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Second Life... again...
- 19 Jul 07, 12:07 PM
is an online virtual world game, in which ‘residents’ create characters, or avatars of themselves and then meet with other residents, fly around strange landscapes and even buy and sell services. We’ve given it a bad rap in the past because it is inaccessible to visually impaired people. Evidence continues to grow, however, that it is proving popular with other user groups.
A recent article in revealed how Second Life has popular appeal to some people with Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum. One symptom of Aspergers is that it can make it difficult to follow the non-verbal communication of facial expression and body language. Because of the exaggerated expressions of Second Life avatars, they are easier to understand. Learning this way also translates to improving social skills offline as well.
Writing on his blog , Torley Wong who has Asperger's syndrome, works for Linden Labs and was interviewed for the New Scientist article, sums things up by saying that, "If you have AS, a lot of the "usual" ways of how humans do things and go about their lives aren't going to be for you — which is precisely why I've gravitated so extravagantly towards the Internet, and Second Life specifically."
Second Life is proving to have educational uses too. Dr Peter Yellowlees professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Davis, has created to give a glimpse into what it is like living with schizophrenia. Residents can go on a tour where they can experience vivid hallucinations based on the real-world experiences of people who have the condition. The tour provides valuable insights to the friends and family, and even psychiatrists, who are in regular contact with people who have the condition.
Whilst other groups are benefiting from Second Life, I don’t think this lets its creators, Linden Labs off the hook for being inaccessible to visually impaired people. Rather, I think this only reinforces the need to make it more inclusive. There is a lot going on in there, and a lot of people are deriving a great deal of enjoyment from the Second Life experience. It isn’t right that some user groups should be missing out.
As Second Life is open source, it is possible for anyone with the skills required to develop a way of making the alternative reality world compatible with screen reader software. Linden Labs still has a responsibility to take the lead in this, however.
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though i haven't been able to see it in action (presume it's been boing boing'd to pieces), there's an interesting ajax based chat-only client for second life
but yes, agree completely that linden labs should lead the way here.
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Come on... this is stupid..
God gave us a real life..
Why should we need an artificial one?
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We should do our best to make our real life perfect and we shouldn't disturb ourselves by spending our real life on living in artificial world.
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I think it's really interesting as a teaching tool.
As an example,I was invited to a virtual tour to some European capital cities. It would be impossible to do that in a real world (too expensive for me), and the possibility of interaction with the avatars of real inhabitants of those cities would be great.Don't you think?.
The possibilities are still unimaginable, virtual museums, virtual classrooms,etc.If you knew where I live in fact you would understand it better. I live in a really small village in Argentina.
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Yeap..but Second Life could be dangerous....because it leaves people live in a virtual word and forget their lifes....there is so many search about that: people are forgeting their real relationship and keep more hours in front of computers than talking with their relativies, parents or friends....that is dangerous for emotional health. Or it could leave one to dream with a life that he/she doesn´t have and than, probably he/she would have problems in his/her work or until feel frustrating with his/her real life. People could project all their real life for a kind of dream virtual life. I think that all we have in Internet must be used with attention and to a good knowledge. I think also that people who created that is smart because, while others spend their time with a virtual life, the creators of SLife are giving money in real life!
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Hello there...........
I think second life is good and fun also interestin. And other hand everybody can choose their life style.
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My main concern would that this medium could be a potentially predatorial backdrop for something more sinister.
We should be more realistic and very cautious about employing this in a business or more especially an educational arena.
Technnology is great and fun, but I think we as a society are too obsessed with its use as a panacea for all ills.
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second life gives me the chance to have a life were i can chat to all my frends i no some of you think its a bad thing but for some of us its all we can do were i come from ppl cant walk the streets its that bad with young ppl with second life i can chat to all my frends and do things at the same time plus i love making thing on the games there is so much more i can lern from this game and so can a lot more ppl if thay shout the games down than a lot of ppl r going to be lost with nothing to do but sit in the houes in front of a tv coz that what i used to do you don't see me gitin invald in your life so i ask leve us to do what we won't to do and all this stuff about paedophiles parants should keep an i on there kids wen there online at all times i just don't think we should be the 1s that loss out coz of paedophiles
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I think that this tool can be very important for the improvement of life's conditions. I know some of you may think bad about it. But if we think about people with disabilities that haven't the opportunity of moving, well this tool can really improve their life. They might meet people, create relationship and even get a job. So why don't make an attempt? I'm sure it is worth it.
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I think it's fantastic.I am love in it.
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I've been a gamer for around 20 years now and I recently decided to take a look to see what all the fuss was about.
I have to say I have never been less impressed in my life. Graphic quality was poor and very slow to load, Animation was jerky and beyond the usual internet chat there was absolutly nothing to do.
From all the hype I was expecting to see something cutting edge, I remember similar applications from 8-9 years ago that would make this look like a fossil.
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Actually, one of the comments makes a good point.
Most of the people who say that you have a real life, why have a second one, (its a common thing I've heard) spend their evening after work in front of the tv, simply vegitating. (I hardly call that life.)
Where as people who get home from work and go on SL -instead- of watching the TV engage their brain in socializing, learning and enjoying themselves. Sounds more like a good thing to me, and they -still- get to go out at the weekend and meet RL friends. And they are still relaxed.
Which sounds better to you?
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