Is SL really a game?

Im fairly new to SL , been playing for about a month or so and I'm having alot of fun... Its addicting , you meet great people and there always seems to be something new to explore... but Is it just a game ? yep. "People buy property on SL and pay $200 a month or more for the privilege." So I've heard, which to me just shows that it can be a very expensive game lol ...

Its funny because every online RPG message board I've been on this comes up - "but is it really just a game" ... People *including myself* get so addicted and involved in all the relationships, conflicts, drama, entertainment of whatever game they chose to play, they start to think of it as something more ... Yes, there are real people behind the keyboards ... and sometimes real emotions can get involved. We are human - Our emotions get involved in everything we do lol... Everytime Ross and Rachel broke up on "friends" my GF would cry - Severally emotional over a TV show :| LOL ... Does that make it more then a Tv show ? nah

Some people make their living by making money on SL and selling it... Thats great ... I made all sorts of money selling Simoleans on TSO for cash - still , just a game ... A lucrative game , but still .. just a game.

SL Gamer - Mike Raine

I think Ingrid is still running around with my last answer to this profound bi-monthy question as her sig line....


Game or not a game? I used to ponder this - until I saw the the name 'Slartibartfast' signed on the fjords of the new sims.

Now I'm thinking something a lil more sinister is at work.

Siggy.

Thas the best part, making money by playing a Video Game..

I consider it a platform

Yesnomaybe

I'm still trying to figure out how to level up until I can face the Boss Linden.

You prolly have to initiate the command sequence for the game-in-a-game called "KILL PHIL"


^meant jokingly, of course. NOT as a serious death threat.

I remember when I used to give long explinative posts about why exactly it doesn't qualify as a game. If you want to see those posts, go searching, because now I'll just say this:

NO.

slots, roulette, texas hold em *TRINGO, bingo and many others. all games. I found sl on www.mmorpg.com advertized as a game. I think its many things to many ppl.

YES IT IS A GAME.... A GAME... A GAME...

sheesh.

Ignore Wall, he tends to talk crap when his head is in that hole. Uhm, Wall? You might wanna double check to see of those are hemmorhoids or brain tumors while you are in there.

I don't agree with you here, Alby. When you spend money on payperview, the company is entitled to provide the service. They do not warrant on the percieved entertainment value from the customer. That responsability relies on the customer, who has numerous previews available, both from off the service, magazines, tv-guides, etc. BUT, if they DON'T provide the service, they better be well prepared to compensate in one way or another - and face angry customers.

Those are games *within* Second Life. You can also find slots, roulette, and whatever games on the web. Does that mean the web is a game? Dammit I've been using the web for over ten years, and I still haven't won!



Where you saw the advertisement doesn't really define what SL is. If you saw the ad on Wired News, would that make SL a news reader?

Alby just wants it to be a slot machine that pays out at ever quarter....LOL

anyway no SL is not a Game persey...Community..yes Canvas..Yes...Business Tool...Yes...Games are defined by limitations of goals. What limitations do we have here other than the TOS and CS...none so in essence truly cannot be defined as a game.

Shadow.

Sorry I think you misunderstood. Yes being on mmorpg.com I figured it was a game. as they advertize mmorpg's. Mostly however my main point was and is its many things to many ppl and its all good. Game not game guess its a matter of view. I like all of it. Very entertaining.

Here is the ad from www.mmorpg.com
"Retail Price: Free
Monthly Fee: $9.95

Second Life is an expansive online society, lived in and built by its participants. Join a 3D world full of people, activity, and fun, where you and fellow residents can build a shared reality. You choose your own goals ? travel and explore, claim and build on virtual land, make friends and socialize, or vie for status and wealth. Whatever you choose to do, your Second Life starts now.
Fly through an ever-evolving 3D landscape and encounter wonderful places and things ? all created by residents like you. A lone cabin on a peaceful island. A growing city. Mysterious ancient ruins. A Wild West town. There?s no end to what you can discover, and it?s never the same twice.

Change your appearance to look like anything ? an imaginary superhero, a mythical monster, or your own mirror image. Or, change your surroundings. Build your dream home. Make art. Become a world-famous clothing designer. Collaborate with others to build a major civic work ? or an entire city. Let your imagination run wild!

Discover a vibrant society bustling with people and activities. Make friends at a dance contest or a treasure hunt. Host social events and create your own fun. Throw wild parties. Run a comedy club. MC a fashion show. At every event, you?ll meet fascinating people ? who will intrigue, inspire, and entertain you.

Become the world?s most popular or wealthiest resident. Win votes for your personality, appearance, or building skills. Build a disco and charge admission. Sell your art, clothing, or weapons. Win a trivia contest. Battle other contestants over a defended treasure. Or, compete in games of your own invention. There are many goals to choose from ? pick your ?game? and play to win. "

depending on what discription wired gave, yes that would influence my perception of it.

SL is not a game... it is... cough cough porn cough cough... hehe

Seriously, I can not add much to what has been shared but ask a simple question. If it is a "game" then how do you win?

Is it a game... yes... is it more than a game... yes... is it a society... yes... is it life… yes… etc...

just a guess here but I would think picking a goal and suceeding in that goal??? Its entertaining what ever it is lol.

On my computer, I purposefully put my SL folder outside my games folder, because it is certainly not a game. It's whatever the users want it to be.

Life is what you make it.

Or what you can afford...lol

It's a very open-ended game, but it's still a game in the same way that playing pretend is a game (whether kids playing house or adults playing table-top RPGs, which unlike computer RPGs typically don't have ways to "win". SL doesn't have a specific set of goals but that's only necessary for some games. Plenty of games are as open-ended as SL and have much fewer rules. Any White Wolf RPG, for example.

Personally I believe that people who take it completely seriously are 1) generally no fun to be around and 2) setting themselves up to be let down very badly sooner or later. I also believe that, unlike what the original poster was implying, considering SL to be "just a game" is not a license for griefing because it ruins the game for others. However, I've noticed that people who take SL completely seriously tend to have much broader definitions of "griefing" than people who don't.

A game has a winner, not a "goal". Upon winning, the game is over. How do you "win" and how does the "game" of SL end?

Playing house is NOT a game, it is an activity.

I am gonna vote "not a game" instead it's a communication tool. A sophisticated chat room that brings real people together with other real people. There are activities and distractions along the way, but for the most part I lump SL in with MSN, Yahoo, AOL, IRC, Skype, e-mail, the telephone, and hand written letters.