Manny’s Avatar
Here is a screenshot of the Avatar that I created. He is a cool, buff, tall, gentlemen who boasts unlimited amounts of swag. In a sense, he is everything I am not :(. The role playing feature of this kind of software is definitely engaging and I can see where the name “second life” came from as you have a chance to navigate through an environment in ways you may not in real life.
jenbarker 9:10 pm on November 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I like your description of your avatar. Very funny! I think this type of environment can be almost too engaging for some. My husband has a friend who has no “real” life because he spends every waking minute that he is not working, playing WarCraft.
Eva Ziemsen 11:36 pm on November 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jen,
I thought you might be interested in this, as there are some distinctions between Word of WarCraft and SL.
Warcraft belongs to what is called:
MMORPG—Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game
“In an MMORPG the player assume a role and identity not typically related to his or her real world self and attempts to earn points to move to a higher level within the game.”
http://msitsecondlife.wikispaces.com/Understanding+Online+Worlds
Second Life is best described as a:
Metaverse, which “now come to represent the idea of an online 3D world inhabited by avatars controlled by their real-life counterparts.”
http://msitsecondlife.wikispaces.com/Understanding+Online+Worlds
As the website describes, there are similarities, but also differences.
“A metaverse is similar to an MMORPG but with some big differences. First, in a metaverse, players are not playing a defined role such as a hunter or mage, they are playing a character they have created.
Second, the metaverse typically does not have specific goals or objectives created by the metaverse itself. Players can create their own goals or objectives but they are not an inherent part of the world.
http://msitsecondlife.wikispaces.com/Understanding+Online+Worlds
There is more useful information on that website. They also highlight that may major companies conduct their training in SL.
A metaverse environment can be used for training purposes. As mentioned in the opening of this article IBM and Cisco have both established classroom spaces within a metaverse for training purposes. It is also possible to create create other learning environments in which people can interact to learn about items in 3D. One can imagine providing instruction on how to repair a laptop through a virtual tour of the laptop within the metaverse.
http://msitsecondlife.wikispaces.com/Understanding+Online+Worlds
You may like reading about MMOLE-Massively Multi-learner Online Learning Environments (as they are much more tailored to specific learning and likely present less risk and distractions of the full metaverse of SL).
Let me know what you think. Rest assured there are differences between SL and World of Warcraft. I too know of people who are addicted to this, but they have different incentives than SL entirely.
Eva Ziemsen 11:24 pm on November 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Manny,
Great avatar. As I mentioned to someone else, Dr. Sherry Turkle writes extensively how we can use avatars to act out versions of ourselves that we do not in our real life. She speaks from a psychological perspective and mentions that this can also be a very useful therapeutic method for certain people. I’m not suggesting that in any case with you, but just saying that it is quite normal to create an avatar that is very different from our ‘real’ self. Thanks for your thoughtful message along with your avatar pic.