Why do you play Second Life?

1. Why do you play this game?

What game?

2. What do you like about it most?

About what?

3. What do you dislike about it?

About what?

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?

What game?

5. What one feature would you like to remove?

From what?

6. Is cheating an issue in this game?

What game?

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?

In what?

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?

What game?

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?

About what?

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?

Players of what?

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?

Players of what?

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?

Players of what?

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?

Players of what?

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?

Players of what?

Nice

. Why do you play this game?
Because I can't shoot up an old folks home.

2. What do you like about it most?
I can shoot up old folks homes.
3. What do you dislike about it?
You mostly.
4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?
Electroshock feedback.
5. What one feature would you like to remove?
You mostly.
6. Is cheating an issue in this game?
On your spouse?
6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?
Send me 10K and I'll let you in on the secret.
7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?
The game it'self.
8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?
No lag here.
9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?
They need to get out less.
10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?
They need to get out more.
11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?
They are the salt of the virtual earth. Without them. there would only be people like you. And I don't, as stated above, like you very much.
12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?
I think they should just look at the damned map. when they put dragons around the edges. I'll think more highly of them.
13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?
None of the above.

Glome, for the most part we here in Second Life are not playing.

Who is playing? Your teachers are playing. The administators, decision makers, and powers-that-be at your school are playing. They are playing, and they are not only wasting your future but they do so at great expense to everyone.

Holy Crap!! I actually agree with Ricardo???

Here's the questions:

1. Why do you play this game?

My entire family are/were artists and I can't draw at all, but in SL I can creatively express myself. I don't consider it a game so much as a massive sandbox/canvas/empty page. A game has some form of specific rule how to play it.

2. What do you like about it most?

The incredible and diverse things that people can make, how interesting it can be simply to go look.

3. What do you dislike about it?

Greed

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?

That it supported proper 3D modelling with all the things the actual games industry uses - so I could make things in Maya (having learned Maya first lol) totally offline.

5. What one feature would you like to remove?

The friends list being universally across the whole list when notifying on/off (should be able to whitelist and blacklist certain people i.e. there's quite a few people on my list for semi-business related reasons who I don't need to know if they are there or not - mind you, my friends list deletes people without my knowledge sometimes, cue annoyed and upset IMs from friends).

6. Is cheating an issue in this game?

I think it's a massive issue, although not personally an issue to me. However, one person's cheating/lying/manipulation is someone else's fantasy/I keep it light cos I have a dick really despite being female here ... go figure.

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?

There's human beings playing this game = it's a microcosm of reality. People who are dicks rl aren't likely to be better in SL or online, but people who are nice rl can sometimes act like dicks when thinking they are hidden from analysis because it's only a game.

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?

I'm afraid Linden Labs themselves - whilst I am one of the first to say "It's a business", I'm disillusioned that there is any sort of real customer respect. Apologies if this is actually not a school paper and you are getting some info for LL. This is a backhanded compliment about the structure of your questions by the way

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?

Lag doesn't bother me so much, lag I can get away from. Being disconnected or having a less than stable connection is far worse and has affected many aspects of interpersonal relationships.

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?

SL is basically a chat room with extras.

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?

It gets very wearing if that's all they do, but good luck to them unless they are praying on other people to do it.

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?

Usually that they are either young and bored, older and disenfranchised with the decline of SL into a bland marketable format or possibly they have a VERY VERY bad first life and they're acting out here. I do actually have empathy with the second bracket ... or maybe they just are out for kicks and a laugh without really engaging that they upset people - or, of course, they are of the mindset that SL must be destroyed and that's just part of their plan.

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?

I think this is your seriously involved person to be honest. Without them, this would be nothing at all. It's a shame that not all the people who make great things get showcased instead of a few golden boys and girls.

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?

I don't fit this narrow a definition, all the above apply in some way or another (though 3 is very mildly since it's just light banter).

Did you spank him Sarah? *G* Belated happy rezday.

Yeah, let's let students practice research on stuff that really matters, then if they mess up because they don't know what they're doing we can use their results to solve real problems.

On the other hand they could practice on the trivial and by the time they get to research something that really matters they'll have hopefully honed their skills to the point that they might just find some useful answers.

On the third hand, there are those who would suggest SL and other forms of online/virtual interaction are important as the beginnings of a new form of society. I'm not convinced by that point of view, but there's an awful lot of people putting a lot of time, energy and money into SL and other online enviroments, maybe it is worth finding out why - not that we ever hear anything about the results of these surveys.

I'd like to hear the results myself.

1. Why do you play this game? Game? Where? I want to see it!

2. What do you like about it most? I like SL as a virtual chat place, ability to communicate in a virtual form with other real people.

3. What do you dislike about it? Three letters: LAG. Also poseballs should be better.

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could? Game? I don't play games in SL.

