For this assignment, I decided to play Second Life due to all the recent media hype surrounding it (and its free). After signing up and choosing my name, Patch Pomilio, I joined the game world and was able to explore. When I chose my avatar, I decided to be the default city guy. I felt this appropriate and accurate due to my actual life experiences.
Once I entered the game, I had no clue what to do. There were a lot of logistical things to learn before you can actually play the game. For example, how to maneuver, to find different locations, and to communicate with others. Upon entering the game world, I initially asked a few avatars I saw for some help. Both guys were more than glad to help and took a few minutes to explain me the ins and outs of the game. One guy pointed me to some landmarks that I can get some free stuff and basically held my hand for about 15 minutes while I got comfortable playing the game. Overall, this experience was different than any others I’ve had where I entered a new game space already filled with experienced players. In other games, users were rude and antagonistic, while in Second Life, the users were friendly and helpful.
I noticed that when I first started playing and seeking help, my communication was more formal and polite than normal. I wanted to type in full sentences and not use AIM-oriented abbreviations to appear more genuine and mature. I didn’t want others to scoff at me thinking I am some 12 year old that is just going to screw around in the game. However, as time went on in-game and I became more comfortable, my typed-word began to resemble how I normally communicate.
Yee and Bailson describe the Proteus Effect as conforming to behaviors others expect them to have based on their avatars. I observed this slightly while I played Second Life. The default city guy is tall and good looking; I think this is the reason users were friendly to me upon first starting. Just as real-life, physical attractiveness plays a large role in how others socialize with you.
4 comments:
Vaishal,
I too entered Second Life for this assignment – then again, didn’t we all…
Anyway, I could relate to parts of your post because I had no idea what I was doing either. However, I didn’t find other players particularly helpful. Though I approached other avatars, none initiated conversation. I tried once to communicate with a fellow avatar and was completely ignored. I wonder what could be the cause of such differences in our experiences (my avatar was also attractive, so I doubt that’s the issue). Perhaps the fact that you specifically asked for help made other users take you more seriously. Overall great job :)
Hi Vaishal,
Your blog post was very enjoyable to read. First, the name that you chose for your avatar was rather interesting. It prompted me to consider what goes into ones decision in choosing a name? There are probably multiple reasons and variables that go into such a decision because there are absolutely no restrictions. Also, since it is one of the first things people see, aside from your appearance, it is important to put thought into your avatar’s name. I was also pleased to hear how your initial interactions in Second Life were rather positive. It was nice to learn how warm and understanding frequent users could be, because this is not always the case with all types of online psychological spaces.
I thought your post was very interesting in that I experienced similar events. When I was in Second Life, I had trouble getting help from other players as well. I am not too sure what the reason was because I was also of what I thought was a good appearance. Even though I didn't initially receive help, after initiating the conversation I received help. Stating that I was a first time player, the other people I was chatting with seemed to be interested in keeping me in the game by assisting me. Overall, this was a very good post that was very interesting to read.
I had a similar experience in all regards except for your interactions with strangers. I agree with Kayla in that I found most people to completely ignore me avatar and my attempts at conversation, despite her attractiveness. I guess you communicated your specific needs more effectively. Good post, I'm glad you had a good time in there.
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