"One Year Itch" for SL?

Using the "Seven Year Itch" theory of marriages...is there something like a "One Year Itch" for SL?

I've read a couple of posts recently of people not leaving SL, but not going to be in world as much for various reasons. I can relate to them but not sure why, except probably burnout.

I know I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of things to experience in SL so I know I haven't "done it all."

I have a partner I adore - we used to do all kinds of things in SL together, but now none of them interest me that much. Many nights we just sit in our home and chat (which we could do off SL).

The two things that I still really enjoy are teaching and taking classes.

I know one answer I'll likely get is to just take some time away. Which is a good suggestion. Except for a couple months ago when I *wasn't* feeling like this, I purchased land with the intentions of setting up shop there. (I still do...things are just moving a mite slowly given my current ennui.)

Maybe it's just the dog days of summer and the heat is sapping my energy and creative juices.

So...anyone else experience a "One Year Itch" and suggestions to ride it out?

yes... it passes . slowly. but it passes. i'm currently goin through the tail end of it myself.

i do believe, in your case, it's cause the sun is shining outside, it hot, you get dreamy with summer madness, i say set aside a few hours a day and go to the beach, or park, soak in the sun, get in touch with your inner muse.

I think I avoid the itch by both balancing SL with RL and shifting around what I do in SL. For a long time I was just building, doing a little scripting. I got some stuff "done" and started doing more socializing and exploring and put that aside. Now I'm getting back into scripting and building brainstorming so I imagine my socializing and exploring will drop off. Rather than feeling a need to take a break from SL, I find I just naturally take breaks from parts of it by shifting my focus.

I certainly did. In my case, life circumstances (caring for a sick relative) had led me to immerse myself in Second Life for nearly a year. When said relative started to get better --not fully recovered, but well on his way-- I was convinced that I wouldn't be spending as much time on Second Life, probably checking in a few times a week to keep up with old online friends.

Then I discovered sculpties and I became serious about graphic design, both 2D and 3D. It was another aspect to this "game" that I hadn't really seen before. It's led me, and possible my RL in different directions than I would have ever expected (I'm enrolling next semester at the local college to pursue an associates degree in graphic design)

So, I am still here. But I rarely go to balls anymore, or even just socialize (more via IM whilst I'm working). I do love to explore, but it's more to see some of the amazingly creative builds that exist in SL than to go "clubbing".

On the other hand, I was about to log off last night after setting up a few vendors when an old friend IM'd me and said "You know, tomorrow is the anniversary of the first zeppelin launch, care for an aerial duel?". A couple of hours past my ostensible bedtime, I did get to sleep, but not after the Air Pirate Queen gave as good as she got, finally resorting to cheating via a boarding action.

If you are bored, try something different. And there are a fair amount of things in Second Life that are quite "different", in so many uses of the word.

My hiatus where I bailed out, abandoned my land and cancelled my account was a little more than a year. It was a combination of burnout, frustration with SL and LL, losing focus on what SL is supposed to be to me and RL issues as well. I thought that I may have returned after a month or two, I didn't figure on it lasting only 3 weeks.

When you first come to Second Life, it looks all undefined and open and there's a huge rush of enthusiasm.

As you learn more you find that there are actually limits that aren't apparant - most of which are the result of the need for society, not the platform - and that's often a time of frustration.

After that people tend to either come back and adapt (focusing on becoming a "professional" is one such adaptation) or leave it or become inactive. It's quite natural (and doesn't mean anything bad about you )

Thank you all for your positive answers and input.

Great wisdom there, Bodhisatva in balancing my activities RL & SL and not getting stuck in one groove so to speak in SL. Perhaps I'll spend some more time in my transmorgrified child AV. I had so much fun being part of the "Kid Pack" that one day.

Virrginia, that is so cool that due to SL you are pursuing education in graphic design based on being exposed to it in SL!!! I wish you a fantastic learning experience and great time!!

The rarely going to balls or clubbing anymore is something that has drastically dropped off for me as well. There is one DJ that my Partner and I enjoy going to hear, but other than that, the whole club scene just leaves me cold...and bored. I realize I am becoming more insular but I'm used to that as an only child and often have the best times just doing whatever on my own.

Brenda, what enticed you to return (if I'm not being too nosey)? And I'm sure glad you did *smiles*

Thanks so much for your comments, Yumi! I appreciated that.

