The next task for the class was to go out into the virtual world and get to know the inhabitants. We had to find people we could relate to through their interests or the activities they enjoyed doing within the Second Life world. This wasn't going to be difficult. With millions of people and every real life activity given a virtual counterpart within Second Life, all you had to do was decide which of your interests you wanted to discuss with those around you, then let the search bar do the rest of the work.
The first person I wanted to talk to was the man who I had found playing a 'live' gig in Fibber McGee's the week previously, Al Hoffman. He was playing another set in a different venue this week, which I found out about from his news letter that I had signed up for. He actually remembered me from the gig he played in Fibber's the previous week. After his set, I had a chat with him over a 'pint' to learn more about what he does in Second Life.
In person, he has an expensive microphone and sound system set up for his computer. Using a drum and bass machine program on his computer, he plays guitar and occasionally sings into his microphone to make his music. Avatars watch his avatar plays the music on the venue's virtual stays while he, in real life, plays away in front of his computer.
I found this interesting, but I wasn't sure what else to think about it. In real life, he's a struggling musician who lives from one show to the next. But in Second Life, he's a star with thousands of fans. He plays in some of the biggest virtual venues in the virtual world. But he doesn't ever let his virtual and real life cross over. He would never use his online notoriety to try sell albums in real life. Yet he still puts hundreds of his own euro into a very sophisticated microphone and sound system.
But as a struggling musician, part of me can relate to him as I always wanted to try and make a career out of music. But how do you prioritize with your real life career and the fame you've wanted all your life in online form?
When looking at the menu in things to do, the games caught my eye. I teleported myself to a place called 'Siden City', which was some kind of Fantasy/Horror role-playing area. You chose the scenario, get a book of the rules and then it just... Evolves from there. I just sat in on one role-playing session to get a feel for what happened in this area and it was pretty remarkable. This was role-playing in Second Life. Role-playing within role-playing. It was like Inception.
But with the initial confusion anyone would feel from discovering this for the first time, I then got into it myself, even embraced it to an extent. In games like Mass Effect, Heavy Rain and any open-ended choice-based games, you are role-playing because you become the character and vice versa in the journey. As a big fan of those types of games, it didn't take me very long to figure out how it worked. You and your group (with the help of your chosen scenario and the Second Life setting) make the story but you also react to it and you just keep going until the events work themselves into some kind of conclusion.
After the role-playing session, I talked to one of the regular role-players by the name of Kimberly. She explained that if you tried to play these kinds of games in real life, it would be difficult to find anyone to play along. To find anyone who is into role-playing Dungeons and Dragons type stuff just doesn't happen in California, where she lives, because everyone spends all their time outside. Sport, beaches, shopping and such are what people where she's from do with their lives. But on Second Life, she can come to Siden and do some role-playing whenever she wants. She too is a hardcore gamer like myself and, after recommendations from some of her virtual friends, gave the role-playing a try and was instantly drawn into it.
The best thing I have learned from my week of making new friends is that no matter who you are, what you like or how obscure your hobbies are, you'll find someone you can relate to on Second Life. It is always possible to find someone who you can be friends with.
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