Week 1 - Beginning my Second Life

I chose this module because I've always been fascinated by the idea of virtual communities and how digital media has shaped our modern world. I enjoy playing videogames in my spare time and I noticed that sometimes I would subconsciously search for particular groups to play with. I always wondered if other people could relate to me in that regard.


I created my Second Life account a week before class because I wanted to have the time to customize my avatar and explore the virtual world. I found it very hard to design a character that I could connect with because the customization options were very complex and I couldn't find a free skin that I liked on the marketplace. As such, I decided to go for a default character; a mage with a black cat. In retrospect, I find it interesting to think that I spent so long trying to create an avatar that suits me when it seems to be a trivial issue. Out of all of my options, why did I connect with this avatar in particular?

       
                                                                                    

On the 6th of February, at 8pm I arrived at the Second Life TU Dublin campus. My first impression was that it seemed like a cozy, but formal building. At first, I was having some trouble setting up my microphone, but after adjusting my cables and sound settings everything was perfect. After a few minutes, our lecturer John outlined our module and answered a few of my classmate's questions. It felt surreal to have a class within a virtual environment as I'm used to talking on a mic for informal occasions with one or two people. I felt a bit shy, but I hope to improve and participate more in future classes. I noticed I was also one of the few people in the class who chose an alias as my username instead of my real name. I wonder why I felt compelled to do that? I never truly thought of that before.
                                                                                    

John asked us to go to three different locations within Second Life. After class, Rachel, MacJacc and I picked random locations to explore. The first place we went to seemed to be a Cinderella themed world. There was a white carriage that would travel across the flowery plains. There was also a villa in the distance, a waterfall and a small corner of the map that had constant snow. I feel that the design of the location could be improved, but the concept has potential.

Cinderella's carriage circles around the plains.

The next area we went to was an American style shopping centre. I felt almost out of place in a way because of my character's mage attire because the world itself was very down to earth. The architecture was very modern and sleek especially the fountains outside. There were several posters for elegant dresses and suits posted on the walls. Oddly enough besides us, there were no other players which made the shopping centre feel abounded.

The beautiful yet abounded shopping centre.

After that, we went to a huge tropical villa by the beach. There were about twenty players on this map so it felt very lively in comparison to the previous worlds we explored. Some players were dancing while others were drinking cocktails or simply walking around and enjoying the scenery. I explored the area and found several wild animals hidden in the jungles beyond the beach. There was a laybacked atmosphere there that was reminiscent of my holidays in Brazil.

Beaches, beverages and wild beasts.

Finally, we decided to go to one extra area which was a beach that had an extensive skyline in the distance. However, unlike the previous map, there were no other players besides us which gave a normally cheerful place an almost creepy undertone. There were several beach chairs lined up along the beach as well as a lifeguard station. There was also an amusement park towards the end of the beach. I really admired the attention to detail as it felt very much like a real holiday city, I only wish that there were more players online at the time.

Enjoying the clear skies at the beach.

Overall, I enjoyed my first experience in Second Life and I'm looking forward to having more
in-depth discussions with everyone next time. Next time I will try to participate more in class and possibly try to talk to new people within the virtual world so that I can hear their stories.