Blurring the Lines of Reality

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Second Life is a virtual world accessible via the internet. It is a free client program that enables its users, or “residents,” to interact with each other through avatars. Residents have the ability to explore, socialize, participate in activities and create and trade virtual property and services with one another. This interactive site takes virtual gaming to a whole new level, as it truly lives up to its title: Second Life.

Perhaps you recall the computer game that this resembles almost identically, The Sims. In this game, users are able to create avatars just like in Second Life, and they can explore, socialize and participate in activities as well. In my opinion there are a few major differences between Second Life and The Sims. The first difference is that in The Sims game, users are not able to interact with other users. The Sims that they create can interact with other Sims, but these are computer generated, not user generated. The second involves the parameters set in place by the creators of each respectively. That is, in The Sims allows its users to live within the world of its developers’ imaginations, while Second Life allows the user to push those boundaries and create more for themselves.

These two differences are important in the sense that they set these two similar virtual worlds so far apart from each other. While The Sims is classified as a game, and usually played in this manner as well, Second Life is a way of life for some people. Residents on this site dedicate tons of time and money towards their "second lives," if you will. Second Life has a classification all of its own, actually. There is no manufactured conflict or set objective, it is an open-ended experience for the user.

            So what are the psychological effects that Second Life has on the user? Self-perception has such a great effect on the way that we go about our daily routines. When cloaked in an avatar, confidence and insecurity can change immediately. Not only does this affect how we act when on Second Life, but it can also affect our real life behaviors. Furthermore, on Second Life, the user has the ability to decide what they look like, what kind of house they live in, who they associate with and their profession as well. In this sense, people can be who they would like to be in real life, if they were given the opportunity and resources to make the choice without any restrictions.

            I think that it is unimaginable how much interactive new media, such as Second Life, can affect its users to such a great extent. Not only do media and technology, in general, affect interaction in the sense of less face-to-face contact; but we are now seeing how much interactive media, specifically, can have psychological impacts on an individual.