Bonus Mission 2

Bonus Mission 2
Why is Second Life not a game?

The Sims and World of Warcraft both have the ability to create your own individual characters. Just like Second Life you are able to tailor the characters to your liking. Long or short hair, tall or thin, fat or skinny, Male or female, these games allow you to create a virtual image of your perceived self. You are able to create a totally new and cyber character which either resembles yourself or is totally the opposite.

In the real world you are unable to alter your appearances with a click of a button, or resurrect your dead character with a series of commands, in the real world if you get hit by a bus or a speeding train you are dead. However, in games like Second Life and The Sims you are basically immortal, the ‘superman’ of the virtual world. You are able to create that person you desire to be, you are able to be who you cannot be in the real world, you have created the ‘superman’ of yourself.

The distinction between the virtual and the real world has not much debate. The differences are there and it is very obvious for everyone to notice between a computer game and the real world. “The physical pain comes only from hitting a keyboard too hard, camaraderie is the norm and heroism is never far away” (Levy 2006).

How second life or other computer games be used more than just entertainment value. For one it functions as a social network that connects millions of users worldwide. It also enables the capitalist nature of the common individual to capitalize on the ventures of the virtual world. They set up virtual businesses and thus enable people who do not have any experience whatsoever a taste at starting up a business. It allows them to build their self confidence and also allow greater cohesion between other individuals. As figure show that Second Life uses has soared to 5 million users since it started up.

I say why people view Second life than more than a game is because that it brings out the real you. You can paint a false picture of yourself and you can do things that you cannot do in the real world. As Castronova (2005) said “There's a nascent politics. There's policy. There's speech and assembly. There's terror and reaction.” All similar to that of the real world, we cannot deny that these games are not making us who we really are.
References

Levy, S. (2006). World of Warcraft: Is it a game. Newsweek.

Castronova, E. (2005) "Synthetic Statehood and the right to assemble." , Date retrieved 6th April 2007.