Bonus Mission #2: Why is it not just a game?

• Because you can make money out of it.
  

A millionaire in Second Life.

Anshe Chung is now a famous U.S. millionaire. Not just any millionaire. She is the millionaire who makes her fortune by buying and selling property in the virtual game Second Life using Linden dollars.

Her creator, Ailin Graef started with an initial investment of $9.95 second-life account and bought large-scale lands which she then divides and builds buildings to rent out or sell. More than 2 years later, the fortune she commands is several million dollars in real U.S. money. Asked what is her motivation for building such a large mass of fortune in a virtual land, she replied that it is her vision of community in the virtual worlds and work spaces that is driving her. “It is her philosophy that Second Life is above all a social space...”

And while relationships are formed through the game as social space – business deals made, new friendships formed, even resulting in marriages in real life, they can also be determined through your avatar. It’s “kinda scary”, especially when these things “[avatar appearance] is changeable with a click” (Linden, 2006)

• Because your avatar represents your race and your social identity.
  

Racist biasness appears in Second Life

Well, Chip Midnight had always wanted to create a black skin in second life to show the true proportionality of races in first life, that is, real life. He asked his usual model Erika Thereian, normally a blond and white skin, to test-drive his skin. Immediately, she got racist remarks from a couple of people.

"One said, 'Look at the n***** b****.'" (Linden, 2006)

"Another said 'Great, they are gonna invade SL now.'" (Linden, 2006)

In the three months she was black, some of her friends avoided her and she stopped fitting in with her good friends whom chatted easily with her. Her social dynamics have changed along with her skin color. Some friends asked her, “when you going back being you?” (Linden, 2006) This shows their bias towards blacks. As much as this is a virtual world, as good as a second chance in life, in a whole world newly created, people brings their stereotypes and biasness into it.

Conclusion

That pretty much summarizes why Second Life is not just a game; why Warcraft is not just a game and why games should be treated seriously, as part of the society. Not just some silly teenage boy’s pastime that not only wastes parents’ money and does not benefit the child like education does. It is a good opportunity to learn about the real world through second life because it is modeled after real life. The issues and problems concerning real world are still appearing and happening in Second Life and soon we might see racial protests or environment non-profit groups appearing. The ways to get rich are also modeled after real life. Ailin Graef is not one of the first millionaires to realize that investing in property is one of the quickest and best ways to get rich. Before her, billionaires like Donald Trump and Li Ka-shing have already done it in the real world. Second Life might be a good "try-out" place for fantasies. As Arianna Huffington discusses her thoughts of saving her marriage if "her husband had fulfilled her gay fantasies virtually" (Poprocks, 2007), I say, "why not?"


Bibliography

Levy, S. (2007). World of Warcraft: Is It a Game? Newsweek. Retrieved April 06, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098/

Clarren, R. (2006, 16 Sept) Virtually dead in Iraq. Salon arts & Entertainment. Retrieved April 06, 2007 from http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2006/09/16/americasarmy/

Lydon, C. (2006, 27 Mar) Living in Game Space. Open Source with Christopher Lydon. Retrieved April 06, 2007 from http://www.radioopensource.org/living-in-game-space/

Dibbel, J. (2003, Jan) The Unreal Estate Boom. Wired News. Retrieved April 06, 2007, from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.01/gaming_pr.html

Plush City @ Second Life, Wuhan, China @ Real Life. (2006, 26 Nov) Anshe Chung Becomes First Virtual World Millionaire. Retrieved April 06, 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.anshechung.com/include/press/press_release251106.html

Linden, H. (2006, 23 Feb) The Skin You’re In. New World Notes archive. Retrieved April 06, 2007, from http://secondlife.blogs.com/nwn/2006/02/the_skin_youre_.html

Poprocks, (2007, 25 Jan) Can Second Life save your marriage? nowpublic: crowd powered media. Retrieved April 06, 2007, from http://www.nowpublic.com/can_second_life_save_your_marriage