What! There are now virtual worlds?! After reading a blog titled MyFaceBeBook I was inspired to catch a glimpse of just how far internet extremist are willing to push the stone over the line. In my Google searches I stumbled across the words “meet new friends,” which lead to a webpage titled “There.com” At There.com you can literally create your own virtual world. You can build a home, create a city, attend parties, fashion shows, start up our own business, adopt pets check out the clubbing scene and wait for it………you can even pay real dollars in exchange for virtual dollars in order to buy and sell pretend merchandise and real-estate through this illusory domain. Yes that’s right, PRETEND.
Wow, ‘how exciting’ I thought to myself as I gazed at the two cartoon figures and they’re cute little PRETEND dog accompanied by the background image of their PRETEND dream home. I was so intrigued by the cutesy fuzzy pictures that I clicked on the ‘join now for free’ button and began to construct my very own imaginary world. The first step was to choose my avatar name and then I could decide which hair style I wanted out of espresso bob, cocoa Halle and blonde dancer. But not to worry there was a popup message assuring me I could change my style later with a larger variety of cuts on offer after you sign up. PHEW! Next was chocolate caramel or vanilla, I knew I was resemblent of a vanilla complexion, but what the heck, this is a virtual world, I can do whatever I want. So I went for the caramel skin tone to give me that sun kissed glow.
Sounding pathetic? I couldn’t continue, It was just too damn stupid, what’s creepy is that this isn’t even child’s play. There.com is aimed at the adult demographic, the consumer groups with money to spend. But surely sites such as these gain little if not no success? EEER! Wrong. There are actually hundreds of these virtual world sites which raise huge profits with sales rising up to $526 million in North America in 2006. Additionally Screen Digest Limited in London predicts that 80% of active Internet users will join a virtual world by the end of 2011. These contextualised realms incorporate themes such as gravity, real-time, communication, visual gesture, sound, and forms using touch and balance senses to make the second life experience as realistic as possible. To me this type of internet frenzy commotion is straight up crazy. I mean investing genuine green for virtual cash? Get real.
http://jokerscard.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/myfacebebook/
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070522_380944.htm
This is what lead on to the famous Second life (there that is) or should I say infamous. It’s an interesting concept, and really for alot of people it isn’t more than the Sims with a community. The Sims being the highest selling game of all time, and its hard to find someone who did get addicted to that atleast once.
While it’s odd to play pretend, it stems from the mundaneness (not a word I know) of life. Even if you’re out partying every 2nd night it gets rather boring rather quick. So alot of people turn to these for the same escapaism as reading a book used to bring. But as I see I’m ranting again so to summarise…
These virtual worlds are rather lame. I’ve played a couple but mostly ending up getting banned for getting caught up in raids (which I may blog about another time) as the concept bores me to tears other wise. But really we’re all guilty of playing pretend. Every day we leave the house putting on a image pretending we’re something we’re not.. Aren’t we all just naked monkeys anyway?
I believe if people’s lives are so shit as to resort to a virtual life the amount of time and effort used creating and living these virtual lives could rather be well spent improving their REAL lives. By sitting looking a computer screen gaining false happiness from a pretend world isn’t a positive way of living an active and fulfilled life. Yes some of us may pretend in public or put on their professional face, but the real you could be spent really building your dream home or trying to pursue real dreams, not hours wasted on a completely fabricated life. I guess if people just used it as a form of entertainment it could be fine, but I think lots of people will end up thinking about their virtual lives more than the their real lives. To me, It’s just weird.
false happiness?
what is this false happiness. getting happiness out of a false world still counts as real happiness, does it not? and any way what is this happiness anyway.
It may be real hapiness but the hapiness wil only last as long as your on the computer then bam! you realise your lifes shit, mostly beacuse you spend too much time buying virtual realestate.
Is it fair to say that these people do this because they have shit lives?
Or is this just another form of entertainment?
Like a video game for instance, its all fake! Yes but its no different to this dream world you speak of. It is also almost like TV or Movies, these are all fantasy driven THINGS.
Even real life things are fantasy to a point, take girls for instance. They all buy makeup and flashy jewelry, Why? to make them selves feel better yes? But you if you take that all away, you are left with that shit person that was always there. Is this not FAKE? If so does that make every girl pathetic?
Let people be happy doing what ever they want to do, whether its wasting time and money on fake real estate, or wasting time and money on a fake image.
I guess I can agree with you to an extent, as in it could be just entertainment like film, theatre etc. But somehow these virtual worlds seem so much more intrusive. Watching a movie is today’s version of the ancient story telling. Story tellers in historic times where worshiped and the event of a telling was an important occasion that the whole village would attend. The human race have craved fantasy for centuries. But to me there are instances where the line is crossed. Simply embracing a story or fantasy then moving on (like watching a movie) is partially different to living and existing in the fantasy (which is the purpose of a virtual world). Again it would depend on how the user views and uses the virtual world. In the instance that they play merely for fun (entertainment), I guess I would have no objection. But it is widely known that some players of virtual worlds care more about their image, success and health online than in their real existence. This is essentially where the line is crossed. As for the makeup, good argument. Yes of course it’s fake, you’re not born with jewels or mascara but you’re also not born with clothes a flashy car or dax wax. They are still apart of one’s real life even if they do elude fake connotations. In essences it’s a wholly separate category of fake one which is in real life, one which is experienced by real people! Lastly yes if people get their kicks from these virtual worlds I will not stop them. But I still don’t believe it’s healthy or time worthy.