Introduction
What is Second Life?
Communication and Socializing
Education & Productivity
Art & Creativity
Game Development and Role Playing
Costs, Economy & Making Money
Conclusion
Links

Introduction

I will briefly introduce Second Life for those that are not familiar with it and then go on to explain why I find it to be such a powerful medium for communication, education, the arts and gaming.

What is Second Life?

Second Life is an on-line 3D virtual world created by its residents (people like you). In ways, it is similar to a Video Game or more specifically a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) although, the structure is completely open and anyone can create content. Second Life is a world with few limitations that residents co-create, explore and share.

Residents from all over the world can interact through chatting, playing games, role playing, creating and more. Second Life can be utilized as a powerful artistic medium and educational tool. You can create fashion, vehicles, architecture, games or basically anything that you can imagine if you have the required skill (or willingness to learn) and time. You own the rights to all your creations so they can be sold for virtual currency which can be exchanged for real money.

Communication and Socializing

Second Life supports text and voice chat. The three dimensional space can be utilized to enhance socialization, making it closer to meeting in person than text, voice or even video chat alone. Second Life can extend communication in many ways, transcending location, language and identity. Groups can be created and joined, easily connecting like minded people from around the world.

In Second Life you are able to talk to people from all over the world that you would not have the chance to meet in person. Automatic language translators (freely available) allow people to have conversations even though they do not speak a common language.

In addition to overcoming language barriers, identity can also be transcended in a virtual world. As open minded as people may be, it is still undeniable that one’s identity will effect how other people respond to them. Second Life residents are free to create and change their appearance at will, including their age, sex, race, height, weight and all aspects of their appearance. Since one’s personal identity is not revealed, one may be more free to honestly speak their mind.

In Second Life there is a large variety of groups that connect like-minded people. If they don’t have a group for a subject you are interested in, you can create a new group yourself. I find it invaluable that I can jump in at any time and discus almost any topic imaginable such as philosophy, psychology, art, etc.

People who are shy or have difficulty communicating in real life for any reason can use Second Life as practice and then apply what they learn to enhance real world interactions. However, some may actually become less sociable in real life if they fail to maintain and pursue face to face relationships.

Education, Productivity & Sharing Information

All of the benefits mentioned above regarding communication also apply to using Second Life for educational purposes. Location, language, identity and cost limitations can all be transcended. Second Life’s in world tools and 3D space can be used for rapid prototyping and visualization of complex concepts. Online virtual worlds also allow everyone’s voice to be heard.

Simulations can be built for training or prototyping that would otherwise be too expensive to do at all in a physical environment. A virtual house or building can be constructed, explored, tested and revised several times before finalizing it and creating it in reality. Imagine how much time and money could be saved.

In Second Life information is communicated among many-to-many people, putting power into everyone’s hands and offering more perspectives. This is very different from the one-to-many communication of television, newspapers, magazines and books where a small group are conveying ideas to the masses. There are many advantages and disadvantages to each form of communication that go beyond the scope of this entry.

Art & Creativity

In Second Life you have almost unlimited freedom with how you appear, what you create, and what you do. This attracts a strong art community, full of people that view, discuss, display and create various forms of art.

One of the first things people tend to design is the appearance of their avatar, that is the virtual representation of their digital self. It is easy to change your basic appearance like sex, height, body proportions, skin tone, clothing and so on. The controls are flexible enough to make your avatar look a lot like yourself or anyone you desire. Advanced users can attach sculpted objects, import and apply textures and animate their avatars. Those without the skill or time can purchase these accessories from other residents and may even be able to find some decent ones for free.

Second Life makes it much easier for independent artists to gain exposure. Many artists are bringing traditional or digital works create outside of Second Life into the virtual world. They put them on display in galleries, discuss their works in chat and some even sell copies of digital prints. Musicians are able to perform live through audio recordings at virtual events.

Second Life itself can be used as a powerful art form with the ability to create anything you can imagine. In-world building tools are used to create 3D geometry and a scripting language to bring creations life with animation and interactivity. Designers and programmers can collaborate in world to create things that neither one could accomplish alone. People create all sorts of things like sculptures, landscapes, architecture, vehicles, weapons, games and more.

Game Development and Role Playing

Second Life makes it easier for enthusiasts and independent game designers to create and distribute their own games within the virtual world. All sorts of games can be been made such as shooters, fighting, racing and RPGs (role-playing games).

There are few limits in the type of game that can be created although, Second Life may not be the best choice for fast paced, real time action games because of possible lag, unreliable physics and space limitations. Turn based games like some Role Playing Games can work really well. Another limitation is that it may be difficult to break outside of the Second Life interface to fully immerse the player in your game world.

Game Designers are able to design a HUD (head-up display) to facilitate the mechanics of their game. A HUD can be used to overlay text and a menu on the players screen so that they can perform game specific actions, interact with other players, view their score, keep track of their health, ammunition, items, etc.

Second Life’s advanced avatar customization make it a great platform for Role Playing and RPGs. Especially if the focus is more on conversation and story then action because of the limitations mentioned above. Role Playing is all about getting into the role of a fictional character that you design. Many RPGs offer avatar customization but I have never found one that comes even remotely close to the amount of customization Second Life offers. This is one of the most important aspects of an role playing for me because I find it difficult get into a role of a character if it looks nothing close to what I imagine.

Costs, Economy & Making Money

Second life is free to join but has optional items and services that cost money. They have an economy with their own currency, the Linden dollar, that can be exchanged with real world currencies. Residents own the rights to their creations so anyone can sell anything they make.

A basic Second Life account is free. You can alter your appearance, explore, interact with people, pick up free items and store an unlimited amount of items in your inventory. You can also build in free designated sandbox areas that are usually cleared daily. If you want the ability to own your own land to build permanent structures, you would have to upgrade to a premiere account, which costs about $10 a month. This includes land use of up to 512 square meters of land, additional land use would costs more. Also note that you would have to purchase the land itself.

Many residents sell designer items. Basic items like clothes, vehicles, weapons, etc. are usually inexpensive, costing anywhere from pennies to a few dollars but some items cost more. Sometimes free items can be found but usually the best stuff is going to cost a little money. There are ways to earn money in-world through selling your own products and services or even by camping out at specific locations.

Some of the top designers are making supplementary and even full time incomes. Although I must be honest and admit it’s not easy to make a lot of money in-world. If your primary interest is making a profit there are probably more efficient ways to do so. However, if you have a love for what you do, making a little money on the side is a nice bonus.

Conclusion

Second Life and other virtual worlds have great potential to extend the way we communicate, learn and create art. They can allow us to transcend space, language, identity and financial limitations. More voices can be heard and more artists have the power to express themselves and share their works with the world.

Links

Second Life ® Official Website

Second Life Wikipedia Article

Snapzilla - Postcards from Second Life

Not Possible IRL - Dedicated to identifying and sharing well conceived and realized content creation in Second Life which would not be possible in real life.

Second Life ® is a trademark of Linden Research, Inc. troso.com is not affiliated with or sponsored by Linden Research.

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