So... what *is* SL anyways?

Is it a game? Could you call it a chatroom? Its a virtual world, sure. It combines elements of chatrooms, MMORPGs... but still... it has something deeper about it. A Second Life is one you can choose. Think about it. If you had a choice in your First Life about your name, who you are, how you looked, what you did for a living... how similar would it be to the SL you?

Second Life is not a game, and anyone stupid enough to treat it as such doesn't deserve to have one. People pour their souls and emotions into their avatars, and many it seems (myself included) find it alot easier to admit and discuss personal issues, desires, history in a safe, virtual environment where their revelations will not have any negative effect - if anything, the person confided in feels close and trusted and is therefore more likely to share their own private feelings.

Of course, you have to draw a line somewhere between First and Second lives. It's doubtful that anyone in RL would love to hear about what crazy shit you get up to in SL, but it seems that SL friends can't get enough details and private info about my RL *lol* I wonder why... So, a sensible person has to decide what to reveal, what not to reveal... and whether to make anything up, invent something about themselves to make their RL seem more exciting. I can safely say I have never done this. I know my RL isnt particularly exciting or interesting, but who I am is a fact and not something I can invent as a piece of fiction - my imagination isn't quite up to that!

I know some people make shit up sometimes, and it doesn't hurt to give everyone an exciting, interesting story about what you did in the office yesterday, its fun :) But dont use it to play with people's emotions, guys. The biggest problem you'll encounter is when somebody asks you to prove it. What the fuck you gonna do huh? I think of the 'dude in a chick suit' examples here. Someone once told me it is predicted that up to 75% of 'women' in SL are in fact men in RL. I have no idea how this can be so... but think about it. 3 out of every 4 women on your SL friends list could be men. Crazy idea huh? But if they have never said "I am a woman in RL" then they aren't lying to you, are they? They aren't hiding it, you're just not asking the right question *lol* :)

So, SL has plenty of opportunities for fantasy and invention, and thats fine - escaping RL is what its all about, losing yourself in different friends, places, activities. But it isn't a game. Real emotions and feelings get hurt and I am constantly aware of this, as are most people I know. Our avatars, no matter how you dress them up, what roles they play, what stories you invent for them, how they act, what they say or why they even exist, are extensions of the real us, and they refelect the best and worst parts of that real person, and thats why this isn't a chatroom or a game - its an alternative world, rooted deeply in a real one.

Esmie xXx