The "omgs" of Second Life
Jun. 3rd, 2008 02:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
autumnluv143Ok, the person that this is being dedicated to knows who they are so I'll not mention their name. This response to something you said in no way has any bearing on what I think of you. Ya know I love ya.
This is the response given to someone else's comments about Second Life. I've responded to it (almost as much as I would have liked to) below:
Second Life is one of those dot-coms that's only popular because it's popular. Every time some sitcom character or politician or corporation creates a presence there, the news gets fired-up about it, which leads to people trying it, which leads to more sitcom characters and politicians and corporations creating a presence there, etc.
I was reading an interesting business analysis of the thing the other day and the analysts came to the conclusion that Second Life is pretty much just a glorified pyramid scheme where people cyber-fuck.
Oh, and here's an interesting article on why Second Life sucks.
Pretty much the only appeal for the average user, from what I can tell, is in its value as an escapist, wish-fulfillment tool. It's the same reason chatrooms and instant messaging and MMORPGs have exploded. Most people want to be someone else. Most people want to put on a mask and express their inner selves behind the imaginary armor of anonymity.
I am one of the ones who signed on once or twice and found nothing interesting about it at all. I was only there to get someone else to shut up. But then I found some cool people to hang with because we all like trivia and I was hooked. For me, it's not about "escapist, wish-fulfillment" or fantasy role-playing or even pretending to be someone I'm not. My av is 100% fantasy because never in my entire life will I look as hot as she does. But I also state that plainly with people I do interact with on an even slightly regular basis. I am not different, save that one thing, outside the game as I am in it.
The personal beliefs of the above stated are not what bothers me about this comment. What bothers me about it is that this comes form a person who does regular dice, rpg and other guild centered games on a very regular basis. Of all the people I've met, I would think that this would be a person who would, even in its smallest form, understand the interest. I've been fascinated by real art that has been digitized, graphic art of the game and builds themselves, the scripting it takes to put that kind of place together and the fact that it's been mainstreamed to a point that it is making it to shows like CSI and Secret Lives of Women.
No, I don't understand people who truly make it their second life. Those who need an escape from their real, daily lives so badly that they will disengage themselves entirely from what surrounds them in real life and prefer to be around pixels, animations and scripts. But I, because I am in world and because I do understand that not everyone is into what I do and how I behave, wouldn't dare criticize that without actually having any clue as to what I am talking about. You haven't been in Second Life, but you, of all people, should know why people like to escape reality for awhile. You do it enough yourself.
This is the response given to someone else's comments about Second Life. I've responded to it (almost as much as I would have liked to) below:
Second Life is one of those dot-coms that's only popular because it's popular. Every time some sitcom character or politician or corporation creates a presence there, the news gets fired-up about it, which leads to people trying it, which leads to more sitcom characters and politicians and corporations creating a presence there, etc.
I was reading an interesting business analysis of the thing the other day and the analysts came to the conclusion that Second Life is pretty much just a glorified pyramid scheme where people cyber-fuck.
Oh, and here's an interesting article on why Second Life sucks.
Pretty much the only appeal for the average user, from what I can tell, is in its value as an escapist, wish-fulfillment tool. It's the same reason chatrooms and instant messaging and MMORPGs have exploded. Most people want to be someone else. Most people want to put on a mask and express their inner selves behind the imaginary armor of anonymity.
I am one of the ones who signed on once or twice and found nothing interesting about it at all. I was only there to get someone else to shut up. But then I found some cool people to hang with because we all like trivia and I was hooked. For me, it's not about "escapist, wish-fulfillment" or fantasy role-playing or even pretending to be someone I'm not. My av is 100% fantasy because never in my entire life will I look as hot as she does. But I also state that plainly with people I do interact with on an even slightly regular basis. I am not different, save that one thing, outside the game as I am in it.
The personal beliefs of the above stated are not what bothers me about this comment. What bothers me about it is that this comes form a person who does regular dice, rpg and other guild centered games on a very regular basis. Of all the people I've met, I would think that this would be a person who would, even in its smallest form, understand the interest. I've been fascinated by real art that has been digitized, graphic art of the game and builds themselves, the scripting it takes to put that kind of place together and the fact that it's been mainstreamed to a point that it is making it to shows like CSI and Secret Lives of Women.
No, I don't understand people who truly make it their second life. Those who need an escape from their real, daily lives so badly that they will disengage themselves entirely from what surrounds them in real life and prefer to be around pixels, animations and scripts. But I, because I am in world and because I do understand that not everyone is into what I do and how I behave, wouldn't dare criticize that without actually having any clue as to what I am talking about. You haven't been in Second Life, but you, of all people, should know why people like to escape reality for awhile. You do it enough yourself.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-03 10:06 pm (UTC)After all, isn't that what entertainment is for? Pick your poison, reading, video games, movies, sports, collecting, games, sex, the internet, whatever ....
I've seen geeks insult a group of other geeks because they look down on the section of geekdom that they don't get. I don't get that. For this one individual it was walking into someone's house and insulting them for playing D+D. He thought he was being cute, he wasn't. And I was offended even though I wasn't actually playing at the time.
Sometimes I swear people think and actually believe that whole "You can be wierd, you can be different .... you just have to be my kind of different" crap.
Normalcy, vanilla, whatever you wanna call it means nothing ... we're all the same it just depends on what is "normal" to You. It is then that you're free to judge others as you choose.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-04 04:52 am (UTC)I have seen a few shows talk about it but not the ones you've mentioned and I do watch Secret Lives of Women. It must have been last season, perhaps.
I have seen it mentioned on True Life and G4's Wired for Sex. The latter discussed it as one of the new waves of fetishes coming forward with the new technology.
THe other comment was dead on about how and why people judge. I remain positive that things will continue to be better as the full variety of humanity is expressed outside the rigidity of 'social expectation'.
Long live the brave who blaze forth!