10: Second Life...because I saw it in 'The Office'

When I saw that Second Life was an option for this assignment, I automatically chose it as my multi-player experience for no reason other than I happen to know that Dwight Schrute of "The Office" is an avid participant.

The first step in the Second Life process is creating the name and look of your character. I chose to name my character Alais, after the main character in a book I have recently finished. To stay consistant with Alais' book persona, I attempted to make myself dress in the fashion of a medeival French princess. However, I found that Second Life's clothing designs are better suited for today's style of dress. Alais ultimately found herself wearing a blue skirt and yellow long-sleeve shirt, much like I may wear on any given day. Alais and I ended up sdiffering in body type, amount of freckles, and height. The most distinct difference between us was that Alais had straight, black hair while mine is light brown and curly.

After I finished the numerous required tutorials, I set off on my Second Life adventure. However, I soon discovered that there is not much to do in Second Life without money. My mission was clear: I had to find a job. I searched the listed job openings, and was a little bit surprised at the options. I could be a hostess, a real estate agent, or even a stripper/escort. The problem was, however, that not many jobs were open to "newbies" like myself. Many listings had disclaimers such as "Candidates under 30 days old need not apply." This disclaimer did not appear on the stripper (excuse me, experienced dancer) ad, however, so I "teleported" to meet the owner of the club. However, I was politely turned down and informed that my avatar's face was not attractive enough to land the position. I quickly made the adjustments to my face after leaving the club.

Finally, I sighted a listing that said "Make money just for being here!" A player was seeking female avatars to attend a pool party for $50. A little bit embarrassed that I had stooped to this level of desparation, I attended. Sure enough, a transaction took place and I had $50 to burn. However, by this time I had grown tired of my Second Life experience and chose not to pursue it any further.

I did not find my experience consistent with Yee and Bailenson's paper. After adjusting my face so that my avatar was pretty, I found myself no more confident in such a strange online environment than I ever had been previously. The authors, on the other hand, suggest that our avatars' appearances reflect their behavior in the online space. Though Alais did not look like me, I could not separate her from me. In my mind, I viewed her as a representative of Brianne; thus, we were one in the same. Alais looked no less expertly constructed than any of the other avatars, but while some of the avatars were, as the ad said, more than 30 days old, I was barely thirty minutes old. My inexperience overshadowed the appearance of my avatar as it affected my attitude toward the game.