This seems like a very simple assignment. Discuss your experiences in Second Life. Easy enough. Yet I find my descriptions to be ineloquent and inept. Why is this? Is it because my clumsy attempts in Second Life, when translated into text, become awkward explanations?
It’s hard to pinpoint. You may think I’m reading too much into this…and you may be right in thinking that. But there’s something about describing something you’ve never really experienced before.
Most things are easy to describe. They’re common knowledge. If you haven’t experienced them than someone else has. You can emulate what others have said. But I find myself in new territory here: explaining a virtual world. And in all honesty, before this class existed, I had no idea anything to this extent existed.
It’s a beautiful world. But in the same way that our world is beautiful. It has it’s flaws and perversions, but at the core of it there’s beauty. There’s friendships. Everyday interactions. Uncertainty. A wondering about what were doing there. What are we supposed to be doing there? What are others doing there? Are there certain codes and conventions that need to be followed? Are we mimicking the larger, “real” life? Or creating new rules to abide by? Again, it’s hard to describe.
It’s hard for me to answer questions like these, since like any society, you have to be familiar with the codes and conventions before you can begin to fit in. People notice when you’re new.
Hopefully by the end of the semester I’ll have somewhat of a clearer picture.
Agape
A Picture Taken Of Me During My Presentation
Friday, January 25, 2008
Frustrated Fun!
I'm slowly learning more and more about Second Life, which is of course immensely helpful. I’ve learned more about editing my avatar’s appearance (it’s funny how I want to say “my” appearance and not “my avatar’s” hmmmm, it’s happening already!). So my avatar is no longer dressed in a sparkly skirt and tube top that was acquired at the freebie store.
I had a few more frustrations on Second Life. The computer that I was working on was really slow and crashed 3 times. As well, there was a huge lag on my computer so I was (I’m just going to use “I”)…so I was walking backwards for a long time and going through floors and ending up underwater or frozen…all kinds of occurrences! Luckily, I was able to switch computers early enough on Thursday’s class so that I could fully explore the cruise ship. It’s so helpful to be able to teleport to where your friends are. That came in very handy! I got to go skydiving which was pretty awesome. I wasn’t wearing a parachute, so of course I fell as soon as I landed, but it was a really cool experience since it’s not something I’ve done in real life. It definitely made me want to sample all Second Life has to offer.
At the water park, I was able to do a dive off the diving board but ran out of time before I got a hang of the slide. I was actually walking down the slide for awhile there…
It’s also really interesting that you can take snapshots of your adventures and email them to people. I was shocked when a member of the class said he walked in on an intimate moment of others on the cruise ship. It honestly blows my mind, all of what goes on in Second Life. But a hopefully-more-articulate response to that in my next post.
I had a few more frustrations on Second Life. The computer that I was working on was really slow and crashed 3 times. As well, there was a huge lag on my computer so I was (I’m just going to use “I”)…so I was walking backwards for a long time and going through floors and ending up underwater or frozen…all kinds of occurrences! Luckily, I was able to switch computers early enough on Thursday’s class so that I could fully explore the cruise ship. It’s so helpful to be able to teleport to where your friends are. That came in very handy! I got to go skydiving which was pretty awesome. I wasn’t wearing a parachute, so of course I fell as soon as I landed, but it was a really cool experience since it’s not something I’ve done in real life. It definitely made me want to sample all Second Life has to offer.
At the water park, I was able to do a dive off the diving board but ran out of time before I got a hang of the slide. I was actually walking down the slide for awhile there…
It’s also really interesting that you can take snapshots of your adventures and email them to people. I was shocked when a member of the class said he walked in on an intimate moment of others on the cruise ship. It honestly blows my mind, all of what goes on in Second Life. But a hopefully-more-articulate response to that in my next post.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Exploring Second Life
New name: Agape Avro...I think I like it even better than the last. (I had to make a new account since mine had expired)
I was very impressed with Second Life. I was absolutely amazed with how much you could alter your avatars appearance. I also found it very interesting to see how other people in the class altered the appearances of their avatars.
