Are Virtual Worlds Necessary in Today's World?

After talking about visiting numerous places in Second Life, and feeling this sense of emptiness around me, I decided to search for hangouts. I first came across a hangout called Luskwood. Upon teleporting there I was interested to see many avatars dressed as animals. I discussed with them that I was exploring this virtual world for a college English class. They didn’t mind my asking them questions such as why they chose to dress like they did.

Earlier, I had made a claim that I had not understood why people chose to engage in Second Life, I didn’t understand its benefits. However, Topher and Nekorina clarified why they joined this community:

Topher Delcon: Its a chance to be whatever you want to be and try out things you cant do in the real world. I’m a human all day long in real life, why not be something else when I’m relaxing online.

Nekorina Bourjade: sees Life as a learning experience, and trying new things is the way to know whether you like it or not, also on SL you can be true to your inner self which is the Self you don’t really show in the real world.

I never thought about this virtual world as a place to try new things, or to explore your inner self. This idea that you can be “true” to your inner self really illustrates the flaws of society. Here, people don’t feel like they have to “mask” their inner self as society typically tries to conform individuals to thinking and acting a certain way. However, one must consider the virtual “mask” that is displayed in Second Life. Although these avatars can be true to themselves in terms of personality, dress, and actions, they do not reveal their true names. One must question then where the middle ground is between a virtual reality and an actual reality. It is plausible that one day people will feel comfortable displaying their true self without feeling pressure from society? Or will mankind always need this sort of program to alleviate pressure that others feel from society?

I found all this fascinating, and plan to explore Second Life further. One of the avatars offered to take me to a human avatar dancing club to show me what it is like. I am very excited to see how this experience not only changes the way I view Second Life, but how it affects my original claim. Below, I am pictured with the avatars that so kindly answered my questions.

What is the Motivation?

In a virtual world a person can create an avatar that dresses, acts and says things differently from their reality self. However, some create avatars and use them to teach classes in this virtual world. They can attend class in the attire they desire and can teach either strictly or leniently. What is the motivation behind being a teacher in this virtual world? If one was interested in teaching why choose a virtual world instead of the real world? In fact, if this was to make money on the side, how does ones time equate to linden dollars?

I am curious to know why individuals find teaching in a virtual world fulfilling. After all, they may have students that decide to never show up. I feel that there would be much inconsistency in a class in Second Life. On the student perspective, how can one know if that teacher is knowledgeable on the subject matter? Does Second Life screen these classes?

Although seemingly off topic, this relates to many aspects of Second Life. Although I find the aspect of teaching in this virtual world a bit obscure, I wonder what the motivation is behind others to wander in Second Life. Other than this educational purpose, why walk around? When going on the scavenger hunt I found many locations often deserted. This feeling of emptiness was present. Possibly the motivation behind these avatars is the same as those of the teacher avatars. Maybe both feel that they will benefit from the relationships of others they meet. I will attempt to figure out the cause by trying to interact with more avatars as I have yet to see any.

Citations, Citations, Citations

Picture Taken From: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/ait/credit.html


While reading Hjortshoj’s chapter on citing sources, in the book “The Transition to College Writing,” I found his comparison of conversations to papers to be fascinating. Hjortshoj mentions that subconsciously we constantly cite sources while telling stories by explaining who said what. However, when it comes to citing sources in an academic paper, we find it difficult.

One of the main reasons I struggle with citing sources in an academic paper is that I find that each professor or teacher has a different standard or level of citations that they require. For example, if I am writing a paper on one individual book, some professors require that you create a works cited page to include that book, and others do not. Also, some professors are stricter about how many citations you include.

In high school I had trouble properly distinguishing my thoughts from others in paragraphs when I had sentences where both thoughts were intertwined into one sentence. Often I would just put my citation at the end of the paragraph, and my grade would not suffer any consequences. Hjortshoj, however, discusses in his ‘Misconceptions of Reference and Documentation’ chapter about how this habit of citation is incorrect. I feel that as I write more here at Richmond, I will be rapidly fixing this habit as it is considered plagiarism.

One major difference between Richmond and high school is that the punishments for plagiarism, even if unintentional, are much harsher. I will be proofreading my papers multiple times for not only errors now, but for also correct citations.

In Search for New Places...

