I recently entered a new world and became another person with the help of my PC. By creating an avatar in the virtual world of Second Life I became aware of a developing culture I didn’t know existed. Although intangible and sometimes very extreme in presentation- avatars fly and sometimes wear wings– I found that the world and avatars of Second life are very realistic. There are so many possibilities to personalize and characterize your avatar from appearance to the style of their stride or run. I had a very general cloud labeled “odd” floating through my head when I was introduced to second life. I thought that a virtual life was more of an adjustable fantasy that could become a distraction from real life.
When I went to explain what I was learning so far in college to my mom, I referred to second life as The Sims on Steroids so she could understand the advancement of the avatars. However, once I actually entered and explored second life, I realized that the advancements of this world not only apply to the avatars, but also to the architecture and landscape (this made me rethink the Sims comparison).
I named my avatar Fierce Soulstar. First name Fierce because the word fierce can be a strong characteristic in a person. I wanted my avatar to have a name that presented an image when it was repeated. I can’t predict what someone imagines when they say “Fierce Soulstar” but I think of something that is both confident and unique. I hope the future of my avatar in second life holds true to what I imagine it to be.
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One writer in my Eng. 216 class called SL "The Sims on Crack." I like your metaphor better, but it may be the ways in which our first assignments emphasize the educational aspects of SL and not the crazier content.
ReplyDeleteIMHO (here's some slang for you) you picked the best avatar name in the class.