Imagine a world where you can change the way you look on a whim, get free designer clothing thrown at you, have safe, anonymous sex with any number of beautiful partners, do drugs without consequence, and gamble to your heart's content. Unless you're a celebrity on a weekend Vegas trip, then Second Life is the only option to live in this hedonistic vision of Eden. And you can still get busted for the drugs or sex.
Unfortunately, Second Life doesn't really deliver on any of these fantasies. You don't really look like that, and neither does your sexual partner. The sex is unsatisfying (or so I'm told). Your clothes are pixelated. The drugs aren't really making you high. And the gambling...well, the gambling can be real. Which means you can lose real money in a fake world. That's a whole other discussion.
Don't get me wrong, Second Life was a great idea...when it was called The Sims. Ever since the first caveman picked up a shiny rock and saw his reflection, people have wanted to change their appearance, congregate with others, engage in consequence-free promiscuous sex, and gamble away their possessions. So it's not surprising that a virtual world was created that theoretically fills these base desires.
It's also not surprising that, in its first fully online incarnation, it virtually sucks. The graphics leave too much to the imagination. The control of your character isn't crisp. The loading times for the environment could make a monk impatient. And, worst of all, in a world where virtually anything is possible, there's nothing to do. Even the most basic of Second Life functions, communication, is terribly inefficient compared to "real-world" programs like chat programs, text messaging and even email.
So in a world where everybody is granted omniscience, what is newsworthy? People can have sex in public, metamorphosize at will, and fly. Violence doesn't exist, except where others give permission. There are very few consequences for anything an avatar does. So what events in this virtual world have enough of an impact on others that creates the need for news?
Granted, there's griefing, which has resulted in a group of extremely bored and disturbed individuals staging virtual terrorist attacks, and there's "real-world" news that can affect "play" within the Second Life universe. But do these events really constitute news, outside of briefly interrupting the mindless repetition on which Second Life thrives?
In its current form, Second Life is a long ways away from becoming an effective and efficient conduit for journalism of any consequence. As it stands now, Second Life is to MySpace as ?????? is to Facebook. MySpace was a great idea, and pretty popular for awhile, but then Facebook came along and improved on virtually every aspect, leaving MySpace to die a slow and lonely death. Whatever comes next in the arena of virtual worlds will undoubtedly condemn Second Life to the same fate.
In other words, nice try, and better luck next time.
What is it about this world that makes people want to do drugs, gamble, and have sex? I agree, you are putting in the time & energy but aren't getting any satisfaction. Any thoughts on the allure?
By "this world," do you mean Second Life or Real Life? Regardless, that may be a question that would be tough to answer in a single comment. I guess in the case of Second Life, it gives people an opportunity to engage in dangerous behaviors that they otherwise couldn't in their real lives. Kind of like how riding a roller coaster gives you the feeling of impending death, but you're actually completely safe.
Ya know Chris... I had an offer myself. Layne was getting her ass grabbed like there was no tomorrow.
You went where I didn't quite make it in my post.
I agree with you, consequence-free sex is probably why most people trick out their avatars to be the hottest on the block.
Why is it always about sex?