Gone were the days of PONG and Donkey Kong. Games as such interest us no more. Browse through the games available now and sometimes it’s almost astonishing how life-like games can be these days. Games, be it on a Playstation 3, X-Box Live or PC, have evolved so much that gaming alone has become more than just entertainment. Gamers who are into Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game’s (MMORPG) such as World of Warcraft (WOW) are invited to a whole new world. A whole new social online environment is presented to them where people forge friendships, make money, escape reality and, of course, accomplish missions and increase in ranks. (Levy, 2006)
Games are no longer just for mere entertainment anymore. It has crossed boundaries and brought societal factors into them. Some people may consider Second Life (SL) a game. Personally, Second Life is not a game. It is a virtual reflection of life. REAL LIFE! Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, has made it in a manner where there is no manufactured conflict and no particular set objective. Members of Second Life are basically, introduced to a virtual open-ended experience. (Kalning, 2007)
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world that has been built by members also known as “residents” in it. Imagine locating a new island and moving a 300 strong population to that new island. Give them the resources and materials to start a life there and build everything from scratch. That’s Second Life for you. One of the only differences is that you cannot die. “Residents” in SL can buy and sell stuff, flirt with others, have sex, build buy and sell property, listen and watch virtual concerts, play games, watch movies etc.
Unlike WOW, there are no quests or objectives to fulfill. Players of WOW have missions to complete, level up their characters with experience points like other games. SL, however, has no such clear objectives or missions. Objectives of “residents” are according to what they want to achieve. For example, if you wanted to buy a nice house in SL, you would have to work for your money and buy it. If not build it yourself. Just like in real life.
Users of SL are not only in it for entertainment. SL has its own economy and currency. And like every wolf pack around a limping deer, opportunity awaits. Some SL users turn their virtual money into real money. The “work” element in SL is what makes it unique. Linden Labs has welcomed users with entrepreneurial inclinations to use them in SL. As hard as it is to wrap an idea of such around your head, SL has its own currency called Linden dollars, which can easily be traded for U.S dollars at an official currency site. SL also encourages and supports the imaginative by allowing users to retain copyright for their creations. Meaning, you can create anything you want in SL and with intellectual property laws residing in the virtual world, you can be sure that your product is protected. People have designed clothes, build products, set up retail stores, and dabble with property for Linden dollars. (Tiffany, 2007)
It is without a doubt that SL could be an excellent money making opportunity. Anshe Chung was referred as the “Rockefella” of Second Life. She has single handedly built an online business that deals with property development, brokerage and arbitrage of virtual land making her a millionaire. Her accomplishments have been featured in magazines such as Business Week, Fortune and Red Herring. (Wikipedia Anshe Chung, 2007) How then, can you still evaluate Second Life as just a game when clearly, it aims to be an alternative life for users in both aspects of work and play.
References:
Levy, S. (2007). World of Warcraft: Is It a Game? Retrieved on April 07, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098/
Kalning, K (2007). If Second Life isn’t a game, what is it? Retrieve on April 07, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17538999/wid/11915829/
Tiffany, L (2007). Starting a Second Life business. Retrieved on April 07, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17280460/
Anshe Chung (2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 07, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anshe_Chung
No comments:
Post a Comment