And I thought one life was enough!

So, get this. A few nights ago I downloaded the online MUD (multi-user domain) game, called "Second Life." Let's just say, it was quite the experience.

First off, I should let you know that, believe it or not, I'm a nerd. There's nothing more that I love than to jump on an online gaming platform like Xbox Live and take down some noobs (Colloquial term in nerd-speak: noob: (n.) shortened version of newbie; someone who is a novice or inexperienced). I'm also a heavy player of Minecraft, which if you've never heard of it please watch this video...

You would think that all of this would lead to me loving Second Life, but it was actually quite the opposite. Let's break down my impression to three easy to digest points:

1. What first irked me was that fact that it killed my bandwidth. It slowed my computer down to a snail's pace and simple tasks like opening my internet browser were now made cumbersome. And let's just point out that even though it hogged up all of my processing power, it delivered less than impressive graphics.
2. Glitchy! All that I wanted to do was customize my avatar to at least resemble myself, and that was impossible. I eventually gave up my futile attempts and picked a pre-made avatar that was already avaliable.
3. The whole format of the HUD (heads-up display) was confusing and complex. I'm believer in clean lines and minimalism when it comes to displaying information while I'm playing a game, and Second Life was quite the opposite. Clunky and littered with hundreds of buttons that would overwhelm any new user like myself!

*Shutters*

Though it would seem that there's a point to take home about my experience. It was interesting to see how people interacted online versus face-to-face! Truth be told, if I hadn't met most of the people I saw on Second Life before in class, I would have very different image of them. Avatars allow users to idealize their image and explore fashion that they wouldn't try out in the real world. Those funky boots that they've always wanted to try wearing are now OK online!

It's fascinating to ponder where technology will take us, and how it'll change the way we view the social experience. Perhaps one day the term, "real world" will mean something quite different than it does now!