The Second Life Experience of Alexs Evanier

I must say I was completely overwhelmed. As I have said before, the graphics and setup are impressive. Regardless, virtual reality has never really been my thing.

After meeting up, 4 Girls & Me, took on Second Life...



In the above picture, our group had just teleported to the location. I was a bit taken back when I landed in water. It took a little bit for me to find my group and get situated. However, it turned about to be a nice area. There was a bridge nearby that I spent some time on. Overall it was very peaceful.



This location was recommended to us by some strangers we ran into. It turned about to be very neat. Here, Brittney met a nice man who helped her learn to dance after she was rejected by Roman. There was a British Rock and Roll theme to the place. Throughout the area there were bubbles you could click on that would have you dance in different ways. The difficulty came in trying to stop.



This picture was taken as we were trying to figure out where to head next. There happened to be a random penguin sitting on the bench. I was shocked at how difficult it was to sit down on the bench. No matter how hard I tried I was never facing the right direction... it was anything but graceful.




The picture above captures one of the neatest places we visited as a group. At this location we ran into some very hardcore second life fans. They were a bit taken back at first, asking questions about who we were and why we were there. Instead of using the chat feature they used voice. In my opinion they all sounded the same. After they warmed up, they were kind enough to help us out in our quest to visit different places. They gave us a few tips which came in handy. It was here that we witnessed people having sex, one even grabbed my behind. I was clueless how to react.




This was another peaceful place we visited. Here, we gathered at another lake which is behind us in the picture. I was more focused on capturing our group instead of the scenery.

After giving Second Life a try I was impressed by how extensive it really was. There was a society within a society. The groups seemed to very tight knit and "cliquey"... almost like highschool. However, it was nice to meet with our own group here. It was quicker and easier to interact once we found each other.

Second Life can be used to help education in many ways. It may be motivational for student who are interested in technology. It is also convenient to communicate in groups. There are endless amounts that can be learned from Second Life if it is used correctly.

Arts and Society will most definitely be impacted by Second Life. It will allow artists to share their work and reach a wider audeience. However, just as easily the work can be taken or misused. Society will have more to explore and more resources at their fingertips. It is an excellent way to communicate once you figure out the basics.

I must say, my opinion now is much different than my first impression.

Second Life...good or bad?

While playing in Second Life, there's always the question of how real is too real? Is there always a distinction between the virtual and the actual? Besides the fact that it's not technically real, the problem is that most people become so interlinked between the virtual that they think that it IS real. The merging of technology in our daily life has made virtual living potential. The introduction of the Internet and the three-dimensional technology progress has created a brand new society that there are no physical boundaries limiting social interaction. The virtual meeting was way more difficult and annoying. The whole situation was time consuming and too difficult to collaborate and bring each individual to the same area. The other problem was that when we met in Second Life, the others kept getting kicked off because their internet couldn't handle the bulk of Second Life or batteries kept dying.
The teaching implications could be astronomical. You can make students do daily tasks and teach them things through virtual reality. You can teach them organization skills and how to handle daily life. Also teaching them group lessons and how to socialize would be another amazing way to go through life. Again, students will learn very much through this. Society can benefit as a whole by dealing with problems and situations through virtual worlds and hopefully come to conclusions without problems. Artistically, the graphics will keep coming better and better. It's truly going to be amazing.

The new form of socializing which is called virtual reality

After wandering around a bit and finally getting most of us together we made our way to our first peaceful gathering by this lake....I was definitely confused as to what, or where, or how we needed to do this project but we decided to take a group shot of all of us together as the first step into our virtual reality experience.

Next we ended up going to a new world since one of the girls in my group was smart enough to figure out how to teleport us all there. We met some new people and unlike my first experience looking at second life a week earlier this time the people we met were a little different. I think I witnessed my first sexual harassment experience as Alexs butt got slapped by a person named Philip. Now I was not sure whether this is appropriate or not since we are in virtual reality but I was definitely stunned to see that people in virtual reality definitely are not shy about doing or saying whatever comes their minds. We also witnessed and heard how two people had sex which was slightly disturbing.

