of the parts of it I've been to have been pretty much deserted and not especially interesting. I'm just not interested in attending concerts or anything like that in this fashion - I like interacting with people the old-fashioned way, through text on a forum. :biggrin:
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I uploaded it some time ago to check out the online universities e.g. MIT - type Massachusetts Institute of Technology not MIT. Pretty impressive however no one was there.
 
I know some people who use it, but when I tried it kept crashing on me, and I didn't really know what to do. I tried wandering around, but couldn't really figure out how anything worked. So, once it crashed enough times, I just uninstalled it and moved on with my first life.
 
There was a story recently about a couple who got divorced because the husband had cyber sex with somebody else on second life.

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/11/is_it_adultery.html
 
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Moonbear said:
I know some people who use it, but when I tried it kept crashing on me, and I didn't really know what to do. I tried wandering around, but couldn't really figure out how anything worked. So, once it crashed enough times, I just uninstalled it and moved on with my first life.

Yeah, that's pretty much how it works. You wander around until it crashes.
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CaptainQuasar said:
Yeah, that's pretty much how it works. You wander around until it crashes.
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Oh, okay. How is that different from my first life then? :rolleyes:
 
Moonbear said:
Oh, okay. How is that different from my first life then? :rolleyes:

http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/lol.gif
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  • #10
I still have my Ak-47 and my tank and my harley stashed somewhere in Second Life.. haven't logged in in years though
 
  • #11
Two lives? You people are aiming too low.
 
  • #12
Evo said:
Professionals use services like Centra to hold virtual meetings and virtual classroom teaching. I'm on a session right now.

You use Centra? That's where my online school has classes and lectures :biggrin:.
 
  • #13
The way I discovered Second Life was at a web developers presentation today where this guy gave us a tour of his virtual house and the island that it was built on. What was really funny was that he wanted to show us something on the other side of the island so he was like "should I fly there or should I teleport there?" and then he decided to fly there since that was more interesting. However, he got lost flying there and we all watched him fly around the island several times trying to figure out where he was. And then he was like cursing himself for not just teleporting there. I thought it was hilarious.
 
  • #14
Math Jeans said:
You use Centra? That's where my online school has classes and lectures :biggrin:.
Yes, all of the major companies use it. It's very user friendly and is reliable. Some of our smaller vendors use other applications for live presentations, but Centra seems to be a top choice. We use it for all of our training.
 
  • #15
Evo said:
Yes, all of the major companies use it. It's very user friendly and is reliable. Some of our smaller vendors use other applications for live presentations, but Centra seems to be a top choice. We use it for all of our training.

Really? We all think that its glitchy and terrible :biggrin:.
 
  • #17
ehrenfest said:
But, there are really a lot of philosophical issues involved. Should we be worried about people getting so absorbed into their "second life" that they forget about their "first life" in the real world? I don't know whether I should be scared of Second Life or consider a innovative and beneficial use of technology and the internet. There is always the Matrix scenario lurking in the back of my mind...I am not really sure whether Second Life is a step towards that or not.
Until it can feed me, keep me warm, and change my diapers, I doubt I will forget my first life. There are too many things to list that Second Life does not replace. But I do frequently ponder what virtual life will be like in a thousand years and beyond. The Matrix plotted machines taking over the world by force. Yet force might not be needed. Just how toxic a virtual existence could be is yet to be gauged.
 
  • #18
Looks rather pointless and boring to me. I could only play the Sims game for a few days before I felt like I wasted my first life.
 

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