It was very helpful to gather together as a group on orientation island. I also liked the "notes" you receive when clicking on signs so that you can always pull up a note to remember how to do things such as changing your appearance. So far I have only been to orientation island and the store where you can get freebies. I was able to get new outfits, cars and even a house I believe...now it will just be figuring out how to use them and what to do with them. It was also really neat to learn how to fly. On a side note, I was very surprised to learn in lecture that people would put alot of money into something like this. However, now that I'm starting to see what is available in Second Life and all the possibilities that could emerge from spending some money, I can see the appeal of having some Linden dollars. If you saw something you really wanted to have for your avatar, I can definitely understand how one would be tempted to spend money. Especially since the actual Second Life experience is free.
I still think I need to spend alot of my own time on Second Life to really get a feel for how everything works and get comfortable with exploring the virtual world. So far I'm impressed with Second Life but I think I will enjoy it alot more once I understand all the codes and conventions involved and can navigate with ease.
I was very impressed with Second Life. I was absolutely amazed with how much you could alter your avatars appearance. I also found it very interesting to see how other people in the class altered the appearances of their avatars.
It was very helpful to gather together as a group on orientation island. I also liked the "notes" you receive when clicking on signs so that you can always pull up a note to remember how to do things such as changing your appearance. So far I have only been to orientation island and the store where you can get freebies. I was able to get new outfits, cars and even a house I believe...now it will just be figuring out how to use them and what to do with them. It was also really neat to learn how to fly. On a side note, I was very surprised to learn in lecture that people would put alot of money into something like this. However, now that I'm starting to see what is available in Second Life and all the possibilities that could emerge from spending some money, I can see the appeal of having some Linden dollars. If you saw something you really wanted to have for your avatar, I can definitely understand how one would be tempted to spend money. Especially since the actual Second Life experience is free.
I still think I need to spend alot of my own time on Second Life to really get a feel for how everything works and get comfortable with exploring the virtual world. So far I'm impressed with Second Life but I think I will enjoy it alot more once I understand all the codes and conventions involved and can navigate with ease.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A Quick Side Note
Oh and one more quick note. That youtube clip of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” was absolutely insane. I know that doesn’t sound like a very critical or scholarly analysis, but I’m not sure how else to put it or how to describe it in words. It was really unbelievable. I could not believe what I was seeing. That would have taken so much time and effort, not to mention incredible talent. It is absolutely amazing what can be accomplished and replicated in this Virtual World. I am definitely in awe of what is happening in Second Life and eager to be a part of it.
Signing up for a Second Life Account
I’m a person who likes to think things through. What might take another person 5 minutes could take me 30. I was at the name page of Second Life for probably about 10-15 minutes when it could have been a lot faster. I chose the last name “Alter” almost immediately (Destiny and Dreamscape were close runners-up, but I didn’t like the connotations that could be applied to those names…). Anyways! Alter was chosen because I consider this Second life character to be like an alter ego. For my first name I chose Agape. I’ve always liked that word because it means love, specifically selfless love. Also, as you may be able to tell by the name of this blog, I’m a big fan of alliteration. Next was the web page titled, “Welcome Agape Alter!”…although the name sounds kind of weird, I like it.
Following this, I had to choose an avatar. I quickly chose the girl next store. Unfortunately, it was after this screen that I accidentally closed the webpage – frustrating. Luckily, I was able to sign back in as a resident with my name and password. Thus far, however, I have not been able to figure out how to get back to choosing my avatar’s appearance and fiddling around with those types of details. I was able to read lots of information about how to do it, and how to go to events and join communities…but I’m not sure how to get back to where I was. I want to get to the Orientation Island that was discussed in class. I considered making a new avatar, and almost did, but somehow I’m already attached to this one so I’m hoping that in tomorrow’s class I can get back on track. At the very least I created a name and account and am a registered resident. I can’t wait to actually explore the virtual world and go to different events and meet people. It all seems very surreal…probably because it is! I couldn’t believe that this can actually be a person’s job and that lots of money can be made in Second Life in areas such as real estate. By looking around, I think it will also be interesting to find things to do without having any money. I haven’t done much yet, but I am excited to find out how to navigate the site and explore the world of Second Life. I am also grateful that I am alongside a class who is new to this so that I can not only learn with them but also have friends on Second Life! I’m looking forward to class tomorrow and hoping I can figure out how to get back to creating my avatar and onto Orientation Island!
