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Second Life: When Virtual Becomes Reality
Online gaming has always been popular, since the invention of the internet it is probably in the top three reasons for net usage along with social networking and 'adult' entertainment. However just like the other two, there are drawbacks to becoming too involved with online gaming. In the news last month there was a story about a mother who neglected her three children and pets just because she was so obsessed with a computer game. Obviously this is taking it to the extreme but how easy is it to become too 'into' an online world.
One of the most recognisable names in the world of online gaming is Second Life, an internet phenomenon that has over 15 million users from all around the world. In Second Life people can create a character that either looks like them or takes on an image of what they want themselves to be like (usually the latter, which is why the virtual world is full of bodybuilders and supermodels with names like Destiny and Amber). After creating a character users can then enter Second Life and start interacting with other users whilst building a home and basically creating their own virtual 'life'.
For many users the game is harmless, a way to escape from reality and make friends. However there are aspects of the game that are making people forget about the 'Second' and purely focus on the game as ‘Life’. The woman who neglected her children and ending up killing her pets completely lost control of her actual life, unable to tear herself away from the screen. This may seem like a pretty extreme scenario however there have been plenty of other situations where users have let Second Life and other virtual world games infiltrate their day to day lives.
In 2008 a couple got divorced after the wife caught the husband having an online affair with another Second Life User. Far from being a one off ‘cyber fling’ the two Second Life Users were engaged despite having never met in real life. Plenty of relationships have been affected by the game with users favouring their Second Life as opposed to what is actually going on in real life. The escapism nature of the game can be seen as both a positive and a negative however when you start to only respond to your avatar name, it may be time to switch off the computer.
If the world of virtual gaming has intrigued you, visit http://secondlife.com/ to try it for yourself.