Question for this Week

Are we taking advantage of the residents of Second Life? Why or why not?
I do not believe that we are taking advantage of the resident of Second Life. We are active participants in the world of Second Life and we are just taking advantage of all the oppurtunities that are avalaible to all members of Second Life. If we had some sort of uneven advantage given to us by linden labs then in fact I believe we would be taking advantage of the Members of Second Life. But unfortunitly we do not have an advantage all we do is use the resouraces that are avalaible to us. I also believe that we are not taking advantage of the resident of Second Life becaue unlike the Rebakah Nathan lady we are being honest with other members of second Life. Now I know I may be only speaking for myself, but if someone asks why I am asking so many wuestions I always inform them that I am a college student doing research for a course. While sometimes I become shunned while taking photos, I have for the most part been embrassed for my research into Second Life and the activities that take place within Second Life.
I sometimes do think that if I was just a member of Second Life I would be embarassed at all the research that is done on my actions. I believe that Second Lie is an escape form the real world and when we look too much into Second Life we begin to go too far into a person's real life. Seond Life is somewhere where people are allowed to escape all of their problems in the real world and do as they please. however, with all the research a person may become embarassed for all of the data collected on their activities and stop doing such activities. But then I think that if this did occur we could just go about taking advantage of fellow members of Seond Life, just as Rebakah Nathan did, by ot informing other members that we are in fact researchers collecting data for a project.
That is my two cents so feel free to comment.

Class I attended today

So today I went to a class and it was on how to make a cake. Now I have never ever made an object before in Second Life, but thanks to the great people at Teazers I learned how to make things and hopefully in the futue I can make some really cool things. But the class was awesome the teachers waited about 5 minutes after the start time because he knew a few clkasss members were running late. Then the class began by all the students buy a box for 0$L with the cake scripts inside, and a few textures. Most of the other students new how to create a new object in Second Life, but I had no clue. Luckily the professor was so nice he walked me through the whole process of how to make an object form the begining. Then after I made the object the class went on to how to edit the object into a piece of cake. It was sweet we got to add textues, and color and as script to eat it. Then we moved on and bought a new book for 0$L. This box helped us make a full size layered cake. i added a sweet icing design to the outside and it looked so cool. Over all it was a great experience and I definitily want to do it again because the people were so nice and I was able to learn so much. Below are some pictures of me doing work on the piece of cak, my layer cake, and me with the professor. So enjoy looking at them.

Response to "Learn about SL before Learning SL"

I do agree with Eric Rice on a couple of points. Most of what he mentioned we already discuss in class. I don't think that SL is a game and I think that Eric Rice made a good distinction; clarifying SL as a tool and a toy.

Second Life does incorporate all of those aspects that are so popular and palpable. "Social networking, collaboration..." etc, I've heard all about them. It was pleasing to read Eric Rice explain the complexity of Second Life, and warn people not too get ahead themselves.

I disagree with Rice on the issue of SL disrupting the video game industry. On paper (or on screen ), it would seem that people creating their own game might supplant pre-designed games. However, video games have entrenched themselves in our culture. Rice admits that he is not a gamer, so I take what he says with a grain of salt. Gamers that I know, enjoy the surprise that comes with new games. Yeah, it's fun to create your own games, but people love the universality of games. A person from Seatle can meet up with somebody from Miami and discuss the new features of Madden. Not everyone aspires to create. Many people enjoy partaking a new game that surprises them at every turn.

-Rand Geiger

Let's Put Things Together Jerry!--Google Video

So, while The Price is Right was playing in the background in my room, I watched the Google video about Second Life. Basically, this was a video tape of a conference two guys from Linden Labs gave to people intrested in the program, and how it is possible to make money off of playing this game. Hearing what the two developers had to say about Second Life was quite interesting [especially the bit about how the game runs horribly on Macs without the Intel processor].

But before I ramble onto nonsensical issues and things that were of interest in thier speech, there are two things that I would like to point out as being learnt by watching this. The first was the fact that people are making money from selling their creations in Second Life. It turns out that whatever you create in this game becomes your own personal property, so you become in charge of it, free to do with it what you want. The second thing that I learned was how to build--I also went to a class on that in game after watching the video. See, building is one of the fine joys of SL, and it is though this process that people are making money [not to forget selling clothing and real estate as well]. In the class I went to, I basically learned the basics of the building process, but the big Lindens in game are made from complex items created by in game users [like the gun he showed to the audience] that have a large demand by others in the game. Though it is noted by the speaker that the SL community is willing to share some stuff with each other in the game, but selling lots of stuff basically increases your Linden count, which could later be transferred into actual money.

