I really wanted to love Second Life. I was very excited by the user interface and what I considered to be the gorgeous virtual world that so many members worked doubtlessly so hard to create. After putting careful thought into my avatar’s appearance and making sure I understood how to navigate the world well, I regularly visited different islands and tried to make friends. Although I did connect with a couple of really nice people who were very generous with their time (teaching me how to use the interface better), eventually I lost interest.
The reason I think was simply that flying around Second Life to me was like walking around a ghost town. Maybe it is because I live in Asia and the times that I was online fewer users were connected. I dunno. After a while I grew tired of visiting buildings and looking at new clothes for the avatar. There just weren’t enough PEOPLE there to connect with! I really did want that site to work. I guess I still do. I even spent one new years eve in an inworld disco.
I think my younger brother’s reaction when I first showed it to him summed it up best.
After extolling the virtues of Second Life and showing him a few fun features and islands he remarked, “So it is a glorified chat room, right?”
I was at a loss for words at first, wanted to defend SL…...but eventually, I had to concede, “Yeah, I guess it is.” Anyone who has used chat rooms knows they are really dull places if nobody is chatting.