Is SL really a game?

A comment that I often read in the forums is "chill out, it's just a game". This is usually stated in 2 areas: either a griefer attacked someone and is copping an attitude, or the system has crashed or been taken down yet again. "Chill out, it's just a game".

But is it? Maybe SL started out as a game... but that is hardly still the case.

People buy property on SL and pay $200 a month or more for the privilege. Linden$ can be traded for real US$... which immediately transfers this from "just a game" environment to one that can be impacted by real US laws. Since L$ do have RL$ value... conceivably breach of contract here can actually be sued in U.S. courts, just as in RL. I don't know as anyone has ever done so, but people need to realize that this reality exists, especially as contracts become larger and more important.

In the same manner, theft of creative property here, theft of copyrighted material and harassment are all Real Life crimes, and punishable in RL just the same as in any other RL situation. There is even a new law on the books called "Computer terrorism" which entails the area of using ones computer to intentionally harass others on the internet. These things are real... they are not just a "game". Some users here think they are "bulletproof" because of the seeming anonymity SL gives them-- but there are men sitting in prison today that thought the same way when they thought their computer hacking was "just a game".

As for "so the server's down... get a life" that I read here so often... for some folks, SL *is* their life. There are residents of SL who are physically disabled, cannot go everywhere like most folks, and for them, SL becomes very much a part of their daily activities. They have no friends outside of SL. There are merchants here that every day SL is down, lose money. How would you like to have your employer call you up every week and say, 'Oh, sorry, you don't get to work today." How long could you last at a 20% reduction of your salary week after week?

I believe SL has grown beyond the "just a game" stage. SL has become a SOCIETY, and as such, the users and hosts of SL may need to take a whole new perspective on things. SL needs to get a lot more professional, a lot more safe, and the downtime needs to go bye-bye. The ghosting needs to be eliminated, the griefing needs to be eliminated and the servers need to work. When you're charging someone hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year to invest in your service, you no longer get to call yourself a "just a game".

While there are "games" inside SL... SL itself is far more. If you want "just a game" and your mentality is to go around shooting people... go play Unreal online. That attitude is unwelcome here.

So if one thinks SL is "just a game"... he may wish to rethink. SL is a whole different critter.

** ok, that's my soapbox for the week **

Ya, I've long held this viewpoint (well, as long as several months anyway), and I can't speak for anyone, but casually put, the majority of fellow avatars in here I really look up to also hold similar visionary views.

I do think Second Life is a game in that it is fun and provides me with hours of crazy entertainment, but it's more too.

So, I jokingly use the term "game+" sometimes. A game, and MORE. Why not try all the selections at the buffet table and come back for seconds and even thirds of the dishes you especially enjoyed?

I myself have always regarded SL as a "place" rather than a "game." Of course it depends on your level of involvement, but perhaps a more accurate term would be "hobby" in respect to the people who play it -- whatever it is.

"No, SL is just a thingie." Lordfly

Ha! Oh that's great... yeah... he told me that the other day *thinks*...

why'd you ask it as a question and then just put forth one view? That dont make no sense a'tall.

oh hiya, Torley

*waves to Taco*

Chill out, it's just a forum.

yeah but my way is way easier than reading.

Relax..... You can sue anybody for anything, so suing over something doesn't matter. Now as for spending US$ for something Virtual, how is this different than spending money for PayPreview to watch a Movie? Your buying "Entertainment". Can you sue if you don't think you got the entertainment value you wanted? Sure... But nothing has changed and nothing special has been created.

SL is a game, entertainment, etc... If you can get a court to acknowledge you have "Virtual Property Rights" then you'll win all the court battles you want if its stolen.. The end all, be all, is that SL is nothing more than new technology to allow for human interaction.

Of course it's a game! First one to have AV sex with Zoey wins!

Actually, to me it's more of a chat program with lots of extras. Social gathering and collaberation, idea exchanges, etc.

However, it's also a canvas upon which each individual can paint what they wish, through building, scripting, and other creation.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to see a court recognize these 'virtual' property rights at some point in time. After all, SL 'property' isn't fantasy, it is represented by a portion of RL server hardware. This wouldn't be much different than a website owner filing against an ISP for complaints relative to property rented on a server.

And consider this; the government recognizes light as property. Radio & TV stations, cellphone companies, wireless marketers... they all purchase slices of the light spectrum as property.

As for SL being a game or not, I like the hobby comparison someone made earlier. So, I'll call it a hobby.

Hmmm... The answer to that would be No, Regis.

Is that your final answer?

It's all relative . I think life is just a game. Doesn't mean I don't occasionally take it seriously. In fact I want Game Over written on my gravestone.

It's a first-stage metaverse, not a 'game'. At the moment it's a place for people to profit from idle chatters.

For LL, they're playing "Keep The Damn Grid Running" at the moment.

I've always called SL a "3D Virtual Reality World"... that's my story and I'm stickin to it!

What??? SL isn't real?? First Santa now this!!!!

***runs out of forums crying***

Wish............. SL is a dream

OK, I'm ignoring the arguments that say "life is just a game, so SL is too". That's less than constructive, and completely misses the point of the question.

I think SL is very much like the web, Usenet, IRC, and other areas of the Internet. Second LIfe is just another medium for human interaction. Sure, some people role-play -- they have a different persona than they have in face-to-face interaction, but that's the same with any other medium. In the end, SL is not an RPG. It's a way to communicate and interact with real people in meaningful ways. It's a medium of creativity and of emotion. It's a medium of commerce and conflict. It covers the entire range of human interaction, but does it using a game-like interface.

In the end, everyone you chat with in SL is a real person at a keyboard. To me, that makes it just another element of real life.

Is the web a game? No. The web has games, but not all of it is a game. Are multiplayer world like Everquest a game? Yes, because it's role-playing. All of the participants have agreed to take part in a fictitious reality for the purpose of entertainment.

Is SL or There a game? No. They're less related to Everquest and Ultima Online and more related to IRC and the web. Games are about fictional characters, and SL is about real people. SL isn't a game. It's another medium for human interaction.

Game.. what is this game you speak of..? Here I was, thinking I was really 'jacked' into the Matrix.

Darn.

Very well said. I've always had trouble explaining SL (I couldnt think of more descriptive to say other than "you build things", "go to events"...) to other people but what you say makes a ton of sense.

I love it.
I also love the thought that has gone into some of these posts (and the humor!).

Exactly. But in all cases, everyone you chat with is a real person. You might be chatting for entertainment or for business, but it's always another person. That means it's as much a game as any activity in life.