As Second Life teleported my avatar to Dublin, I was anxious to see all that the city had to offer. However, upon my arrival, I did not come across one person, and was shocked at how Second Life portrayed the environment. I stepped inside a club expecting to see others dancing, but failed to see anyone at this location. On my walk towards this club, there were numerous ships with smoke gushing out of them (refer to Dublin Ships picture). On the contrary, Dublin today is very environmentally aware and its inhabitants breathe some of the freshest cleanest air in the world. Second Life seemed to be depicting Dublin as it may have been in the 1980’s. Regardless of this minor disappointment, I found the streets to be quite elegant and they were exactly how I pictured the streets to be. Near the town center there were giraffes, which I found quite interesting (refer to the Dublin Town Center picture).





My next stop on my scavenger hunt was at Epiphany Island. The church that was first visible appeared very realistic, especially due to the fact that the windows were stained glass (refer to Epiphany Church picture). While walking through the church I noticed a donation box that flashed green and red. Here, I learned how to donate money towards the church, which I then proceeded to do. Being able to donate Linden money in Second Life showed me that along with the education component, there also existed a community component. Also displayed on tables in the church were upcoming events and times where you could worship. The above picture, entitled “Epiphany Island Church” shows how realistic this church appears. In addition, the scenery and landscaping of this island was fantastic (refer to Epiphany Island Landscape picture).



Lastly, I ventured over to Mexico where I was met with many contrasting colors and a rather open community. The picture entitled “Mexico” shows how the sign with these letters greatly contrasts with the colors of the floor, thus, making it the center of focus. As I walked around, I was able to go to houses and walk inside of them, which was a new experience for me. Previously, I had attempted to do this in search of people at Epiphany Island, but was unfortunately met with all locked doors. Although no one lived at these homes, I walked inside of them admiring the architecture. Against my will, I did indeed have an uncanny moment as I looked over at the ocean. The ocean incorporated white caps, which caused the water to look like the waves were both real and moving. As I look at my future in Second Life, I am anxious to visit many more of these fascinating places, and hopefully, will have the opportunity to interact with other avatars.

The Beginning of My Virtual World Experience...

Jamey Wonder. “Creative, intelligent, and unconventional” are the words most associated with the name Jamey according to quickbabynames.com. It is these specific words that I, myself, strive to have as adjectives that describe my personality; therefore I chose the name Jamey as my first name. Determined to not follow the herd, I strive to be different and always have a curious mind. Based on this, the last name Wonder fit my persona like a glove. Not only do I wonder about what lies ahead, but also how Second Life can change my perspective on education. Keeping an open mind, I am trying to refrain from making any unsupported claims regarding the avatars in SL.

That being said, I don’t wish to portray myself as someone else. This is illustrated by how I have chosen my attire and physical features. Although poor in Linden money, I have purchased free clothes as well as hair that are as close to my tastes and looks as possible. When interacting with other avatars in SL, I plan to talk how I normally would in reality.

It is in reality that your actions affect your reputation, and it is these actions that those surrounding you judge you by. In this virtual world, no one knows who you are in real life; therefore, you can choose to act differently. This not only applies to me, but all the other numerous avatars. Being in a virtual reality with others who may or may not be representing their true self makes me a bit nervous. Will others in SL try to portray themselves as someone who is consistently correct and object my ideas? Or will others be friendly and outgoing? These are the questions I ask myself as I join the virtual world known as Second Life.

The Discovery

Writing papers in high school resembled more of a chore for me than an actual writing process. After carefully figuring out the teacher's grading techniques, I would create a template or plan on how to easily achieve an A. For some teachers, this meant simply figuring out their opinion on the matter, and formulating my argument around this view. I discovered that when I agreed with teachers like this, my grade reflected that. Other teachers, however, created complicated rubrics and expected a thesis with a deep meaning. In this scenario, I would simply make sure everything on the rubric was satisfied, and that I had a far-fetched idea in order to achieve a good grade. This plan typically worked. I have always been a first draft person, but typically write my body paragraphs before my intro/thesis.

After reading parts of Hjortshoj's Book, The Transition to College Writing, I realized that maybe writing a few drafts would help my writing. I tried this method for my first larger discussion response and received an 80. Although above the median grade, I felt that writing in Richmond would be a lot more difficult then I originally perceived. I am really going to need to write multiple drafts far in advance to allow myself time to make edits and changes. After Essid's comment regarding grades, I found myself realizing that college writing will be a huge time commitment. Merely checking off the rubric will only allow me to obtain a grade of C. It is going to take much more thought to achieve that high grade I desire.