There are a great deal of differences between real world society and virtual society. One of the major differences is the rules that people are required to follow. In real world there are rules that need to be followed that have a social and legal impact. The rules are more uniform in the real world. With the exception of red tape and differences from one country to another the rules are generally the same everywhere. In the virtual world, the rules are vastly different from one place to another. The social norms are different, but in some areas the rules are strict enough that disobeying will cause you to be booted from the area. One of the strikingly large differences is role-play. In the real world role-play is something that isn’t really encouraged. In the virtual world role-play is encouraged and the players are expected to play by a very strict set of rules usually well explained as you enter the area. Another social norm that seems to be either a little less strict is concerning the friend request. Some people only speak for a second, and some ask before they send a friend request. When one is sent without speaking people tend to get angry as if an obvious social rule was ignored. It can be something new to get used to if you do not play a lot of online games and it’s completely foreign to the real world. Friendship is something that in the real world that happens naturally or not at all. Something about a formal version is awkward. Consequences are another thing that is absolutely confused in a virtual world. There’s a clash between the thought that behind those avatars is real people and the thought that it’s just a game.
It was more personal because we were able to get voice chat working. There’s something about actually being able to hear someone’s voice that makes meetings between people more personal. The ability to experience things together also helped us feel like we were really doing something as a group. In the chat groups work gets done, but there’s not the same sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing things done. It’s not the same as a real world meeting, but it’s a lot more interactive than a simple text based meeting in a chat room. There’s a lot more to do, a lot more to express, and more ways to do it. The avatars are nothing at all like a group experience with real people, but there’s a lot more to it than the standard text based chat.
Virtual worlds like second life enhance learning by giving a platform for people to learn, and collaborate. In Second Life, the ability to meet, talk, and do together causes a different learning experience than just talking about a subject. It lends a great deal to Internet classrooms. Instead of talking about doing something you can really do something. Second Life is not just useful for learning it also is a creative outlet. The difference between this creative outlet and most is that it has a strong push to collaborate. Work done together with others is easier when you are all together in a world where collaboration is an easy thing. When something is simple, and easy to do people tend to do it more often. It encourages not just artistic collaboration, but for everyone to attempt to create. If more people try even just a little to create than more people will be inspired to create more. It helps encourage people to try artistic things, and that causes more people to respect artistic work. The virtual art unlike real art is harder to move, but easily duplicated for sale if that’s the artist’s agenda. Second Life although it has its own economic system can also impact our real income. It’s a game with real consequences.
The screenshots seen above were taken during our group meeting in second life. Our meeting traveled to club experience where we learned how to participate in a dance club.
Another thing that second life has is influences from real companies. Companies like Dell are able to purchase land and use it both for advertisement space and educational space. On Dell Island there is even a museum dedicated to their product. They have multiple screening rooms for many things and a stage for their release parties. Dell Island is an area that's both informative and entertaining. The Dell designers did a good job building an environment that catches people's attention. The entire island is both excellent marketing, and an interesting way to learn a few things. Not just about Dell, but about computers in general. Dell Island also has a nice little souvenir shop and a cafe. It's an interesting take on advertisement that feels more original than the average commercial, sign, or sales pitch.
Our Group met in the Dance Club. It was interesting to see how people reacted and enjoyed the atmosphere. Everyone was dancing and having a good time. It's a lot like the real world in the sense of the music, vibe, and outfits. A lot of people were wearing outfits that people would wear in normal life if they were to go to a club. The interaction between people was also similar. Males and females were dancing, everyone was screaming, singing, and laughing. Our group took the time to meet here and experience it together.
The second role-play area I visited was Renaissance Island. It was a recreation of Victorian England. The people there seemed to be more history oriented than in Roma. There was a lot of educational information on the Victorian times and King Henry. It was an interesting world. There was a nice mix of role-play interest and educational information. Second Life causes a unique immersive experience that short of acting in a ren fair you’ll never get to experience. A renaissance fair is an interesting way to learn about the time period, but mostly the only people who role-play at the events are the actors. In Second Life, everyone who comes has agreed to role-play, and the fact they are there is proof that they have agreed to it. Even going to a fair isn’t the same kind of role-play experience that you’ll get from Second Life. If you truly immerse in it you can become part of it and enjoy a completely different world.
In Roma, there was one of the two role-play areas visited. In this area there was both a market and a more classical Roman area. The digital Rome came complete with causeways, gladiatorial combat, and chariot races. It was a very immersive area where people are friendly and enjoy getting into the spirit of a world set in ancient Rome. It was a place of commerce, community, and togas. It was a fun world made to simulate Rome, but there will never be a way to capture the real massive feeling of a city like Rome. Digital people are not the same as a crowded city street. There was a strict set of role-play rules, but the rules helped to keep the entire community in the spirit of an ancient Roman experience. The rules even extended to appropriate dress that could be provided free when you agree to their rules.
In this area, there are both auditory and visual effects to give players in SL a sense of what it means to experience schizophrenia. All throughout the tour, you’re constantly bombarded with voices telling you that you are wrong, you are not real, you are worthless, and that you should kill yourself. When you looked at books all the text faded away with the exception of the word “Death,” the floor disappeared and visions became distorted. One of the stories in the area was of a person who saw himself die in the mirror every morning, and it had a picture that would distort when looked at. The area does give an eerie feeling, but it’s not the same as experiencing a mental illness in real life. It shows a short example of the symptoms, but does not convey the true feelings of that kind of torment.