5. What one feature would you like to remove? Land tier. Idiotic system. If I buy something it better be mine without any extra fees.

6. Is cheating an issue in this game? I don't cheat, but if someone does, it is their problem...and why do you keep on talking about a game?

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating? DUH!

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game? LAG again

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you? Chat lag, inventory lag, and now lately something weird with my sunglass HUD

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers? I'm one of them. I resemble mostly Lucille Ball, so if you meet me, be aware...anything can happen.

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)? If it makes them happy...

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)? WHY does anyone want to do that in the first place? Keep out of the faces of the nice decent people. Get a life outside. Really. SL is place for many to have any kind of life...

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)? Explorer is not the same as trying to figure out the things you mention...explorers are the ones who like to explore new places to see as much as possible.

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself? After you correct your 'player' types, I can say socializer and explorer.

Would you please start going to SL yourself, so you can get the terms right?

1. Why do you play this game?
SL is really more a social interface than a game. I play because it's fun. There are so many things I enjoy: meeting people from around the world, being creative with building or scripting, exploring all the wonderful sims people have created. I also have friends on SL and I stop by to chat with all of them.

2. What do you like about it most?
Meeting interesting and intelligent people is the best part.

3. What do you dislike about it?
The lag and instability are irritating.

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?
I'm blanking out on this one. SL is so open-ended.

5. What one feature would you like to remove?
The features that make griefing possible - being able to push avatars, for instance.

6. Is cheating an issue in this game?
There really is no way to "cheat". Since there is no winning, there is really no incentive to cheat.

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?
Perhaps stealing another persons design and selling it would be the closest approximation to cheating tat exists in SL.

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?
Instability creates the most disruption. SL always crashes at the worst times.

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?
The only issues I have had with lag are areas that are slow to load. It affects me by causing frustration. Some days it feels that most of my time on SL is spent waiting for the area to load.

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?
"Socializers" are the norm. SL is really a social interface.

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?
There really is no advancement in SL. There are people whose main objective is to make money. I feel that this is their perogative. I tend to interact more with the Socializers, since I am one myself.

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?
I have never run into a griefer, but I have heard of griefers who cause people trouble. I feel that they should be dealt with by LL, with penalties ranging from temporary syspension of account to cancellatino of account.

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?
Perhaps builders would be the closest analogy? I also enjoy building. I consider this to be an excellent outlet for creativity.

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?
Usually I am more of a socializer, but sometimes I spend more time building than socializing.

See, you messed up right there.

Second Life has a lot more in common with this very message board software than it has with WOW, EQ, DAoC, UO, or any other set of letters commonly associated with morpigs. Therefore, the only real and correct answer I can give to all questions is "Not appliciable to this platform." I don't mean to sound flippant, but this like going to Portugal and asking how they feel about state's rights. They can try to answer as if there country was a state but the answers are going to be skewed because there is no standard frame of reference.

Second Life is not a game. It is a chat room with a set of tools. You can make and play very elaborate games with in it, put the games are not inherient with being in Second Life.

1. Why do you play this game?

(Before I answer, I will loudly shout that it certainly is a game: “ –noun 1. an amusement or pastime…” But we can argue that forever. Games don't need to have a "goal" to be a game or someone become the "winner". Although, people do set up their own goals here: to become a real estate tycoon, to be a glamorous lady, to become a famous disco owner, etc.)

For the first few weeks, I was all about the wild freedom it afforded, especially in the way of anonymous sex. I stay, because I can be wildly creative in ways I never imagined. Right now, I’ve been designing weird amusement park rides, unlike anything SL has experienced or RL ever can.

2. What do you like about it most?

The constant parade of new things to discover and try.

3. What do you dislike about it?

The lack of people. Most sims are empty of green dots. After 2 years and a few months, I have just a few friends on my long list that still play the "game" and only a couple of those have translated into RL friendships.

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?

Some type of recognition program for those who excel in various ways here.

5. What one feature would you like to remove?

The traffic feature totally exploited by campbots.

6. Is cheating an issue in this game?

Sure. There's plenty of cheating. If there’s a loophole or technological exploit, someone will find it, and use it. Whether it’s 16 m2 adfarmgriefers, regular griefers or landbots. Cheating can also be simply ignoring common courtesy because there are no rules against it in SL. (No zoning on the mainland means practically anything goes as long as it doesn't step onto someone else's land.)

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?

I don't have the numbers. The most irritating are the various Bots.

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?

Too many people online at the same time. (Sigh.)

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?

I can’t build so I leave until the online numbers get lower.

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?

Go for it. I wish there were more socializers. I've been to many a club where no one was "socializing" at all. There were a number of bots there to increase the traffic count and everyone else was simply listening to the music, or possibly carrying on a private IM or two. I've rarely found a club that is simply a salon for chatting.

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?

