As I had stated in my previous about Second Life in general and also in class, I did not find Second Life very user friendly- once I had finished my basic tutorials, I was a bit at a loss about how to continue. Had you not listed specific tasks for us to complete (requiring a screenshot) I most likely would have wandered around aimlessly stumbling upon certain components. Prompted by your task of driving, I set off across the bridge where I noticed empty cars and scooters. I chose to drive a car. Driving, though not as exciting as Mario Cart, was pretty easy and required you to again utilize the arrow keys as you do while walking. However, I could not drive as well as I had hoped – running over a bunch of rats that littered the ground. I drove slowly around to the Flight Learning Institute – which I thought was the most fun. Human flight has been a subject of interest from as far back as Ancient Greece and I think it was interesting for Second Life's creator's to utilize flight as a major transportation component. Thus proving the point that this virtual world truly is the platform to do anything and be anyone. I spent the remainder of the game in flight. Again, due to your call for specific tasks I flew to the center of the island to figure out where I could purchase my free stylish chain mail shirt.
All in all I am still undecided about how I feel about Second Life. Not really much of a gamer, although highly sophisticated, this is not something that would appeal to me right away. Though I’m sure as I made my way through each function I would become more intrigued. I can understand how this application is practical and very useful for businesses. In watching that introductory video you had provided, Second Life provides a nice platform for retailers to test products, advertise and conduct market research. (I did not know that the game Slingo was first tested and developed through Second Life.) However, from an anachronistic standpoint, I feel as though this new outlet will provide more “cyber networking” problems. Just as we are seeing new crimes and sociopolitical issues being raised through the use of such platforms as Myspace and Facebook, I feel as though Second Life has the potential to exacerbate that problem. Ultimately, it was hard for me to sit inside in a virtual world on a beautiful summer night when I could be outside in the real world enjoying the actual heat, sights and sounds of summer.
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