BlogHer - Second Life - Comments

20th Century......hmmmm

artpax — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:08:18 -0600

I am so more 20th Century than you.... lol. I am sure I am more 20th Century at least by a couple decades. I've just been waiting for virtual worlds to develop beyond gaming ever since I was a geeky teenager reading science fiction. I find that there are a lot of women who are PMSing (post Mom syndrome) who have a bit more time than women between 25-40 and who are using SL to develop aspects of themselves, artistic for instance, that they neglected during the height of career moves and mothering.

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Interesting responses--I

Super Jive — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:48:42 -0600

Interesting responses--I like that you ran with Dimon's questions. For my part, I am content with irc/bbs communities (I am so 20th century) and offline games, but I'll bet someone will take you up on it.

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Sex and Addiction and Rock and Roll

artpax — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:13:19 -0600

For a totally different take on what virtual worlds are like for some people and could be for everyone, check out my post on Social Justice & Virtual Worlds.

The whole real versus virtual life controversy is somewhat bogus. Virtual versus physical is a much more reasonable dichotomy if you like on/off, black/white dualtiy. Virtual is real. Thinking is real. Speaking is real. The gaming platform that is Second Life (as well as the array of other virtual worlds that are being developed and built right now) is gaming related. Second Life isn't a game. It is a communication tool. That is why there are universities, fortune 500 companies, and even governments that have decided to have a presence in Second Life.

The questions:

"1. Why does Second Life need avatar prostitutes? Are avatar men not getting any action in the virtual world or something?"

My take: Seems to me there is plenty of action -- but just like in physical life most potential customers are looking for a specific fantasy or unmet need to be fulfilled. And just like in physical world, relationships take time to build. Most women aren't going to have cybersex at the drop at a hat -- they want relationships. And while it might be easy to think of the avatar as "not real" if you are not well acquainted with the virtual world, you know that avatars are just one way people represent themselves to others.

2. Did this real life couple actually have a relationship outside of the virtual world?

My take: probably -- all relationships take place primarily in peoples heads.

3. What exactly is happening in the news that this is a story in CNN? CNN has a very real presence in Second Life and is exploring the medium so it knows how to best exploit the medium when 3 D representations become or evolve into the primary type of reporting. CNN iReports are easy to make from the virtual world about goings on there.

4. Why wasn’t I smart enough to invent something like Second Life?

My take: There is still time to make signigicant in-roads into the very first layers of virtual worlds.

5. And, most importantly, since I love to waste time online why am I not on this site?

My take: Well, get a free account! Look me up in SL -- I'm Ana Herzog and run a business called Casita Gaia there, and also do a lot of peace and justice organizing there.

Try it. Try it. The first one (avatar) is free. Mwah-haha.

Nancy

Build Peace
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Gamer here.

Cherith — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:19:14 -0500

Gamer here. Editor-in-Chief over at GamingAngels.com actually. It's nice to see someone here talking about being a gaming woman. :)

No WoW for Me!

Tastelikecrazy — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:47:19 -0500

With my ridiculously addictive personality, I know better then to
even touch that game. A good friend of mine keeps offering me a free
trial; it's almost like he's trying to get me to try crack for the
first time.

What I think is really cool is when you "meet" someone online and later find out that they're a chick because I don't know about you, but I always assume that a gamer is a guy. Even though I've been playing video games for years, the gamer = guy thing is still firmly wedged into my brain.

Another really cool thing is to watch my husband get his ass utterly kicked by a clan of chicks on Call of Duty 4. I think I enjoy that just a bit more than I should. :)

Amy @ TasteLikeCrazy.com

Me too!

Brandie185 — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:24:24 -0500

Ha! This post encouraged me to join Blogher finally because I LOVE WOW! I play ~~too much~~ when I can! My husband is a computer guy and he introduced me games like Age of Empires, Age of Wonders, and then I fell in love with Age of Mythology (yes, I think I have a thing for all Age of games LOL) and then my father-in-law introduced us to WOW. We love it so much!

