First Impressions

I wasn’t sure what I was really signing up for when I registered for this class and I honestly didn’t even know we would be using Second Life in the class.  Second Life certainly has a reputation, and not a very good one amongst my peers outside of the department.  I told one friend outside of Columbia that I was in a class where the medium of learning and progress is Second Life and the response was, “How can that even be a real class? Do you get regular credit for it?”  This leaves me to defend the curriculum of the course and Second Life’s reputation.  Plenty of people view it as this place where awkward people go to do sexual things they can’t do in real life because they are too introverted, or because it’s illegal.  I suppose if that is the reputation, I can understand someone questioning the class.  I explain it the same way it was explained to me, it doesn’t have to be social or a game, Second Life can be a place for art.  

When this first came up in class, I had never really thought of it that way. I didn’t know anything more about Second Life than the reputation it had.  I didn’t believe it, or I wouldn’t have registered for the class, but I didn’t know how wrong the stereotype was.  Columbia’s sim is filled with art and some interactive things to do.  I have not had the chance to go on Second Life again, but I have hope that there are many other active sims that don’t fit the stereotype of what some think Second Life is like.  From the introduction I got I saw how in depth the tools are in Second Life and knowing that anyone can import 3D objects for a fee is a shock to me, but it shows promise for unique art to show up in other places.  I am very eager to see more and to try making things myself.