Vanessa's+Second+life

1/27/10 -Just received my practicum project and have been assigned to second life. Its 3:00 pm and am about to join second life. Its known as "the Internets largest user-created 3D community" Interesting how they say "real life first name" when most sites just ask for your first name and we know what they are asking. You're only allowed to pick your first name and then they give you a list of choices for your last name. I have chosen Nessa Chatterbox. 1/28/10 -You can pick everything to change about your avator, body shape, thin, fat content, nose, clothes, absolutely everything although its very confusing. I have no idea how to work it all but seems like people have formed a community in the locations that are in second life. People continue to go back to the same place and speak out loud about their adventures in the place visited before. Anyone can talk to anyone, although I have received already creepy comments from people and have no responded back. You are able to have live conversations with people too as if you were on the telephone with them if you chose that option. Youre also able to fly and teleport. I found a place for help to ask questions and a man with the second life name of eando binder approached me and asked how it was going, i responded with my frusteration of not knowing how to play and he proceeded to help me. It seems like a community of people just trying to meet one another so far and escaping everyday life. Eando directed me to a landmark called the shelter pool, which i transported too. He advised me to talk to people when I arrived in order to learn more.

Now someone with the name of kelster bracuda has IMed me and said shed take me shopping but did not know where i was in this land and told me i would have to respond to her "inbox". I ended up meeting kelster and i mistook his name for a girl but it was a man avatar. He took me around shopping for free stuff. I got to pick out all the different walks I wanted and eyes and skin tones, hair color, shoes, purses, clothes everything you can imagine. He was able to send me different locations throughout this "world" they call it and save them to your inventory. You can be a person, an animal, an insect and he himself is a vampire, he warned me though that I was "not ready to be a vampire yet" but people will approach me to be one. He also told me like the others to approach anyone i see and they will be more than happy to help me out. It was very addicting and definately felt like I was actually in that world. He called it a game but others say its their second life. When you click on a characters profile theres an option that says first life where they fill in actual information about the life they live outside of the computer. Kelster has only been doing this for a few weeks but seems like he knows what hes doing very well.

this is a picture of my avatar. The avatar behind me was helping me on the idea of "landmarks" within the game that I should visit.

2/3/10 I've avoided going on second life just because of the awkward conversations you are thrown into. I'm not much into the whole getting to know random people through the internet but all these people are very friendly and talk to everyone. I'm still having difficulties figuring out the clothing and such and how to put outfits together but it's probably my favorite part of the game. Theres specific stores that cost lindons and some are free which is where I usually go. Unfortunately I just went into a store that was full of naked people...it was a nude free store. Obviously I haven't understood the landmarks all I know if you find a landmark and you can transport to it. While you're there you can either fly or walk. I prefer walking, although maybe if I fly I can avoid the conversations with people.

The people usually start off as friendly before some get a little creepy. 19:02] Stavros Andretti: doing some shopping, Nessa? [19:03] Nessa Chatterbox: just looking and checking places out, new to this whole thing [19:03] Stavros Andretti: it can be a lot of fun in here [19:03] Nessa Chatterbox: i dont really get the whole currency thing [19:04] Stavros Andretti: well the currency is $lindons [19:04] Stavros Andretti: most of the stuff in the boxes in here are free though



This is what most stores look like. You are able to pick even your eye make up.



This is what it looks like to buy clothes. There's also sometimes mannequins that have the clothes on as well. All you have to do is click on it and it goes into a folder called your inventory that stays on the screen. It kind of reminds me of a closer in a folder. Everything you can imagine goes in there like your landmarks, the type of walk you like, skin color, hair style, shoes, clothes etc.

In order to take part in specific events or sit or what not there are floating balls that you can see in front of my avator that are pink and blue. The pink are for the girl, you right click and options will come up. The balls behind me are what I click to choose to dance and my avatar begins to dancing as it is above. This is at an information pool. It is a common place for people to come and gather. Also they post coming events happening in the second life world. I found this really interesting. They actually have a formal on Sunday and a themed dance where people actually will gather in this world as it was a real life event.

2/21/10 So I know that you can make a house and have your own job and such on second life but I don't know how. I believe you have to pay for all of it so I dont think I will be experiencing that. However I'm learning to work it a lot better. Just takes some time. Its a very sexualized place, all the clothes are pretty scandalous and the bodies you can chose from all happen to have six packs and super skinny...because we know everyone is like that right?

4.27.10 So I kind of quit second life for a bit thinking there's not much else I can do with out linden dollars but since I have a paper to write i figured I'd give it one last shot. I mean not everyone who wants to live another life has money to spend. In class we spoke about remediation and real life representations in video games and such. I decided to venture off and see if second life had this. I came across a new citizens incorporated location and that is where the fun began. This is a corporation that allows you to explore second life without spending money and is kind of like a tour guide. They have everything from colleges, classes on line, museums, bedrock (flinstones), different sites, everything you can think of. Here's a picture of one of the menu teleports.

I then began to have a ton of fun on second life. It kept me entertained for hours, I went to paris and took a trolley around to the sites, i then went to bedrock to see the flinstones, I went skydiving (because we all know I am too chicken to do it in real life), scuba diving--also too chicken to do that, and went to visit linden village. Here are some pictures.this is my avatar scuba diving...shes not that great of a swimmer

this is my avatar free falling after sky diving

my avatar in front of a paris structure

my avatar in the trolley on the way to see all of paris