Well I finally got a chance to have a look at some websites I have heard about about for some time - Second Life and World of Warcraft. Was I impressed? Yes and No -
'Yes' because I am amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of those who have the skill and perseverance to put together these virtual worlds and attract millions into their cyber-view of reality
'No' because I can see how quickly a virtual world can become an escape - a parallel universe for those (particularly the young adults) who may not have matured to the point of having a solid grasp of the real world. My concern is that the easy access to a world which you can create yourself is the it may further alienate some from living a REAL life with all its attendant joys and struggles. Would I encourage my students, and even more pointedly, my own children, to get involved in these programs? Absolutely not - I would rather they were engrossed with the real world, making a difference in the lives of real people with real issues.
Yes, Yes and Yes. I couldn't agree more. Thank you for expressing it so well.
ReplyDeleteTook the words out of my mouth!
ReplyDeleteHi Geoff,
ReplyDeleteDid you know that in Second Life every year, and for about a month, there are activities, fund raisers, environments (sims),that raise money for cancer. It all culminates in an inworld "relay for life" and honours friends of sl players who have survived or succumbed to cancer. That is one of the many positive experiences you can find there.
Second Life can be addictive and it can be damaging. I agree with that and may not be a suitable pasttime for some people. However my experience and the experiences of many players has been very positive. There is so much creativity in second life. Everything you see has been digitally by the people who play ... plants, cities, rivers, architecture. It is amazing and the skills required to do this are quite complex. I taught myself Photoshop so that I could create textures for the things I built. So, it's not all bad. And no I am not addicted. I play a twice a week for a couple of hours at a time.