Now, what is it from speeches that we could take to be a part of our research? Well, remember that the first thing that must be done with any speech is to analyze it. [Silly step, but it helps] As far as categories go, I would say to first identify what the speech is going to be about--in this case, it was mainly about building objects and making money, but there were other topics covered in the speech as well. From there, take notes that pertain to the important factors that you've pointed out from the speech. Basically, what I'm trying to say here that the important things from any speech should be subject to analysis and further development. In this case, a good start would be to go into finding out how to build things, and how to give or sell them to other people.

SL Blog Article

I think that his description was accurate, or at least as accurate as it could have been. His statement, "Second Life is too big to summarize in a sound bite or in a skimmable culture." is very true. Summarizing Second Life is like summarizing an entire culture, close to imposable. There are countless groups and interests that make up Second Life, and to summarize it would leave most of these things out. So although his description was vague, it was probably the only way to describe Second Life.

Google Video

What surprised me the most were the statistics, especially the age ones. When they said that there were people in their 70s who played second life I was really stunned. I pictured my grandparents playing and it was just eerie. The amounts that people made in the game were also surprising. They said at one point that they were in a room with lawyers (who make a good it of money) and that these designers made more than they did.

This speech falls under a sort of talkative informative style. They were very laid back when they spoke they weren’t wearing suits and didn't look particularly well groomed, they didn't even have a presentation plan. One goofed off in the game while the other spoke in a kind of stream of conscious way. The speech was intended only to answer questions, they weren't trying to sell any thing or show how much better they were. In a way it was kind of what I expected from an independent game company.

Second Life Google Video

I was surprised to learn that the monthly financial transactions in the world of Second Life total $5 million. They discussed SL in relation to World of Warcraft, and touched on just how much smaller in scale SL was. I believe they said that about 20,000 users participate in SL each day. Even if there were 50,000 SL users, each person would have to spend an average of $100 a month to equal that $5 million mark. Plus, I learned that you have to pay around $250 a month in land taxes on each acre that you own. I had no idea that Second Life was so financially-driven. I was under the impression that it was geared more towards stimulating social interaction via the Internet.

I was unaware of the amount of programming and construction each user is able to complete. They repeatedly focussed on the child in the poor country who built the gun and was making a steady income off of it. Before this video, I had not viewed Second Life as an artist's canvas.

In the same vein, it surprised me to hear about the live concerts and such that were held on Fridays and Saturdays. I attended the U2 concert, but I figured that was probably just a one-time thing. I believe they said that the same number of people would come to listen to the shows in SL as would go to listen to live performances in the popular coffee-houses in San Francisco.

I had thought that the creators had envisioned a world in which the users could "choose their own adventures" (so to speak). In a sense, I figured Second Life was just like one the "Sims" game. I did not know to what extent they had hoped for users to create their own intellectual property... (I'm still a little confused as to who owns the rights to Second Life creationgs. Phil and Corey said that the user retains the rights, but I thought I remembered Kim saying that anything you create belongs to the owners of SL).


In analyzing the speech, we should take note of all the audio and visual aspects. Corey entertained the eye with his "game-play" and Phil spoke in an informal style (spending most of his time fielding questions).

It's also important to analzye the content; what exactly was discussed and how each matter was treated. For example, Phil repeatedly referenced back to the $5 million in transactions that take place. He also talked about the boy who created the gun. Using that story to depict Second Life as a platform for others to pursue their dreams; a free market in which the talented and ambitious can rise to the top, despite possible harsh physical surroundings. During his 15 minute introduction, Phil never spoke about how he and Corey make money from the game. He only focussed on the money that was earned by others. It wasn't until someone from the audience asked, then he finally addressed the issue.

-Rand Geiger

Midterm

is posted on the syllabus website - at the top and in the description for week 9

It's due wednesday at the beginning of class.