When we arrived at our next destination Brittney and I decided to take a boat ride together. It was very pretty and seemed a little bit romantic at first but than we realized that we were just going in circles....it took us a while to figure out how to get off of the boat but once we did that we left this place.

While standing here we mostly were trying to figure out what happened in the previous worlds we visited since we were very much shocked at how some of the other participants or avatars act in this virtual reality. It seemed the more we were in this virtual reality the more we were not sure as to what we can or should be doing

Our final stop was at this wall where we figured out how to climb it thanks to Brittney. As you can see in this picture we are missing Alexs and that is because I believe she was at the top of the wall. The virtual world seems endless with the possibilities of what an avatar can do but at the same time seems kind of scary as well. I am left feeling sort of confused about whether I like it or dislike it since I am not much of a computer person.

Second life experience

Before this snapshot I picked a different location. Unfortunately that was a private location, so I got removed from it before I got a chance to see the sights. In this snapshot I was felt like I need a picture with vibrant colors so I picked a jungle area. It was fun to see the different plants and animals etc. In most of the location that I picked there weren’t many people, a few here and there, but for the most part it was quiet and relaxing.

In this snapshot a local informed me that it was a fun place to be. I just picked an off-hour to go I guess. It was funny to sit and have a drink by the water. After that I got uninterested so I began to swim with the dolphin that always something that I wanted to in reality, but instead I did it virtual world.

In this snapshot I was exploring the different locations. I looked at the map then picked a spot and ending up next to helicopter, which I ended up purchasing one. It was interesting because when I first arrived I landed in the water I didn’t know where I was.

In this snapshot Brittney, Alex and I were in a very interesting room. Every time we touch any of the balls around we would do a type of dance. It was unique to watch each avatar do a dance.

This landmark was given to us from another avator in the first snapshot that we were at. After conversating with a few of the locals we found out that it was a local hot spot to hang out. In this room we met a few people one guy even asked Brittney to slow dance. Then eventually I see them kissing hahaha it was funny... I dont know if I like that people can just do that as they please.

In this picture Roman, Brittney and Alexs met at hang that Brittney had teleported us to. This was hot spot because there was many people besides us. Also a random guy grabbed Alexs butt which was funny. Then two avatar started to have virtual sex which was definately interesting and bizzare at the same time. Of all the snapshots that I took this was definately the top.

The Adventures of Kellie Causten: Take One

After wandering around aimlessly for about an hour I found myself to an empty party deck in my home land. This is where I found that I wasn't such a terrible dancer at all. This also became the first site from witch I performed my first map teleport. It was here that the journey began.

Once I used my map to transport myself to another part of my home land, I came across a blue cheetah that I had mistaken as a robot dog. I began chatting with this cheetah in search of help getting around. I explained that I was relatively new to SL and that I have not been able to leave the Big Pond. He showed me how to change the world settings to midday to actually be able to see where I was going. He also told me that the "Big Pond is only a drop of water in the ocean of Second Life." He explained to me that there are several ways to teleport myself around the world. The first is somewhat similar to "Google Maps" - scroll and click where you would like to be transported. The second way to get around was to have a saved landmark in your inventory. He supplied me with a handful of places that he personally liked to "hang around." The first and seemingly most interesting was "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere!" I quickly teleported myself there first. To my surprise there wasn't many people there. In fact the only lively thing there was a bartender who served me my first online margarita! I don't know how it happened, but somehow I ended up dancing on the bar in Margaritaville. The picture above is Kellie Causten (me) dancing on the bar. Things we're definitely becoming a lot more fun for me.

