Immersion vs. Augmentation....

Smif sandwich anyone?

Them ferrets know how to party.

WOOHOO! Glomps ftw.

/me glances at Immy and winks.

We don't need to stinkin' Smif!

Then at least you can post pics to my Facebook page

Of course. They're ferrets.

I define the seperate viewpoints of SL differently than that article does.
1. Real Lifer
2. Immersionist
3. Roleplayer
The differences lie in the function, use, and owner-given identity of the AV...

1) A tool - a means to further enhance RL/RL connections - identity is "my AV".
2) Self identifying representation - a body to experience living SL through - identity is "me" (1st person).
3) A marionette - an actor to help portray its part in a storyline/plot - identity is "me" (3rd person), named (3rd person), or "it" (detached).

I'm an immersive perverted exhibitionist

So the general gist I'm getting from this thread is that augmentationism is a pile of poo.

I've no quarrel with that.

I don't think "roleplayer vs immersionist" is a useful distinction. Maybe "immersionist vs actor"... there's been an "immersion vs acting" divide in *roleplaying* for at least 30 years.

Life is better without labels.

How come I never see you at any of the meetings?

That is an excellent description. None is better than the other, just different.

There can be a lot of confusion here, I grant you. An actor who is really "into" his role may be said to be immersed. An immersionist may indulge in some informal, or even formal, roleplay.

Even so, I believe that Dana's categories make a useful distinction. It's difficult for immersionists to have meaningful relationships with roleplayers...because the immersionist thinks the roleplayer's words and actions are "real", while the RP'er views them as "my character's words and actions". Then they are surprised when the immersionist is hurt by something they say or do. "Don't get so uptight, it's only a game. I didn't really mean it." Eventually, the immersionist develops a strong distrust of the roleplayers.

There is a similar disconnect between the real lifers and the immersionists... and the real lifers and the roleplayers... at least when one is not aware of the other's orientation... I am onboard with 3 world-views, although I am sure there are more... I also believe that some people have alts which they "play" with distinct world-views.

I seperate roleplayers and immersionists because there are distinct differences between the two viewpoints. When one is roleplaying in the tradishional sense, there is a lot of immersion going on, but no time during that are they actually self-identifying and thinking like a true immersionist does. Likewise, an immersionist is usually a natural for roleplaying, but often runs into issues with context, OOC, 3rd person narrative, and assuming a role that's not "just me". The two do share some things in common such as immersive activities or whatnot... However, it's the fact that each approach their thing from such differing angles, that both have certain unique taboos to preserve things, and that each group routinely goes into context or topics that make the others RP or immersion darn near impossible that I think that specific distiction is warranted. They are the male and female identical twins.. much alike, but Ooohh so different.




Probably because I never know when or where, or that I was even welcome lol.
Thanx. Yeah all are just different valid uses of the same thing

It is a delicate balance...I consider myself an immersionist who roleplays at times. Depending on the type of roleplay it can be hard to keep the line clear.....in strictly themed RP's such as Star Trek or the like it is fairly easy to do, but in more "personal" RPing it can be tricky. i try to be as descriptive as I can in limits and stuff, I have an array of norecards to hand out, and I always try to keep a clear sight on the other person's intentions. I've had several RP partners become friends and we sometimes take the interaction to a genuine personal level, where limits are loosened and such, while others are kept strictly within the boundires of RP limits..when the scene ends...the interaction ends untile we decide to play again.

I think there should be some kind of distinction between those who RP sometimes and those who consider their entire SL account a means to RP.

From Desmond's Devil's Dictionary:

Real Lifer: An immersionist or roleplayer who has just lost $L 1000 to a vending machine.

Immersionist: Anyone with dishes stacked up in the sink and someone yelling at them from the next room.

Roleplayer: A real lifer whose cyber date has just gone really, really bad.

There's at least two axes:

immersionism - do you identify with the avatar or not - is it you or a poppet on the screen?
roleplaying - does the avatar represent you or a character in a play?

I maintain 2 accounts in SL (it does not feel right to call either an 'alt'). One me is an immersionist, the other me is an augmentationist.

The main difference I see is the immersionist is there for the fun of it and the role, knowing only a few people she interacts with outside of their SL characters. Meanwhile, the augmentationist uses SL as just another communications medium.

So what's your definition of all three combined?

A Blue Mars user?

In most cases, I usually find a little conversation and observation sufficient. It isn't 100% foolproof, but I'm managing. The problem arises when people stray from their original philosophy.

Well, dang! I'm in the wrong place, then.

And thank you for not saying "Psycho."

I'm a fairly industrial-strength reader, but I found that article too long, too unfocused, and too hard to read.

Narrator Protagonist is like that.