Tired of your first life? Get a Second Life!

I confess: I’m a Sims addict. Thank the Gods that my computer has a lousy graphics card, and I can’t play The Sims 2, because if I did, I’d have to be connected into an IV and I wouldn’t move from the computer for days.

It’s the Barbie doll lover in me, plus the whole wanting-to-play-God-complex that drive me insane with these Virtual Reality games. Some people get addicted to shoot’em up games online: I get my kicks off shopping for my avatars and building punk and Goth neighborhoods.

I discovered Second Life reading an article a year ago about a guy who was sued by a big fashion brand, because he was creating items for sale in Second Life, using the brand’s name and selling them. The concept of Second Life intrigued me, and as someone who is into the idea of the Internet, one day, becoming a VR vehicle (Web 3.0?), I thought I’d check it out.

Again, my graphics card let me down: my avatar moved slowly, the scenarios took hours to load, and I couldn’t make much of the experience. But I got the taste, and now, even with poor graphics, I can’t help but to visit this alternate world every now and then. And when I do, hours seems to fly by in the real world, and I forget about everything: I don’t eat, I don’t talk, I don’t walk the dogs, and I’m oblivious to what is happening outside this bubble.

What is Second Life?

Second Life is an alternative world, created by a mysterious organization called Linden Labs. It was born as a platform for graphic designers to create digital art. There, people represent themselves by creating alter egos called avatars. Later on, Internet users began using Second Life as a game, and as a means to meet other people. Actually, there are people who use Second Life as a business, creating clothes and items, and selling them to other users, using the Second Life currency, the Linden Dollar.

In Second Life, you can find all sorts of worlds (called “islands”), where people meet and do things, much the same way they do in real life: you can chat; shop and dance; you can also fly. For someone with a good Internet connection, and a great graphics card, it’s the perfect excuse to get away without leaving your house.

It’s a bit difficult to explain what Second Life is, and the best thing I can say is that if you’re reading this, perhaps you should give it a try. I’m a newbie in it, so there are surely things you can do in Second Life that I haven’t figured out yet. Actually, I’m trying to steer clear of the icon in my desktop, or I’m sure I’ll just disappear into the realms of it. By the way, my avatar’s name is Sinead Helendale. Cool, right?