Mike's opinions

The first thing I will talk about is the google video with the Linden Lab guys. I thought the video was very information and enjoyable to watch. I learned a lot about Second Life including how large the game is, how Linden labs makes money, and how the games itself operates. The most interesting of these three topics to me was how large the game was. The main speaker said the game was increasing at a rate that a user would to be able to keep up with how quickly it was expanding and I felt that was very interesting. I always felt like Second Life was so large I would never see it all, and this confirms this belief. I also learned that Second Life has over 144,000 users and that a maximum of 5,500 could be online at once. This is interesting because that is less than 4 percent of all second Lifers could be online at once. This is interesting cause I always feel like I am meeting new people, and I have never once been unable to get into the game. So I just wonder when is it that the game tends to reach its maximum enrollment levels. I also found it interesting how Linden labs made money every time a transaction from real money to Linden dollars occurred, between the game and a user and two users. I thought it was very interesting cause I never thought if the game made money off a user to user transaction but now I know they do. I knew that they made money from a money charge or rent for land use. How large and code complicated Second Life is is also very interesting. I never thought about how much coding and timing goes into programming the game but now I know that there are thousands of hours of coding, computer programming and brainstorming that go into keeping the game operating and growing the way it has been growing. The developers and users both use coding to help the game grow, but the developers also need to keep in mind the numbers of servers needed to keep the game operating appropriately. The video was pretty good in my opinion.

The second thing is the blog that we had to read. I think the blog summed up very well everything that Second Life is and it brought up a very interesting issue in my mind. I am very firm in my belief that second Life is not a game, you can make games inside Second Life but it is not a game. However, Second Life and similar avatar games are the future of the gaming industry. I believe that the gaming industry is going to change their own definition of a game so that they can stay on top financially. I think it is very interesting how Second Life is not a game but it will end up being grouped with games so that it can be marketed appropriately. I believed the blogger guy was right when he said there is no way to describe second Life in a sound bite like the media will try to do. It is not a game, and not a new world it is a new medium that can be found somewhere between and until we find others like it will be very complicated for us to define it.

New stuff on the syllabus

I forgot to put the questions for the Rosedale speech video - so those are there now in the monday slot. That post now is due by Friday night.

The syllabus will go up hopefully friday, maybe saturday. Depends on if there's wireless at the airport. Check the syllabus for the link.

Ceck out the new game arcade on the left side of the page

I put 4 games on their to start. If you get a chance, give them a play. There's supposed to be community features but I haven't tried them out yet.

Well - that's the pits - the games don't work on the Mac. I'll leave it up for a bit till i get to try it on the PCs in class. Very aggravating. The GameTrust people are here at hte convention - I'll ask them about it. Maybe they have plans for the future.

Is Second Life similar enough to the real world for our research collection techniques to be appropriate? Why or why not? - Rand G

I would argue that yes, Second Life is similar enough to RL that our research collection techniques are relevant and should be applied. Reading through the forums, I've noticed objections from citizens of SL that mirror the concerns of real world people. Issues regarding land, taxation, and development are topics of interest for those who engage in Second Life, just as they are for members of our society. Groups are formed over common interests. Physical appearance is representative of one's personality/desires. Games are played. Dance clubs are filled. Sound, video, and landscapes are enjoyed. A new method of research collection is not pressing and/or necessary to understand Second Life. Transcribing exactly what we see and hear, and then studying patterns that emerge would still be the best way to research Second Life, from a qualitative perspective.

While I do believe that our research collection techniques are applicable to Second Life, I do not necessarily believe that the conclusions we draw are representative of our real world society; rather, they are reflective of the Second Life community alone. When people interact online, they take on completely different personalities. I remember when Instant Messenger was first becoming popular among my friends and classmates. A few of the shy kids, who would barely ever string together two thoughts at one time, had all of the sudden transformed into social butterflies. They'd hold multiple conversations at one time; orchestrating weekend plans, making jokes, and spreading gossip. There was no physical delivery required, and so a huge burden of self-consciousness had been lifted. Self-concsiouness, restraint, and insecurity all play important roles in governing human behavior in the Real World. In Second Life, people feel a lot less confined. They can act loose, relaxed, or irresponsible. It is a lot less embarrassing to find oneself in an awkward situation in Second Life than it is in the Real World. As we've witnessed through observing other users, as well as some our classmates, Second Life users can sometimes feel completely free to expresss themselves sexually, change genders, bad-mouth and disrespect others, or take up a life of prostitution. These are activities and attitudes that the users, more than likely, would not assume in the Real World.

Panel Pics

Here's the room I gave my talk in on Monday. It was packed. Lots of good questions. Lots of independent game developers, some ad agency types, a couple other academics. One journalist.

Some of the sessions were standing room only. I heard of one in a room that held 100 people, had about 30 more standing, and they turned away 200. This serious games thing is catching on. We will play some when I get back.

Some GDC pics

Here's the free stuff (swag) I got when I signed in - some cool Adult Swim socks, a squeezy ball, and a little toy surprise - a LEGO "SpeakerMan" and podium. What a hoot. I'm going to put his picture on my website.

