LIVING IN AN AVATAR
Instructor: Elise Co
As existing in Second Life as Bangla Foxclaw, myself, has experienced many interesting aspects of Second Life.
dance floor- socializing place
- What kind of relationships exist in Second Life, and how do they compare or contrast with relationships in real life?
The realtionship with the people I met was pretty similar to our reationships in real world. Perhaps that is becase I started off to visit places where resemble our real world more rather than fantasical world. The first impression from people in Second Life was that they are not shy to do ceretain things while I couldn't help feeling shy and timid as if I am in real life. I felt people are less intimidate by disguising them in their avatars. In general, they surely have more confidence with talking, dancing, getting along with people, choosing outfits...etc.
emotion involved in virtual space
- How do you make the transition from real life to Second Life or vice versa?
When I just started exploring, I found myself feeling so strange to have avatar look too differnt from me. Some poeple rather intend to look totally different in SL to have another co-existing identity. But for me, the transition from being myself to my avatar has to be smooth and that is the way to enjoy being in SL more because I would rather want to be myself in SL also and explore things that I can not do in RL.
- Can real life exist in Second Life? Vice versa?
I think it depends on how the person percieves and treats his world in Second Life. If the person considers living in SL is prior to his boring real life, then it could replace his real life and SL become the real life. Real life in terms of certain activity or funtionality, can exist and be substituted in SL like how we had our class meeting in SL and had discussion through typing line by line instead of verbal conversation. I don't imagine how SL can exist in RL because then there's no point of the virtual world has to be created.
me on a horse and flying above the ocean
- What is our concept of space or location in Second Life, and how does it compare to real life? Is one based on the other?
I think all the spaces in SL are based on our real world that have already known and experinced by people. People want to create something magical and surrealistic because of their desire that dreams something else from what already exists. Of course compare to our real world, SL is very surrealistic even if it represents a actual location such as zoo, Africa, and wedding ceremony. And I think that is why people get intrigued by visiting here and there and build something in SL because they want to experience somthing that is never or hardly possible in RL and get vicarious satisfaction out of it.
me goofing around with animals in ZooLand
- Does spending time in Second Life make you view or approach the real world differently?
I try not to be spoiled by the amazingness of SL when coming back to the real world. But honestly, it saturates that the real world is more serious and less delightful. I don't look the real world differently, just get to have silly wishes come true.
me sitting and chilling on a transluscent ball I created