” Second Life is not a fart in a crowded elevator; it’s a fun, virtual world. Don’t be afraid to admit that you dig it, even if it can stink sometimes.”

I recently stumbled across a wonderful article about SL written on a hard-core gamer blog called “MMORPG” (that’s a clickable link). Many people, myself included, have considered SL to be the red headed stepchild of the gamer world and something that you admit only in shameful tones.

Several years ago, I needed to upgrade my computer to keep up with the ever-changing and fast-moving developments of Second Life graphics. I was using a laptop at the time (I’ve since gotten smart and switched to a desktop, but that’s another post for another day). I walked into the store, and a sales associate asked me how he could help me. I told him I was looking for a gaming laptop. “Oh, for your son?” said this 12-year-old (not really but geez). My cheeks burning in embarrassment, I said “No…umm… for me.” He looked at me oddly (me being this middle aged woman with grey in her hair) and said, “Oh…of course. What game do you play?”

I cringed. This was the question I’d been dreading. I hung my head. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Second Life” I mumbled.

He craned his neck forward, brow crinkling in concentration as he tried to understand what I’d said. “I’m sorry?” he inquired.

“Not as sorry as me” I mumbled to myself. Cheeks aflame, I looked into this young man’s face and stated, too loudly, “Second Life!”

Several patrons on the other side of the store looked up, startled. The clerk smirked. Then he snickered.

Oh God. I just wanted to die. Will the floor please open up and swallow me? Now? I covered my face with one hand and sighed.

Still smirking, the young man showed me several laptops. I chose one, made the purchase and scurried out of the store as fast as I could, the snickers following me out the door. I could just imagine the chat amongst the 20-something sales associates. “Oh god, look at that pathetic old lady gettin’ her jollies in Second Life” they would guffaw.

Oy.

However, as most SLers know, Second Life is more about just a 3-D sex site. Yes, there’s that too, but the user created content is what keeps Second Life alive and flourishing. The content creators. The musicians, the clubs, the landscapers, the causes that raise thousands of RL dollars from SL events — There is so much more to SL than just sex.

This article in the MMORPG website talks about the bad rep that SL has and how this platform needs to be taken seriously in the world of gaming and 3-D creation.

My favorite quote from the article is this: ” Second Life is not a fart in a crowded elevator; it’s a fun, virtual world. Don’t be afraid to admit that you dig it, even if it can stink sometimes.”

Read the article and see the Drax File episode that Beau Hindman did. Let’s all come out of the virtual closet and quit being ashamed of something that is so amazingly beautiful.

Here’s the link to the article: “There’s No Shame In Playing Second Life.”

Here’s the DRAX file episode:

I remain respectfully yours,

~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Social Media