Photo Essay: Living the Second Life

03/15/10  Print This Post Print This Post    8 Comments      Written by Candice Walsh
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If you had the opportunity to live another life, how would you do it?


Second Life is a virtual 3D world where people create custom avatars to interact with other avatars in the online community.
You can explore new cities, go shopping, attend classes, and even buy property.

This means if you’ve ever dreamt about being a rich, successful entrepreneur living in a high-rise condo, you have the opportunity to do so with Second Life. Or you could sprout wings and take on the appearance of a fairy dwelling in a giant mushroom, whatever floats your boat.

The game is extremely addictive, but with spectacular, unearthly landscapes, it’s not hard to see why.

1. “Dancing Venezia” by dell_wilberg.

2. The Flower Girl by karindalziel.

3. Be an activist. “Make Slove, not Warcraft” by moggs_oceanlane.

4. Zombie Ballet by moggs_oceanlane.

5. Falling petals on the Tokyo Peninsula by Ravenelle.

6. That’s right, your Second Life characters need to do their laundry. “Shadows@Laundromat” by Ramona.Forcella.

7.Moosh Fashion Show with models and DJ. By Ravenelle.

8.A book signing event with author Julian Dibbell, whose book ”Play Money” is available in both Second Life and in the real world. By John E. Lester.

9.Your Second Life doesn’t necessarily have to take place in human form, be creative. By BlueLinden.

10.A dating world to explore when you’ve already exhausted the real one. By Yuval_Y.

11. “Tuna Oddfellow and Shava Suntzu’s wedding in Second Life.” Not sure which one is the groom and which one is the bride. By isfullofcrap.

12. “The Show Must Go On” performs for the Raglan Shire community, by Vlan Bjornson.

Community Connection

Need a vacation? Second Life might be the future of virtual travel.


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About the Author

Matador ID: candicew86

Candice Walsh is a technical writer for a deep sea technology company. When she isn’t writing about sonar equipment, she’s shooting whiskey and hitting on men, or eating nachos and dreaming about travel. She’s currently stationed in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Check out her blog, Candice Does the World.

8 Comments... join the discussion!

  • ivy replied on March 15, 2010

    and how do avatars communicate?

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    • Candice Walsh replied to ivy on March 15, 2010

      According to their website, “text chat and 3D spatial voice.” Neat!

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  • Shava Nerad replied on March 15, 2010

    Just in case you’re still wondering, the one with the top hat in image #10 is the groom. You can see a full machinima (video) of the wedding on Business Week:

    http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080214_131079.htm

    I had no idea that image was gender ambiguous! :)

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    • Candice Walsh replied to Shava Nerad on March 15, 2010

      I was referring to their names actually (although I suppose “Oddfellow” might’ve gave it away), but wow, thanks for that link! I feel inclined to try this out myself.

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  • joshua johnson replied on March 15, 2010

    fascinating! I think Second Life is a harbinger for virtual realities yet to be imagined. Whereas a few years ago I scoffed at these types of (games?) activities, I see now that they are not going away and deserve some critical attention.

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    • Leigh Shulman replied to joshua johnson on March 15, 2010

      I completely agree. I know two film producers who have a virtual theater set up on Second Life. People make money on it. Art. Literature. It’s pretty cool.

      I have an account but haven’t done anywhere near the amount of exploring I’d like to do.

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  • Chris replied on March 16, 2010

    As someone that used to work at the company that created Second Life there are some really amazing things that go on in there. Two of my favorite videos created by customers are these two:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV1YbWBSXS8
    http://www.youtube.com/user/hayesg01#p/a/u/0/6D00Uv0qGoU

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    • Candice replied to Chris on March 18, 2010

      Those are really great Chris, thanks for sharing. I feel like this might be the perfect virtual game for travelers.

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