I've heard it being said that Second Life is bad. As an experienced Second Life resident, I know that's not true. If I would leave it at that, then not only would this be the shortest blog post I've ever made, but it would also be a pitiful defense of Second Life; a virtual world with experiences which, for various reasons, people might only be able to have in a virtual world.
In this blog post, I hope to convince you that it is wrong to simply see Second Life as bad. Not by going on and on about events and experiences that can be had there, but with logic and with information which is as impartial as I can make it. I guess the most impartial thing I could say, is this: Second Life is no more good or bad than is what SL residents call Real Life. It's said that life is what you make of it, and the same is true for Second Life.
A knife can be used to injure or kill someone, but it can also be used to cut food or a rope. So, is a knife bad?
A computer can be used to share information that can be true, false, helpful, useless, and maybe it can have some other properties I can't think of at the moment. A computer can be used to find and maintain information, but people can also use a computer to obtain information they're not supposed to have. A computer can be used to help people, but also to deceive them. So, is a computer bad?
In the above examples, how good or bad something is depends not only on its build quality, but also on what it's used for, and the same holds true for Second Life.
Please consider the following questions:
The answers to all of these questions contribute to how good or bad a time you'll have in Second Life.
I will not tell you that there's no danger in Second Life. I will tell you that you can't be wounded in Second Life. I will also tell you that, what danger there is in Second Life, requires your cooperation. For example, an object can be scripted to withdraw money from your account, but it must ask you for permission first, for which a short and simple text is used that cannot be misunderstood.
Do you still think Second Life is bad? Please feel free to contact me and let's talk about it!
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