Following this, I had to choose an avatar. I quickly chose the girl next store. Unfortunately, it was after this screen that I accidentally closed the webpage – frustrating. Luckily, I was able to sign back in as a resident with my name and password. Thus far, however, I have not been able to figure out how to get back to choosing my avatar’s appearance and fiddling around with those types of details. I was able to read lots of information about how to do it, and how to go to events and join communities…but I’m not sure how to get back to where I was. I want to get to the Orientation Island that was discussed in class. I considered making a new avatar, and almost did, but somehow I’m already attached to this one so I’m hoping that in tomorrow’s class I can get back on track. At the very least I created a name and account and am a registered resident. I can’t wait to actually explore the virtual world and go to different events and meet people. It all seems very surreal…probably because it is! I couldn’t believe that this can actually be a person’s job and that lots of money can be made in Second Life in areas such as real estate. By looking around, I think it will also be interesting to find things to do without having any money. I haven’t done much yet, but I am excited to find out how to navigate the site and explore the world of Second Life. I am also grateful that I am alongside a class who is new to this so that I can not only learn with them but also have friends on Second Life! I’m looking forward to class tomorrow and hoping I can figure out how to get back to creating my avatar and onto Orientation Island!
First Reactions to the Course
When I first signed up for this class I had no idea that it was about virtual worlds, I just remember reading “Advanced Research in Cultural Industries.” Needless to say, I was a little surprised when I heard Professor Kennedy describing the course. I had never heard of Second Life before and was very relieved to read on the course syllabus that advanced technical skills were not required.
Every semester I course shop. Each semester I sign up for 6 classes and drop one of them. I also attend classes I’m not registered in just so that I can determine which classes I am most interested in and would enjoy taking. Although I was initially a little intimated by the explanation of this course, the idea of virtual worlds intrigued me. I was also very impressed with the structure of the course and fascinated by the fact that the presentations would taken place in the world of Second Life.
I have never participated in something like Second Life before, but in class I was hoping that it would be interesting and addictive so that my experiences in Second Life wouldn’t feel like school work. Although I still have some questions about Second Life and how everything will play out, I am really looking forward to see how this class evolves. By the end of the first class I knew that - although I am not at all tech savvy – this was a course I wanted to stay in. I even told students in my next class all about the course and showed them the syllabus (and made one of my friends switch into it!).
Students have commented that a lot of courses in the Communications program can tend to be repetitive and that although you can look at the information from lots of different angles…it still always feels like the same information. That’s what I like about this class. It’s something I know nothing about and have barely even heard anything about. Also, the ideas are modern and developing so it feels like you’re a part of the “cutting-edge” of technology. I am definitely looking forward to learning about virtual realities and seeing how this class unfolds.
Every semester I course shop. Each semester I sign up for 6 classes and drop one of them. I also attend classes I’m not registered in just so that I can determine which classes I am most interested in and would enjoy taking. Although I was initially a little intimated by the explanation of this course, the idea of virtual worlds intrigued me. I was also very impressed with the structure of the course and fascinated by the fact that the presentations would taken place in the world of Second Life.
I have never participated in something like Second Life before, but in class I was hoping that it would be interesting and addictive so that my experiences in Second Life wouldn’t feel like school work. Although I still have some questions about Second Life and how everything will play out, I am really looking forward to see how this class evolves. By the end of the first class I knew that - although I am not at all tech savvy – this was a course I wanted to stay in. I even told students in my next class all about the course and showed them the syllabus (and made one of my friends switch into it!).
Students have commented that a lot of courses in the Communications program can tend to be repetitive and that although you can look at the information from lots of different angles…it still always feels like the same information. That’s what I like about this class. It’s something I know nothing about and have barely even heard anything about. Also, the ideas are modern and developing so it feels like you’re a part of the “cutting-edge” of technology. I am definitely looking forward to learning about virtual realities and seeing how this class unfolds.
Why Blogging?
This blog was created as a requirement for the University Course: Cultural Studies of Virtual Worlds that is offered at Brock University. This blog will include notes and observations about my experiences in the virtual world, “Second Life”.
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