Here's a pic of some XBOX360 kiosks in the main lobby. Always packed. They're playing that oh-so-graphic boxing game. To the left of these kiosks is the Microsoft sponsored bar with a tv showing previews/trailers of upcoming games. Saw one yesterday for a new Superman game - looked very much like a movie trailer.

Looking for a class or event in SL?

On wednesday there are a couple of events that would be good for the assignment:
there's a beginner class from the TeaZers group on the inventory at 8:30am (game time),I think that's about 11:30 our time
There's a new residents' Q&A at 4pm in the game, that's 7pm our time

On thursday there's:
the inventory class at 9:30 game time, 12:30 our time
the new resident Q&A at 4pm game time
there's a newbie salsa and Q&A session at 5pm game time
there's a pirate talk at 8pm game time - this one is about the real robinson crusoe

On friday there's a beginners' class on Prims (the basic building blocks in SL) at 7pm game time and the new residents' Q&A at 4pm

Use the Find tab - look for events - there's a drop down tab for kinds of events - you can do things that are educational or cultural discussions

at the Game Developer Conference

Tonight I'll post some pictures of the swag I got when I signed in - cool stuff - and I"m hoping for more later int he week since AdultSwim is a sponsor of the conference!

I'm here at the conference - and went to a panel today where a big part of the discussion was on - ready for this? - what is a game. The big name was Jesper Juul; I think you all read something by him the first part of the semester. He says that goals might actually hold back a game, limit its appeal. He talked about goal-less games, and goal-optional games.

Here's a question to consider - how are The Sims2 and Grand Theft Auto similar?

I'm sitting by the Microsoft bar, watching a bunch of guys play xbox360 games - in fact, i don't see any women around right now at all. I know i'm not ht eonly one here so I wonder where female game developers hang out in this testosterone filled space.

Check the syllabus - there's homework (including blog posts) - so read, play, and post - - then repeat.
I'll put hte midterm up later in the week. It's going to draw on your blog posts so make them meaty and substantive so we have something to work with.

Jerry Fluffy's avatar

Jerry Fluffy Modifications

So...after being on for over a month now, my avatar has undergone several changes. The original Jerry Fluffy is no longer with us, as I've been changed...due to how my avatar "looked". I met a girl named Pepper Sparkle in a club one nite, and we wound up back at her place. [To keep this as clean as possible...] During our "dirty" session, she showed me how she could animate her "part", and I became interested. She said I could get a "part" similar to that for myself, so we wound up shopping for another skin for myself because she said that the "part" won't attach to the original body that you made for yourself. Anyways, that was the end of our relationship--I changed my appearance, but she found another man to fool around with. I wound up meeting Takara Yamabushi, but remembered that you can't date escorts due to their line of work.

After that was over with, I went shopping for myself at a store called Dwellget and got myself a Fox avatar. (I wish I could post pictures) I went around in that for some time, and a lot of people said that I looked cute in it. Then, while club hopping again, I saw another man in a Yoshi avatar, so I wanted to purchase one for myself.

But, why am I changing my skin so often? Well, the thing is with SL, I'm a different character than I am in RL....

Blog Response from Cassie - Why my avatar look the way it looks

Its been a few weeks, what does your avatar look like and why?

Unlike many of my classmates, I have not experienced too much with the appearance of my avatar. I have found that I enjoy being a female in Second Life more than a male. Other avatars are much nicer and will sometimes go out of their way to help you out. Besides, because the male population in SL is just about as lame as RL males… I am always getting free stuff, even if the guy is getting nothing out of it.
Of course, I do change my avatars appearance at least minimally to fit into certain social situations. I’ll admit that I have turned my avatar into a much more scantily clad girl whenever I go to a club. Maybe I should rebel and wear a long sleeved shirt to regain some respect for women in this game, but what girl doesn’t like to be sexy once in awhile? Besides, we are trying to get into the culture, and to somewhat blend in, I have had to change outfits frequently. I do find that the less I wear, the more people talk to me, which is silly because it is all graphics, but hey, that’s the culture I guess.
In a way that bothers me. I try and keep my avatar relatively conservatively dressed, because I am a conservative dresser in real life, but also because I think SL has become a place where woman are mostly seen as sex objects. Granted, some these women are clearly putting it out there, but I think it is sad when a woman can only feel confident because they are a sex idol in SL.
I have had some fun getting free/cheap clothes and jewelry. I found that in SL I am as conservative with money as I am in real life. Which is funny because this is not a paid account I’m on, so it shouldn’t matter, but nevertheless, there I am at a store, still weighing out if it is worth the money to get something a little expensive. I did get a tattoo, because I have always kind of wanted one, even though most of the ones people get for real make me laugh. But I figured, hey if I get a tattoo in SL, no one is going to call me a tool because everyone who is serious about that game is probably not very cool anyway.
So in a way, I do like that everything goes in SL. I could be anything I wanted and I’m sure I could find someone to connect with on some level.
~C. Karpinski

