Archive for October 24th, 2008
Ch. 6 Thoughts
Chapter 6 is titled “Intimacy” and it discusses different relationships through second life. When discussing friendships i saw alot in the chapter that i sometimes think about while on SL. For example, there are some members in my group that aren’t friends with me on SL, i rally don’t think about adding friends on SL like on facebook or myspace but when i ask someone to teleport me and they’re not my friend i find myself almost feeling sorry for my avatar, and thinking “aww my avatar doesn’t have any friends!” haha. When discussing romantic relationships within SL, it is actually pretty weird to me. Just for the fact that you can meet another avatar on SL and get to know them through SL and then be like “hey do you want to be my SL boyfriend?” I don’t know that kind of creeps me out a little bit! Also early on in the semester how we discussed avatars having a wedding..and spending ACTUAL money on a wedding!? I don’t know, just my opinion, but i thinks thats sooo weird! The book talks about how people really get into this though, and if thats what they want to do then hey more power to the, i guess i can’t judge just because i don’t agree with it! I guess Sl kind of reminds me of those old chat rooms we all used to go in back in the day and meet new people. You make friend with other avatars not knowing who they really are (unless they are in our class) just like when chatting with someone in a chat room. They could be making up everything they are telling you to portray themselves as someone else, but its the experience of meeting new people that you have, much like in SL. So, what i have learned is that some people take this pretty seriously and this is a form of networking, just like facebook or myspace.
Add comment October 24, 2008
Ch. 5 Thoughts.
In chapter 5, the author discusses the self, in SL. The self is the identity of the avatar and the creator has the option make the avatar just like themselves in actual lfe, or completely different. The way you are viewed on SL give others the impression of who you may be in real life, from the way you dress and interact with other avatars and objects. I know I find myself getting irritated when there is a glitch in the system and I try to put something on my SL avatar and she ends up with no hair. I know its shouldn’t matter but my avatar didn’t have hair for a while and I found myself feeling sorry for it, so I went to freebie shop and found it new hair..unfortunetly it came with some weird party hat that looks like it came from a little kid’s birthday party but whatever, beggers can’t be choosers! I also realized that I need to learn more about how to use items in my inventory, not just because of the little story i just mentioned but, i found a huge box of freebies full of devices to make you mobile (cars, airplanes, snowboards, etc) I decided to get it because, 1, it’s free, and 2, i was looking for little floaty things to put in our pool for the swim up bar. Anyway, one of the item was a blow up alligator raft, so I wanted to see how it worked, went into my invetory and clicked “wear” and unfortunetly it ended up on my head. I thought it was funny at first and just left it, but in real life I would never walk around a waterpark with alligator floaty on my head haha. The chapter discusses apperance and how one can make their avatar look however they want it to. This reminded me of The Office when Dwight’s avatar looked just like him and had his same job. However some people do not want their avatar to be like them in real life, and they have the freedom to creat a whole new identity for themselves, which is pretty cool. In real life you can alter your appearance, but there are still some aspects that you cannot change about yourself that you can do so through your SL character.
Add comment October 24, 2008
Ch. 4 Thoughts
In this chapter the author talks about the importance of visualability and building in SL. I think that discussing design is important because we are creating our own businesses and it is helpful to know how to go about it. I like how the author discusses the way SL avitars can sell land to one another and how, in my opinion, it is much like actual life. When purchasing something from someone, like a house for example, the buyer must investigate the house and decide whether it is worth the price or not. Also, the buyer and seller must agree on a price for the purchase. It is the exact same in SL, we purchased land from another avatar in order to make or swim up bar. Your avatar can decide where they would like to build their land, and what type of land they want. We are making a swim up bar, so naturally we wanted an area nera a beach with a pool. Not only is the land important but the things you put in the land are just as equally important. I was actually able to find alot of freebies that we needed for our swim up bar, for example I got a lot of free alcohol, a water fall and different building materials and textures. I can see how what we are currently doing in class ties inwith this chapter, which is very helpful to know all about purchasing land and what to do withit when you’re done.
Add comment October 24, 2008