Second Life Experience

For my COM 399 class, I have to use Second Life and write about the eperience.  Although this is not my final paper, I am sharing my first draft, of my first experience in Second Life.  You can stay tuned for the final paper!!

Second Life of Frustration
Why I don’t play video games
How to be reduced to feeling like an idiot

            First let me start by saying I don’t play video games.  I did not grow up playing them, and when I do play them, I am quickly reduced to feeling like an idiot.  And since I feel I am a fairly intelligent person, I don’t enjoy feeling like an idiot.  Which I do, every time my software is updated or I get a new computer.  I have long since learned not to do things that make me feel like an idiot.
            That said, I started this assignment with no prior knowledge of Second Life.  I decided I would watch the first tutorial listed on our assignment.  It was a man who was showing off his cool office in Second Life.  The murals on his walls were all links to websites, that I believe were his speaking engagements or websites he used for speaking engagements.  As I didn’t see anything about decorating or embedding links in my list of things to experience for my assignment, it didn’t take me too long to decide these were things I didn’t need to learn and exit the tutorial.
            I decided to try another link from our assignment, and this brought me to a page that didn’t appear to be working.
            The third link brought me to a page that looked like you could rate a variety of things, I “assumed” in Second Life.  It said things like “language”, “Maturity”, “Age”, and it had symbols underneath, and a spot where you could see comments off to the side.  I did not see anything to explain what the page was for, nor what I was supposed to do there, other than read people’s comments about those particular items.
            Frustrated, I saw a link to download Second Life so I decided I would just go ahead and start.  I thought (however naively) “How hard can it be?”
            I clicked on the link and chose an avatar.  Easy.
            Next, I downloaded the software.  I chose the “basic” service, as it looked like the “Advanced” cost money, and after all, this was just a class assignment.

Starlog Day 1, 3 hours

            Just as the program finished and I entered the world of Second Life, beginner training room, my husband arrived with my tacos.  Hungry, I let my avatar stand there a minute while I scarfed down a couple of real tacos (from my real husband).  While I did so, the other two avatars in the landing area were walking around.  Correction:  one show off was flying around.  While I ate, one came over and said, “Hi”.  As I finished a bite of my “real” taco, I wiped off my fingers and typed “Hi”.  But, I wanted to finish my (real) tacos, so I decided it would be best to finish eating first.  While I did, the two people wandered off, and a bird in the corner kept asking me to kiss him.
            After I finished my (real) tacos, I began to try and maneuver around the room.  I kept smashing up against walls, unable to turn around and walk away.  Finally, frustrated, my husband heard me say, “I can’t even back away from the stupid wall.”  He looked over and asked if I had tried the arrow keys.  (I had been using the mouse). 
            So I started playing with the arrow keys and began maneuvering around the room as the bird continued to ask me to kiss him.  I looked at the signs in the room, one explained how to fly, one explained how to sit down.  Since I could currently, barely walk, I decided to focus on walking before I learned how to fly.  I started following the arrows, and I had no idea where the two who “beamed up” with me wandered off.  I walked around a little bit, but I didn’t see anyone.  So I decided to use the “Destination” tab.  I chose a place in Italy, I thought that would be fun.  I walked around the place a little bit and quickly became bored.  There was no one there, and other than what looked like advertisements, it didn’t look like anything was going on.  A ghost town.
            I practiced my gestures, and I looked through the other options down at the bottom.  I decided to pick another destination, and chose Toronto, Canada, because it looked like a large group of people were there.  I chose and was quickly transported.
            I walked around seeing a couple of other people.  I attempted to communicate with one, but the person didn’t reply.  I waited.  I thought I detected a “boring” gesture, so I decided to move on.  I walked around to discover that it looked like there were some “advertisements” on the walls of buildings or in the windows.  Every time I came to an object, like the dunk tank, it asked me if I wanted to upgrade to “Advanced” so I could play.  I decided to try again to talk to someone.
            I saw another avatar with the name poised above their head and walked over.  I opened my little chat box and typed, “Hello” in what I hoped was my most friendliest of fonts…No response.  No movement.  At least they didn’t look bored.
            I decided they weren’t interested in having a conversation with a “newby” so I continued to walk.  I found a group of two seated at a table.  I walked over to the table and typed, “Can I join you?”  No response.  No movement.  Nothing to indicate they even heard me or saw me.  I tried playing with the microphone to see if I was missing something…tried the chat box again.  Nothing.
            I walked away.  I went into a few empty shops along the street, still only with what looked like advertisements on them, and any items asked me to upgrade to “Advance”.  By now, I was desperately wanting to find the two who entered at the same time I did, or at least the bird who wanted a kiss….
            When I checked the “people” tab, there were people all around me but I couldn’t see them.  If this had been a video game, I would have lost all my lives quickly…
            I kept walking down streets until I found a few more avatars.  I decided to make another attempt at communicating.  I walked over to where the avatar was sitting, closer than I ever would have felt comfortable in “real life”.  I typed in my most sultry of fonts…”Hello”.
            Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  This avatar did not speak, he did not move, he did not gesture.  I looked through the tabs desperately seeking some kind of clue as to why I wasn’t communicating in this strange world…a foreigner in a foreign land.  Was I speaking a foreign language?  Was there another step to communicating?  Did he speak French?  Frustrated, I walked away.
            I stood in the street with the silent, sitting avatar over on one side, and two other avatars sitting at a table on the other side.  They weren’t doing anything.
            I tried to remember how to fly, and I couldn’t.  I practiced my gestures, standing right there in the street.  I looked bored, I cried, I danced.  Nothing.  I did not learn how to do anything on my list for my assignment.
            I decided the only people at Second Life late on a Saturday night wanted to buy drugs or sex, and did not want to talk to me.  I had enough frustration for one day, and decided to exit.  I am afraid that when I return, I may find posters all over warning people to stay away from the crazed lunatic avatar named “charlietown”.  I think I’ll have to change my username and avatar….

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