Go for it.

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?

Go.

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?

Go for it. Being an explorer can lead to becoming an achiever.

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?

Underachiever.

ROFLMAO

Incorrect assumption - rest of survey invalid.

By that definition, watching TV is a game.
Drinking in a pub is a game.
Sex is a game.
Gardening is a game.

The definition is so vague as long as one person claims it is an amusement even mass murder can be called a game. Certianly not a children's game by any stretch. Oh, I see you forgot to indlude the other half of the dictionary entry for that line.

SL is a telephone. It's a BBS. It's a means of communication. Three are games you can play with it but it is not a game in and of itself. A conputer is not a game. it is a decive which can be used to play games among other things but it is nothing more than a device. A block of wood is not a game until you mark it's faces with number and roll it for a specific outcome. SL can and does enable you to play games but it is not a game any more than a postcard is.

Here's the questions:

1. Why do you play this game?

Well, first this isn't a game to me. I came originally because of the creativity involved, was interested visually to see what was inside. Now, I'm here for social reasons almost entirely.

2. What do you like about it most?

The ability to discover something new around every corner and the friends that I've made.


3. What do you dislike about it?

The limitations of the software; crashing, lag, glitches, etc.

4. What one feature would you add to the game if you could?

Better instructions for the information database. I find them to be very poorly written and difficult to search through.


5. What one feature would you like to remove? Somehow the friends list needs to be refined, tho not removed.


6. Is cheating an issue in this game?

Duh! Yea. Inherent to human nature so obviously it's going to happen here.

6b. If so, what are the most common forms of cheating?

Every kind imaginable.

7. What causes the most havoc or disruption of gameplay within the game?

For me, it's malfunction of the software.

8. What sort of issues have you experienced with lag, and how has it effected you?

Very annoying, one of the worst kinds of problems and I know others agree.

9. What are your views on players that could be considered Socializers?

Kind of a silly question. Everyone is here for social reasons. Who comes to SL and totally lives in a bubble?

10. What are your views on players that could be considered Achievers (always trying to advance their character)?

Good for them. I wish I had the wherewithall to be as ambitious and motivated.

11. What are your views on players that could be considered Killers or Griefers (people just out to gain pleasure from other peoples pain)?

Kill and grief them all.

12. What are your views on players that could be considered Explorers (people trying to understand the inner workings and details of the game)?

Again, fantastic. I love exploring but just don't have the time to delve into things as much as I'd like to.

13. What type of player, of the 4 mentioned above, would you consider yourself?

Socializer, with explorer thrown in but not to the extent that I'm taking things apart trying to figure out what makes them tick.

1-13: I like cheese.



Mary Poppins would lead you to believe that even a job could be a game, that is with a spoonful of sugar and all.

Mass murder might be more of a sport. Depends on one's motives, I suppose. I think “children’s games” was given as an example of an amusement or pastime, not the only possible interpretation. Please see below. I've pasted in the rest of the definition. (Amusement/pastime is the first meaning given. That generally means that's the most common meaning. I didn't make it vague, Webster did.)

Game –noun

1. an amusement or pastime: children's games.

2. the material or equipment used in playing certain games: a store selling toys and games.

3. a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators.

4. a single occasion of such an activity, or a definite portion of one: the final game of the season; a rubber of three games at bridge.

5. the number of points required to win a game.

6. the score at a particular stage in a game.

7. a particular manner or style of playing a game: Her game of chess is improving.

8. anything resembling a game, as in requiring skill, endurance, or adherence to rules: the game of diplomacy.

9. a trick or strategy: to see through someone's game.

10. fun; sport of any kind; joke: That's about enough of your games.


So why do people get all freaked out if one calls SL a game? Is it because everyone isn’t playing the exact same game? Is it because it's not a zero-sum game? Or that there's not a final boss to defeat?

Is it a platform like Xbox? I can buy that. SL is a platform for playing various games, whether they are out-and-out games like Zingo, or role-playing games like "Escort," "Furry Artist," "Real Estate Tycoon" "Dance Club Owner," "Forum Smarty Pants," "SL Pop Singer," etc. I'd hardly call it a social media. Maybe for those who use it to buy houses, furniture and lovely outfits for their barbiedoll AVs, it's more of a toy.

The third definition says that a game is a “competitive activity” with a set of rules. I imagine that’s where all y’all are getting hung up. However, I’d say there is certainly plenty of competitive activity in SL, mostly of the capitalistic kind, and sometimes you're just competing with yourself. There are certainly plenty of rules. Like I said everyone isn’t playing the exact same game in SL. And some don’t play any games in SL, they just wander around a little, get bored and quit. One can do that with a chess board, too. Just move the pieces around without knowing the rules or playing against an opponent. So in that situation, chess is not a game, although there is a game buried there somewhere.

Very interesting survey...