A New Appreciation

After reading the article in the previous blog about Second Life, it really made me think about the game in a whole new way. Before I had envisioned Second Life as a game for people who were disappointed with their own lives and sought a virtual alternative. Maybe they had failing relationships, jobs, or friendships in their own lives and wished to create new ones in a separate dimension. For them, they're bored with the lives they are living and want a social change.

But the article addresses the idea of people who are medically unable to form the social connections most of us are used to in our lives. For example, Simon has cerebral palsy in real life. But in SL he has the ability to "freely socialize, dance, and even run a business" in his nightclub, all things that would be difficult for him to achieve in the real world. Ashley, a mute in real life, is in a similar situation, and is a popular, successful character in the SL world.

I have a new appreciation for the game now that I have become aware of some different people that use it. Not everyone involved with SL is just bored with themselves or their social lives - some people honestly wish to seek an alternative world to interact with. The internet is something that brings everyone back to square one - a series of text and an avatar. Any personal disabilities are left behind in the real world once you enter an alternate world like SL. It's truly a place that everyone can be equal and I think that it's a great opportunity for people who haven't always had this chance to experience social equality to get out into a society that can appreciate them for what they're worth.