Second Life is a virtual world where people can explore, interact, socialise, play and work all in the form of avatars. With the growing popularity of Second Life people are forgetting how ‘virtual’ the world really is. Second life has become more than just ‘ones and zeros rendered on a computer screen’(Boellestorff, 2008, pg 97). One scholar Boellostorff describes second life as ‘a resident-built environment organised around the creating and selling of objects’ (Boellestorff, 2008, pg 97). People invest real emotions, time and money into the game which make many feel the happenings and tribulations inside the worlds are then also real’ (Boellestorff, 2008, pg 93).
Boellostorff talks of this ‘realness’ in relation to space, arguing that ‘placemaking is absolutely foundational to virtual worlds.’ (Boellestorff, 2008, pg 91). He analyses how Second Life makes land owning and building as realistic and cultural synchronised as possible; noting the emotional investment into land ownership and use.
Boellestorff is mirrored in his views by Lessig in his analysis of second life in his book Code version 2.0. In his chapter four puzzles from cyber space he discusses virtual worlds such as second life. Lessig tells a story of an argument over virtual boarders stating that ‘real space is the place where you are right now: your office, your den, maybe by a pool. It’s a world defined by both laws that are man-made and others that are not’. (Lessig, L.2006)
Another scholar Mark Stephen Meadows writes a passionate account of his own personal immersion in avatars and society’s immersion as a whole. Virtual worlds are, by nature, somewhat immersive. Unlike video game worlds, virtual worlds are immersive because they contain people. Actual, real people. Virtual worlds are immersive because they represent the same complex social interplay and situations that you get in the physical world. If you think that Second Life is fuller of drama than the physical world, you don’t get out enough.
Meadows also discusses paedophilia. In second life there are some areas where avatars dressed as children were offering virtual prostitution. Role-playing and sex are two common activities on Second Life, and users frequently select avatars of different genders, races, ages or even species, and then do it like they do on the discovery channel, so to speak....
Resources-
Mark Stephen Meadows. “Why?” I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life. Indianapolis: New Rider s, 2008. pg. 82-87
Boellestorff, Tom. Chapter 4: “Place and Time”. Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008. Pg 89-117.
Lessig, L. (2006). Four puzzles from cyber space. In L. Lessig Code version 2.0 (pp 9-30). New York: Basic Books. [URL: https://www.socialtext.net/codev2/four_puzzles_from_cyberspace]
There was an interesting debate on the morality of adults using child avatars in Second Life. Was it moral, was it ethical, was it illegal? This is an article jsut in general on why it's creepy:
ReplyDeletehttp://secondthoughts.typepad.com/second_thoughts/2009/06/why-child-avatars-in-second-life-are-creepy.html
Personally I think that's just it, creepy. It's wrong and sick, but technically speaking, not illegal. And that's the leg they stand on. Freedom of choice, which is Second Life is based on. Being able to do what you want in a life outside your own, with a lower sense of responsibility and accountability of your actions.
I had a little read of that blog. I find it really interesting that he talks about certain arguments for children in SL such as; '…they are objectively carrying water particularly for the latter category by insisting that they must be granted the right to go everywhere, even in M and AO, not be sequestered to PG, because "in real life" children are everywhere, and therefore we must be very literalist about the Linden -- an EU legal stipulation -- that child avatars are ok -- unless you use them to engage in sexualized behaviour.'
ReplyDeleteI find it weird that the main argument here is that SL children should be aloud everywhere because RL children are? But they aren't?
You don't see RL children being accepted into sex shops, brothels, nightclubs etc.
It’s honestly the most bogus argument I have read on SL children.
On your point, no it isn’t illegal and I agree that it really should be. In any case it should be regulated by the game itself. A cancellation of an account and life ban should be enough to make SL lovers question the risk they are taking when performing acts that are highly illegal and sick in RL.
That post was sent by me (Annie) but Blogger won't let my google account comment for some reason.
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ReplyDelete@ Annie - when you log into blogger make sure you UN TICK the "always stay signed in" box (I didn't know that until the Monday tutorial).
ReplyDeleteI have been on virtual websites such as Second life and IMVU. There is not much security nor protection for minors.
On IMVU I have seen weekly promotions for 'AP' which stands for Acess Pass. This access pass lets users (no matter what age) access adult content where avatars are able to engage in virtual sex.
I personally believe that there are not many ways in which a person can actually prove their age online or identity. I think it is sick that children under 12 years of age can access such content just by using their parent's credit card or even pay pal.
I believe this leads into the reading which mentioned the fact that the cyber realm is less regulable than the physical realm. Those that are involved in "virtual child prostitution" are doing so to satisfy needs that they are unable to in the real world due to legal repercussions.
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