Anyway, women gamers rock and I in guilds with quite a few mom/women players and it's awesome! Although, every now and then I'll be chatting with someone and I get asked what grade I am in ;-)

Brandie

wife to an awesome guy and mom to 3 great kids

http://journeyof1000stitches.blogspot.com

LOLcat.

flamyngo — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:38:02 -0500

I, too am ever so addicted to WoW, and even run my own guild! Being a mom running a guild has made our guild the most 'chick friendly' on the server, and girls love being in the guild just because it means that they aren't feeling all weirded out all the time, and they know we try to provide an appropriate vent/guild chat environment. It is always nice to read someone else is obsessed as me haha!

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Skye — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:21:08 -0500

You definitely need to check out the Iris Network and Cerise (http://cerise.theirisnetwork.org/) as well as Feminist Gamers (http://www.feministgamers.com/).

I don't play any online

no_I_am_zoe — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:47:40 -0500

I don't play any online games, cause that would be way to addictive for me, but we do have many consoles in our house and we have a weekly D&D gig every Friday night. We actually alternate between a D&D 3.5 campaign, a Vampire campaign, and now we are adding a D&D 4.0 campaign to the mix. Oh the useless knowlege I have.

zoe

Odd that I'd see this now. I

Wyliekat — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:44:34 -0500

Odd that I'd see this now. I just started WoW on the weekend. It's terribly, amazingly, profoundly addictive. I love it. I play with my SO and we're both at level 12 now. It didn't take long.

I know that he finds it terribly sexy that I play, though that's not why I do it. I played D&D and other roleplaying games before the advent of computer games (or real ones anyway), so this is simply a natural progression for me.

Vive les women gamers!

Woot!

sparksfley — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:28:30 -0500

I've been called out, so I must comment.

I love that you'll be doing this once a month!

One aspect I'm finding out in my playing WoW, is that I get my "being social" needs met. We're friends with our guild mates and fellow officers. I talk to them at least a few times a week (on a headset) while we're playing. I play in an "adult" guild - not XXX, more like we don't accept kids - and we all have the similar struggles with kids etc. Mine are special needs, which means we don't have the babysitters, time, or money to go out much. So between our WoW accounts (my husband has one too) and Netflix, that's our entertainment, and it works!

I'm a girl. I got my husband playing, not the other way around. And I kick ass.

Oh, and if you're interested... I'm Cary on the Gnomeregan server, 70 Fire Mage. Our Guild is Knights of the Shadow, and we've just about got Kara on Farm (damn Nethersprite.) If you're on that server, say hi

Michele

Sparks and Butterflies

amen sister!

kazari — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:35:07 -0500

I currently avoid computer games like the plague. I can't afford to lose my weekends at the moment! But in the past, I have been oddly addicted to sim city, black and white, civilisation, caesar....

(do you get the feeling I like taking over the world???)

anyway, currently when I lose time, it's to silly little flash-games that tend to involve much logic and no shooting (armor games picross for one). and i may have spent a little too much time on scramble and scrabulous...

i'll be looking out for your posts!

I think I have a recipe for that...

Thanks for all of your kinds words!

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:42:35 -0600

All families face challenges and none are more difficult than if one of your own children is disabled like mine, however in my family it is my son.who is the inspiration not me. His courage, faith and strength humble me.

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
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Wow Jody

Mom101 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:53:04 -0600

I had absolutely no idea about any of this. It's so great that his mom has the inside track (pun intended) on all this stuff so he can make sure he gets the best possible tools to work with.

Congrats on all his exciting new opportunities.

Mom-101
Cool Mom Picks.com

Wow, I admire the both of

Liz Thompson — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:29:44 -0600

Wow, I admire the both of you - your courage is very inspirational and I'm going to try to remember that, when my baby goes for driver's license in...GULP...3 years - good luck!

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