Week 2 - Contact

Our lecturer John told us a fascinating story about an Irish pub being built in Second Life. I find it incredible to think that despite how much time has passed, the pub still continues to have a community of people visiting and enjoying themselves much like a thriving pub in real life. We also learned about the etiquette needed when working online. This week we were asked to make contact with at least three different people in Second Life which was something that I was especially excited about because I wanted to talk to new people and get a new perspective of the virtual world.
                                                                                     

The profile picture that Claire took of me.

Inspired by the story that John told us, the first place I went to was a pub called the 'Blarney Stone' because I figured that people going there would be open to having a friendly chat. When I arrived, I sat down at the bar and Raza, Claire and Kurt greeted me in chat. Raza gifted me a green beer to get into the spirit of the place. I told them about how I'm from Ireland and how it felt strange to visit an Irish pub within Second Life. They were very enthusiastic about that since they were American. Claire personally texted me and gave me a few free dance animations with instructions on how to use them. She also took a new profile picture of me which I really appreciated especially since I didn't have one before. Soon after, Kurt began playing the keyboard on stage. I started to dance with Claire and Raza and we were cheering for Kurt on the chat. He played covers of Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan songs with a fiery passion. I'm not sure if he played on a real keyboard or it was pre-recorded for the show, but either way, I found the experience to be extremely immersive. It was refreshing to see such a pleasant atmosphere. In retrospect, I'm very happy to see that technology has progressed so much to the point that I could watch a show performed by someone on the other side of the world. This has probably only gotten better since the release of Second Life.

Enjoying a green beer as I listen to Kurt's music.

After that, I tried going to a few other bars and clubs, but the majority of the people there didn't respond when I said hello. They seemed to be too busy dancing or customizing their character. I decided to go to a newcomer-friendly server because I thought that I might have better luck there. The world I went to seemed a bit cobbled together as it had French-style furniture, several seemingly random posters, and a disco ball at the corner. One of the guys on the server greeted me, and we began talking about the weather and work. It felt odd to have such a mundane conversation in such a strange world. But at the same time, it was pleasant to see nearly everyone in the world joining the conversation and being included. At some point, we even began to sing the 'F.U.N Song' from the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants as a joke. I think that in real life some people would be too shy or embarrassed to jump into a conversation with strangers which is perhaps why virtual worlds are still relevant to this day. You are able to let loose and say almost anything you want without being judged which is what we need sometimes after being subjected to a harsh, mundane reality.

Dancing at the cafe.

Lastly, I went to a country-themed bar because I really liked the rustic aesthetic and I thought that maybe I could connect to people over that genre of music. There was a live performance of a lady singing original country music. I had a lot of sympathy for her because there were only five or so people at the server at the time. Even though it was a virtual world, I didn't want to dance by myself, so I sat by the bar next to a girl named HaloStar. I asked her what brought her to Second Life, and she told me that she joined to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. She was explaining that she still logs on for chatting and sailing. I was really surprised when she mentioned sailing because I didn't know that it was a feature in the game. She offered to take me sailing which I accepted because I was curious. She teleported me to a dock in her home country of the United Kingdom. She was incredibly patient with me as I kept falling into the sea. But eventually, I got onto her yacht. She showed me the villas across the shoreline and explained how people still live them to this day as they keep being bought and sold to different people. I found sailing to be very relaxing, especially since HaloStar treated me more like a friend than a stranger. I don't think it quite captures the real feeling of sailing because of the lack of weather, but I think that it's a good experience for people who aren't able to do it in real life.

Relaxing on the yacht.

Journey to another land.

Villas across the beach.