The third way to teleport, according to Mudslinger Ning (the talking cheetah,) was to open a search in "places." So once I hopped off the bar in Margaritaville, I opened a search for fashion and clicked on the first item that popped up. I was suddenly standing in a land of leather and latex. I don't know how, but I was surrounded by fire engine red spandex pants and black leather thongs. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I jumped right to my landmarks drop box and teleported to a place called the Ivory Tower; another one of wise cheetah's stomping grounds.

Finally, I didn't feel like I was a part of a bondage gang. By now, I was standing in front of a tall ivory museum. Once again there weren't very many people around. I wandered around looking at the neat things inside. After about 3 minutes, I found myself getting bored with the pace of the minimal action. Once again, I was off to find some place new and exciting.

I typed in "Urban areas" into the search bar and clicked my way to possibly one of the scariest ghettos of Second Life. The picture above was taken at midday. I was beyond terrified as soon as I stepped foot into these slums. It was empty. Once again I was alone. I could not find my group members anywhere. I must have been two steps behind everyone. I hurriedly ran around the area and ended up falling thousands and thousands of feet off a cliff into an even darker area of the slums. Time to get out.

Finally, I wasn't alone. I had ended up at a place called Dance Island. Here, I made a handful of friends and danced my little avatar butt off. I was finally having a good time. I felt at home here at this club and found the people there were very comforting and helpful. I was really enjoying myself, laughing and chatting with people from around the world, when all of a sudden my Second Life crashed and I was kicked off of the program. My time was up in Second Life. Now it's time to get back to reality, I guess. Overall, I can say that the extensive creativity and diverse society really stood out in my mind. I had not expected Second Life to be as truly huge as it is. Although I had a hard time finding my friends, my overall experience was satisfying.

Second Life...if this is what it's gonna be like, I don't want any part in it!!!

This particular picture was taken while at the park. I saw a gesture called "Wall Climb" and decided to give it a go. The procedure was a bit slow, but I got the job done. It's a little unreal that they let these avatars do as they please and act like real people.



I was actually given this landmark from a girl at another area. She sent me to this place called the Social Scene. There was moshing and partying, and I guess what the picture is, is of the after affects of a party. Apparently, by speaking to one of the locals, it's a hot spot to hang out if you get there at the right time. It was here I met a guy named Viper and he slow danced with me, then suddenly made out with me. Again, the oddity of there being a virtual club where you can virtually party is a little unnerving. I'm not sure I really like it.



This was another random area that I pretty much dropped in, but here is where the funniest things happened. First off, I met a girl here who changed into Mystique from X-Men. (odd). Secondly, I was with Roman, Lorena, and Alexs and some random guy grabbed Alexs butt, virtually mind you. Third, right in front of all of us, two of the members started to have virtual sex. It was entirely disturbing. The worst part was, my volume was up and the actual users were using mic's to communicate instead of typing, so they were talking and cybering with each other via microphone. As much as I love gaming, I'm not too keen on virtual gaming like this. It feels too much like I have no life so I need to make up a fake one.



I enjoyed this little scenic detour I took amidst my traveling around. It was a pretty, quiet little area and I was struck by the beauty. Oddly enough, that makes me weirded out too. It's strange to think that I can find beauty in a computer generated world that is nothing but pixels put together to create a false image.



This was actually my first stop. I ended up here by a bunch of weird coincidences. I tried to go to another area and as it turns out, the area was restricted so I got kicked to another area which also turned out to be restricted and got kicked again and ended up here next to a cruise liner. I was gonna go on board but changed my mind and got the shot instead.

Second Life?

I was very skeptical from the beginning. These online games and communities have never been my thing. But I figured I would give it an honest try. Needless to say I was overwhelmed. There was alot going on and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I wondered around for quite sometime and met a mentor in a park. He was so helpful and answered questions up until my battery died and computer shut off... go figure.
Anyway, I thought the visual aspect was impressive. It looked very realistic. And it seems that the places you can visit are endless. I need to give it another shot before writing it off completely. Truth be told, even over the internet I am quite shy and do not care to talk to people I don't know.