Sometimes your First Life just isn't enough..

Second Life is an online game that is considered to be a virtual universe. People make themselves an avatar, often extremely attractive and extremely unrealistic to their own real life appearance, and interact with other people, own estates and make money, both real life dollars and ‘Linden’ dollars (Second Life money). The demographic of users of Second Life are typically adults, over 30 years of age, and the majority are American.
For some people, Second Life is exactly its own namesake. People conduct love affairs, make a profit by selling objects and properties, as well as get married and give birth to children.

I tried to play Second Life, and I didn’t enjoy it. I tried to interact with others, sending out messages such as “hey guys, who’s down for an intimate virtual hug?” No one responded to me. I was isolated, because I was obviously a NOOB. That is, similar to a newbie, but also because I wasn’t that interested to learn how to behave appropriately in Second Life.

Yes, you will be replaced.

I researched a lot about Second Life, and how some people take their addiction to the extreme and refuse to leave their computers and have ‘bathroom buckets’ so that they don’t miss out of anything.
There have been divorce cases because one partner has conducted a virtual affair, and the other partner considers it to be a serious betrayal, which in itself I find almost hilarious. Are people these days so hyper sensitive that if their real life partner chats seductively to a made up computer graphic creature via the internet, they consider it to be a treachery to their marriage vowels, or moral values?

This Second Life video is a graphic birthing video. I'd personally suggest that you watch this without the sound on, and maybe a bit of music that you prefer. I’d also like to recommend that you scan through the video than watch the whole 7 minutes. The break down is that this is a lead up video to the birth of the baby girl (Alicia), and it shows dancing and a celebration at the announcement of the baby, and all the Second Life friends of the Second Life parents coming together, almost exactly like a real life baby shower.


This video is a bit extreme, which is exactly why I’m using it as an example of how serious people play this game, as if it is their chance at a second existence.
YouTube is littered with videos like these, and wedding videos, sex videos, court case videos as well as documentaries that have been made about couples who had met through Second Life. 


I do find Second Life fascinating, how realistic it can be (just watch an intimate sexual encounter via YouTube, you’ll see what I mean), how much real money is invested into the game (watch Second Life real estate barons on YouTube) and how much time and effort is put into the game by regular and ordinary people who live an extraordinary virtual existence.