Bonus Mission #2: Just Another Game?

With the recent rise in technology, the thin line separating the real and virtual world is consistently blurring. Nowadays, what’s virtual could very well be as real as taking a walk down orchard road or grocery shopping at Cold Storage. This is especially true for the online gaming age, which we seem to be very caught in as we indulge in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMO. In addition, the more time we spend in cyberspace and living our virtual lives, the more real the virtual world becomes to us.

Computer games today are no longer as simple as the concept of Super Mario on Nintendo but have progressed to a level of sophistication even higher than we could ever fathom. Online games today allow players to infuse their personalities and traits into the virtual world, which makes the online experience more real than just virtual. Some examples of such Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games are World of Warcraft and Second Life.

As the name of the game suggests, Second Life allows the player to bring his life into the virtual realm and literally live out his “second life” which is only separated from him by a computer screen. To many, Second Life may just be yet another online game for the gamer with too much time to waste. However, what many do not know s that Second Life is really more than just another game. What if people knew that avatars could be custom-made to look just like them and that they can take on roles or jobs which they really own in reality? What if Second Life is really the world but only trapped within the computer screen? What if real relationships can be forged and business dealings can be discussed and clinched in Second Life? Would Second Life still count as being a mere online game to help pass the time?

The truth is, Second Life is larger than life and players can see so much of themselves in the game. Second Life is an extension of one’s life. According to Steven Levy (2006), for millions around the world, a game like Second Life is “more than a game – it’s an escape, an obsession and a home.” Players can express the way they want to express their true self in the Second Life realm. The sense of repression can be released in this unique form of life. Through Second Life, players even forge social bonds and there have even been instances where players do get married in real life after getting to know each other better on Second Life. Business dealings have also been made and not only Linden dollars but also real currency have been exchanged. This is a virtual world, which transcends age, distance, and nationality. In this 3D virtual world, “[r]esidents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items and services from one another” (Second Life, 2007).

Finally, mere computer games are made in ways in which the player’s personality does not have much opportunity to shine through. Ethics and morals are usually unheard of and the only way to behave is in accordance to the rules of the game. Second Life however, allows people’s real values and personal choices to shine through. This feature alone makes Second Life more real and adds to the human touch. With relation to the other popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, World of Warcraft, which “is a fantasy world, [where] the interaction between guilds and individuals relies on human choices and morals” (Steven Levy, 2007), Second Life too allows the social norms and rules in reality to be applied to the virtual world.

Thus, with so much of reality weaved into Second Life, I find it almost ridiculous to classify Second Life under the category of “just another game” because it really is so much more. In addition to it being a game, Second Life encourages freedom of expression and self-experimentation through the different ways of self-portrayal. It also doubles as a social network backed up by strong social bonds and real human relationships. It is no wonder then to see people taking their lives on Second Life so seriously. If relationships, ethics, morals, economy and so much more elements of our real world are explored through Second Life, how can we still call it “just another game”?


References

Second Life. (2007, April 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved, April 6 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Life&oldid=120268909

Levy, S. (2007). In World of Warcraft: Is It a Game. Retrieved April 6 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098/.