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.