U2 concert follow-up

Here's a news story and some good commetns about the U2 in SL concert and band

http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2006/03/is_ll_stealing_.html#more

Some SL residents are questioning the intellectural property rights infringement possibilities, involvement of Linden Labs in creating the accounts for hte band members, etc. And interesting follow-p read to the concert post from Rand.

Follow up to the Corn Field Prison post

I just discovered the SL Police BLotter - more fun than the police blotter in the Ithacan (our school newspaper) each Thursday.
http://secondlife.com/community/blotter.php

and this page has a little info on how you get banned - not that I want anyone to make that their goal - but to help you better understand the culture that is SL
http://secondlife.com/newsletter/2006_02_15/blotter.php

I found this info on a newsletter published for SL residents - http://secondlife.com/newsletter

Mike Demarest

What's the most difficult aspect of doing observations online in Second Life?

I believe the most difficult aspect of doing observations is taking in all the activity. I tend to go to locations that are heavily populated so I can see what the other members of Second Life are doing. I notice that whenever multiple members of Second Life are together there are tons of things going on at once. When all these things are going on it is hard to record all that you are seeing and getting invovled in. An example is at a night club, there might be members dancing, other members sitting at a bar, and even others having a conversation in a corner. It is hard as an observer to be able to fully record and take in all the activity that is taking place at one.

Another hard thing to observe in Second Life is what is normal. Second Life is not like the real world and when making observations it is important for the obeserver to take into consideration what things are considered normal in Second Life. Things that would not be considered normal or proper in the real world might be exceptable in Second Life. However, things are exceptable in the Real World might not be excaptable in Second Life. Therefore it is very difficult for an observer to pay attention to what is normal when they are making observations of the activity tkaing place in Second Life.

Here's a link about the corn field "prison" in SL

Happy spring break. I read everybody's papers -they were pretty good on average. Some editing and proofreading are all some need.

Here's a link to a blog post and photo about the corn field exile in Second Life we talked about in class:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/04/misbehavior_in_secon.html

Worth checking out.

Read the book "The Freshmen Year" for when we get back from break

Participant Researcher

I suppose my reaction would be dependent on how close I was to the person. If I was not close to the researcher, or only knew them as an acquaintance my reaction would probably be pretty mild. I might think, "huh, didn't expect that", or "wow they don't seem like a researcher". However if I was close to this person, like a good friend or room mate then I would most definitely be offended. It would feel like I was lied to or betrayed, and I would probably doubt the sincerity of all their actions thinking, "this could all just be an act so they can study me".

The nature of their research would also play a part in my reaction. If they were simply researching something like, how freshmen deal with their first year in college I would probably not be THAT offended (this of course is dependent on how well I know them). But if their study was something like, The Increase in ignorance and Laziness of Freshmen I would definitely be bothered by their work. I would also feel cautious and offended if they were unwilling to divulge the topic of their research.

Jerry Fluffy tries on a non-human avatar

Some students have been acquiring costumes. Here's a picture of Jerry Fluffy as a fox. If you have any photos of your avatar changed into something not-human, post them or email them to me and I"ll post them...Kim

About the U2 concert in SecondLife (from Rand)

I attended the U2 concert this past Saturday... like Kim mentioned in class, I guess some tribute band created avatars that looked just like U2, and then they streamed a concert with all U2 songs.

Advertisments for www.one.org were posted everywhere. So I guess if U2 got mad, Second Life could say that the concert was free of charge, plus they promoted the humanitarian organization that Bono supports (or does he run it?).

They were giving out free t-shirts and concessions, although I went to the concessions and couldn't order anything (I always kind of wondered if our avatars ever needed to eat).

Sadly I realized this after the fact, but I took pictures of the concert in between the opening band's set and U2's set... so I don't have the U2 avatars in the photo, but perhaps you can imagine.

Enjoy...





Hey everybody,

Bruce Fluffy: Before and After

Here are the pictures of Bruce before and after the operation:

BEFORE

Not really that good but it was the best I could do.

AFTER

Maybe...Brucetta?