What Is Second Life?

I just read an article in The New York Times that does a pretty good job of explaining Second Life. You can read it here. Most articles in popular media seem to concentrate on the more bizarre aspects of virtual worlds, but this one does a credible job of explaining a much more common experience.

In real life we want a home. In SL the author has an adobe hacienda which he has furnished. In real life we want friends. In SL he has neighbors and friends that he socializes with.

There are many things we want in real life that we can’t have for whatever reason, but in second life you can have them. You can be whatever you want, anything from a homeless hobo to a real estate baron.

There are entertainment venues for dancing and concerts. There are places to shop, explore, dance, meditate… name it and you’ll probably find it.

There are also areas for people into the fantasy genre where you can have a quiet faerie cottage in the woods or a huge fortified castle. You can even live in a treehouse or a giant flower.

Want to explore a hobbit house? There are a few of those around. How about a walk through a haunted cemetery? Yep, you can do that too it if you want to.

In your explorations you will come across all kinds of people and creatures. You may even spot a dragon or two.

Second Life is good.