My Second Life

My Second Life

Second Life is a game that simulates a virtual world. In Second Life (SL) you can do everything you can do in Real Life (RL) and more. Actually, you don't do it - your avatar does. An avatar can be everything from a human to an abstract notion, although most are barbies and he-men. Anyone can create a seductive pole dancer or hulking macho biker guy.

SL is wonderland laid out like an ancient map (here there be dragons) on a grid. The place names are whimsical (Delphi Vistano), realistic (Frankfurt Nord), esoteric (Gourdnak) and commercial (Freebie Heaven). You can wander down a re-creation of The Beatles era Liverpool and drop into the Cavern Club. Visit NASA and wander through a historical exhibition of space vehicles. Browse art created by a RL geisha in training. Some universities have SL-based courses. Yep. Go to college. Play a game. Get graded. Graduate. You can attend a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous or participate in a guided imagery circle meditation. You are limited only by your imagination, server lag and the amount of time you can keep your keister in a chair.

Flying is my favorite thing to do (much like in a dream except you don't have to put your arms out like superman or do that heavy air swimming thing). And then there's the dancing. I'm happy teleporting around playing the free game and doing free stuff (there's plenty of it). Others run their own sims (locations), have private islands and do and wear the best that money can buy. This interactive simulation is always on. At any given time there are around 47,000 participants. Over a million users have signed up. You can meet players from all over the world.

There are tons of interest groups (you're only allowed to join 25). There is an active community creating blogs and sites that focus on SL while linking it to RL. So, you can be offline while online. You can try something in SL you wouldn't dream of doing in RL. Musicians have gotten started this way. Some perform only in SL.

What else you find in SL? Eternal life, as in no one ever dies. Drink all you want and never get drunk. There are money trees where you can pluck free Lindens (the SL currency named after SL's founders). And, yes, free sex, heavy armory and animals that will eat you (if you like that sort of thing).

The catch is that you need a high end computer and high speed internet access to play. Really. That's it. Go play.