The basics of Second Life's virtual world

Ever since Internet became a widely available tool, people always imagined and used it as a virtual universe for chatting, buying and selling or simply socializing. Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become a secondary, virtual life, for many and on this premise the concept of the metaverse was born. The metaverse is a virtual universe that copies, more or less, the real life Universe and one of the clearest ways to express a metaverse is through what is known today as a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Some of these MMO's create a fantasy world of their own (take for example World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online or Everquest) whereas some simply offer a real-world alternative universe, as is the case of Second Life, one of the most popular such phenomenons on the Internet.

Second Life - Basic Premises
The Second Life metaverse is based on an Earth-like world, known as the Grid. This grid consists of land masses and "free" areas and the world is divided into 256x256 areas of "grid" called Regions. Each of these regions, powered by their own servers, has its own name and a content rating (either Mature or PG), some being more stable than others. The land masses in Second Life are controlled by Linden Research (called Linden Labs in the "game") and each of the program's users are called Residents.

Residents of Second Life have an avatar that can be of either sex, wear different clothing, or have different physical attributes, simulating the "real life" universe entirely. Residents can communicate in this environment by several means, including local chat, which is further divided into normal chat (which can be "heard" in a 25m area), yelling (heard in a 96m area) and whispering (18m area) but Second Life also offers a form of instant messaging for private conversations, regardless of the chatting residents' position in the Grid.

Residents can also buy, sell and manage property and items in Second Life for a currency called the "Linden Dollars" (or simply L$). There's a virtual exchange rate in this metaverse, that fluctuates slightly, but a stable rate seems to be revolving around the 270 Linden Dollars to one US Dollar ratio. You're probably anticipating what I'm going to say next: you can actually make real life US Dollars, using Second Life Linden Dollars. Either by selling land or items, you can cash in some nice income, given the fact that you put some dedication into your Second Life avatar and you can read the virtual economy of its world.

Second Life - Conclusion
So should Second Life be considered a game? Should it be put in the same category as other Massively Multiplayer Online worlds as the ones created by World of Warcraft and the likes? In principle, Second Life doesn't share the same premises that these fantasy worlds offer, for example it has no real objectives, no "levels" and no abilities, which makes many object to the fact that it's a "game" per say. Still, Second Life has the purpose of entertaining its Residents through its simulation of real life, so it's yet unclear whether we should watch it as a game or not. What is clear is that this is becoming a quickly increasing phenomenon that appeals to all genders, all ages and all religions, bringing us closer together in a virtual metaverse than we are in our real lives.

Posted in: The Basics