But there isn't, is there? I could simply leave, but that's not the same thing. Second Life, due to its sheer interactiveness isn't just a book, movie, or even video game. It's not even a proper simulator insofar as I understand the notion.
But it's not life, either. At least not as we understand it. So I'm left adrift. Treading water, so to speak. I haven't got a direction, and so the currents just pull me. I suspect I'm caught in a bit of an eddy, but I don't have enough perspective to know that for certain.
So I'm drifting. I stumbled across a web article which lists the top 20 places to visit in SL. Im usually morally opposed to the tourist traps, preferring instead to discover my own. It's not exactly a list of the wonders of the second world, but it seems like a reasonable place to start looking for... whatever it is I'm hoping to find. Maybe I'll find gateways to greater discoveries.
- Black Library: Doesn't seem to exist. Not a good start.
- Dragon Moon Resort: A quiet place with lots of, um, dragons. A sort of plastic Jurassic Park, Bermuda-style. Other than the mythological models (which are well done) it seems to be typical tropical island fare, with beaches, waterfalls, birds, undersea life, and lots of foliage. Of course there's lots of places to sit and enjoy the scene in contemplation alone or with friends. The music didn't add anything to the experience, and I was disappointed that there wasn't any room to actually take the jet-ski for a spin. On the flip side, the scuba diving was kind of interesting, if only for novelty's sake. It's all nice, but I can't help but feel the place is a bit contrived. Dragons and beaches just don't inhabit the same world in my mind, though I suppose they could. Even dragons need a holiday I suppose.
- The Cliffs of BonnyDoon: Also MIA. Ah, the transience of the online world.
- Galaxy: Trekkie heaven. Under construction. What I saw looked like Star Trek.. but what do I know? The effect was lost on me, but not on the folks in the sim, who were taking it very seriously. All it needed was some Klingon griefers to complete the scene.
- Gris-Gris Land: Gone gone.
- Intermundia: Exists, but also under construction.
- Little Silent Hill: (in Braunworth) I confess that I have less interest and knowledge about Silent Hill (it's a game, right?) than I do about Star Trek, and this place did nothing to stimulate me. It might be impressive, but I don't know. The neighboring infohub provided more entertainment value.
- Mars Japanese Gardens: (in Albion) Now this is a worthwhile visit. It is a thoughtful garden nestled into a small valley, and it feels... safe. Is any part of SL unsafe? I certainly don't feel like anyone is assaulting me for L$, or propositioning me for cybersex. I've been sitting here, unmolested for the better part of a half hour watching the sun sink into the water (sunset seems to be the best time to visit). There is an organic orderliness to the space, inviting reflection and peace. Odd to find in a digital space. I feel transported, a feeling simiar to when I played the original Myst game (years ago!) and the room had darkened so that it was simply me and the virtual world. Me in the virtual world. I suspect that my avatar wants to do yoga, but lacking the requisite animations, she'll have to just sit quietly and reflect on the nature of her reality. Meanwhile, Second Life becomes Real Life. I am scared, but breathing.
9 comments:
I wonder if you'll find what you're looking for in places, rather than the people in Second Life. The vast, sterile, overbuilt sims in Second Life, empty of people and activity, are suggestive. The most joyous moments I've experienced in SL have followed someone just stopping to talk to me out of the blue, or in their response to my overture. Sometimes these are transient moments , but often memorable ones. Others have led to a happy acquaintance, a few to what might be real friendships. But are those the virtual equivalent of a shipboard romance? (sans romance!) Online friendship, whether in SL or other venues, is difficult to sustain: "People come and go so quickly here!". People do seem to find other joys in SL's creative opportunities, but I suspect they ultimately get some satisfaction from the admiration of others for their work, not just their own. For your own journey of discovery... bon voyage!
Good point, and I think you're right regarding the people. But if what separates Second Life from other online experiences (forums, blogs, chatrooms, and of course, MMORPGs) is the fact that the SL universe is user created, then there has to be something to these virtual spaces. We might ask, do they actually encourage the sort of interaction which leads to meaningful relationships? Or does it actually matter what spaces we inhabit in this digital world where nothing is truly as it seems?
It may turn out that the SL spaces in the process of creation -- in their first six days, so to say -- provide a level of social interaction that is hard to sustain afterward. And where is the allure for someone not minded to build? On the other hand, it's clearly possible to build a space that has its own self-sustaining energy, even after the creators are resting on their seventh day: witness your visit to the Japanese garden.
Jacek posed a related question recently, here on her blog.
And here is another take on this kind of quest.
Your post inspired this ramble:
I think I'm having a similar SL experience right now. I'm not a builder, so experimenting with SL-as-design-platform doesn't attract me. There are some clever, pretty, maybe even beautiful designs and places in SL, but I live in an area of beautiful natural landscapes and don't really have a need for simulated ones (though they are often nicely done, for what they are).
What interests me about SL is the people. Now, I think my problem is that I'm almost as shy in SL as I am in RL - maybe more so, since SL doesn't have the physical social cues of RL. For example, I'm always happy to talk to people but practically never start IM conversations myself. Moreover, since I'm not a builder or coordinator-of-anything in SL, I don't have a lot to discuss with people about things in the SL world as such. Maybe this means I'm just not far enough in to really be a part of the SL world. But I don't have more time to commit to SL, and I don't have an urge to own land, to build, to have a SL business. (My real-world talents don't seem to translate all that well into SL.)
So, I haven't really made lasting connections, not of the sort that I see others around me in SL making. I'm going to give it a while longer, keep exploring, but I'm really starting to wonder what's next, if anything.
Kieres' ramble is compelling because it mirrors my own early experience in Second Life. I found much of interest in some of the places and experiences in SL, early on, and plenty of people that seemed interesting enough. But I didn't feel a compulsion to be in-world until someone took the trouble to put their hand out to me, one-to-one. I've since observed other personalities shoulder their way into the social milieu, but that's not an option for the more reticent among us. We need that golden moment to find the world -- and how long does that last beyond the first push, or pull?
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