Recently Gwyneth Llewelyn was analyzing what is the magic factor that makes second life so special. It is hard to put all the great things she said into one quote but I need one to start this writing
As pioneers of a new all-encompassing environment that is just now being created, it’s hard to step out and look at what we’ve accomplished. It doesn’t seem much. However, this is what the pioneers of mobile phones and emails have also felt when they started to incorporate these tools in their everyday routine — both for pleasure and for work — and didn’t feel overly “special” about it.
Unlike traditional games and unlike other virtual worlds in the broadest sense of the word, second life is a mish-mash of a large number of very different things. And, consequently, its residents are very different people with different needs, goals, behaviour and perception of our world. On a busy sim you can find yourself standing near the professor (in both lives) whose avatar is very alike the photo on the first life tab of the profile. On your other side is a dragon or a furry came from post-apocalyptic or dark city. Or dark post-apocalyptic city. That girl twenty meters from you wears collar and silks. Around us are scripters, lawyers, alts, escorts, bloggers, griefers, Lindens, artists, drama-queens, gamers… I don't know… all of us.
Yes, there are negative sides of that. So many times we don't understand each other, so many times we expect that other residents think like us or perceive the whole thing like we do. And please, just for three of five seconds imagine all the faces enlighted by monitors, all the different rooms and offices, all variety of clothing styles.
The other negative effect of in-world variety is low retention. So many people couldn't find their way or their story in all this. Or they haven't liked the chaos.
But a certain percent of those who registered are living their second lives. There is a huge number of people on the grid. And not only that all of them have one role and one activity. Some of them do, but most has many of them. Nobody (including myself) knows what I'll be doing next time when I log in. Will I build, talk with somebody, dance, have sex or just sit under the tree and stare at the top of the hill. Or it will be one long session that includes all of that.
Now do the math. All the activities multiplied with all the avatars multiplied with all the humans….
I wonder if the diversity of people is a negative side. It’s actually one of the things I particularly like about SL: it makes it possible to meet people I’d never meet in my firstlife. But I have to agree that it demands some persistence to find them, if you don’t meet them by accident in your first days.
No way it is the negative side. It is the very essence of second life’s success. But, it does have negative sides. At least, until we all learn to live in such environments and to respect other’s freedom to express themselves as we do, and until we find better ways of integrating new residents into existing system.
I have some belief in possibility of the later one. For the first one… we’ll probably have to learn to live without learning to respect everybody’s right to creativity. Unfortunately, human history says so. :(
meeting the people you’re searching for in SL is harder than RL for me. RL is easy. here I got lost, SL gods gave me a chance during my first days, but now I’m afraid I’m losing my innocence fast and it’s hard to stay rili hot like this. Can’t take it slow, I know. Can’t help it.
I’m not checking profiles yet, and don’t like assigning ppl into these roles you mentioned. What am I on this list? it all feels pretty real to me and that’s how I like it. My mission is clear and simple, to find someone to rock this world with. I’m still trusting my intuition. I don’t want my SL to turn into a game, I dread this moment.
F*** it, this cub will survive even if he has to roam SL forever.
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Alice said it right:
I can’t find your face in a thousand masqueraders
You’re hidden in the colors of a million other lost charades
In life’s big parade
I’m the loneliest spectator
Cuz you’re gone without a trace in a sea of faceless imitators
Is this drama? it is if you’re a player. I’m not searching for you then.