And Maggie, I didn't forget you *smiles*

I'm glad to hear this phase passes...probably just a natural "life cycle of SL" I'm going through. As far as going out to soak in the sun...ACK!!!! I hate the heat and sort of "hibernate" during the summer down here in FL. Then I "come alive" with the first cool breeze round about mid-September. So I may have that "summer malaise." I probably DO need to make an effort to go out and get some fresh air...in the early mornings or late evenings.

Again, many thanks for the positive, encouraging, understanding responses.

My absence was also very short, shorter than I'd thought it would be. I had too many things hit me at once, mostly RL things, as well as some frustrations in SL. I was spending so much time in SL that in my mind it had become a liability for me. I was convinced I needed to walk away. I even cancelled my account. In retrospect, that was not the smartest choice I've ever made.

I'm taking it slow now, not getting overly invested in it, and keeping focused on more important RL matters, such as Flight Simulator, WoW, etc. (just kidding)

Several reasons. I couldn't come here since my account was cancelled, but I was stil at SLU, and kept in contact with a few people, notably Trout and Raymond, who gently wore down my resistance. Plus being at SLU kept it in the back of my mind, if not I would have probably just forgotten about SL. I thought about the things I did that I enjoyed, as well as things that I didn't like abot it and figured if I just kept it as an entertainmnet activity, not a "life" of any sort, I would be better off.

I was getting close to the point where my account would go dormant and I'd lose my inventory so I ponied up the 10 bucks and reinstated figuring, I'd just keep it and come back at a later date. But I logged in to check if all my shoes were there and I saw a note from someone in this group, who shall be nameless, that was the sweetest, nicest thing you could imagine, written when she found out I had left. So I told her I was coming back, and then she blabbed it here and so it goes...

I have not logged into SL in three days and can only be in it for a few minutes when i do get the feeling of going in..checking messages paying bills..

It's summer and just don't have the feel for it right now..this happens every summer though lol

I stopped playing in Sept 2007, after a bit over a year. Mostly that was down to RL issues. I still wanted to log in, I just never had the time. Circumstances changed again in February and I came back. I no longer have my SL buisiness, and no real inclination to bother right now, but I'm very happy to be back. I missed it, a lot.

Well I suppose we all go in creative cycles, I surely do. The thing is I have so many inworld businesses that I really can't just take a break. But I have definately dropped it to popping in to get messages for a few minutes at times. I was bored this past spring, nothing inspired me to build anything, mind was a blank. That was about 2 years in, so maybe you are onto something. Then I suddenly took the gamble to open yet a huger business, now taking up a whole sim. So it's almost like the odds and stakes get higher as well. The result of a strong social circle as well. But the last time I went to a club? Not a clue. At the least a year ago. But I now spend all my time in my new sim chatting to customers, and I used to never build in public, always hidden some 500m above. So something changed, well besides closing a sex toy business and opening an amusement park one. The customers are amazing now. Tonnes of interesting people from all walks of life. I would imagine the sex trade world to not be the 'best of the bunch' customer types. It was never horrable, but close a few times. So maybe if you are stuck then change gears a bit, or a lot, or throw it all out the window and start all over again.

There is really no reason for a system like SL to hold anyone. Interests change. Things that are novel today, will be boring tomorrow. There's no reason to "spend some time away", as though people should want to be in SL. If it's become dull, leave. There is no merit is sticking with something that's dull.

Strangly enough, it will be 1 year for me in a few days.. And I do feel... bored with my relationship with second life.. It just doesn't turn me on like it used to... Well, it doesn't turn on itself like it used to either.. It seems it can't hold a connection long enough for me to log in and get on..

When I am able to get on, what keeps me is building and making stuff.. Most of it ends up deleted, but its fun just to see something you made in virtual world.

I don't plan on stopping ever - unless I get staked that is or something comes along which is superior in every way (and I don't mean RL either) VV

I will hit one year on this account this month, but I hit one year in SL this past March. I went through a bit of burnout around the 3 month mark - which is when this account was born to go in a new direction and try to find some new SLife. It worked as I have not really hit any real burnout since then.

While I have gone through brief periods of being bored, and other periods where I thought I might pack it in for other reasons, I am amazed that I am still enjoying SL as much as I am. I say amazed because I'm normally one of those people who will pursue something for a few months, then lose interest. It's been over 1.5 years and I'm still there.

The social friendships seem to be the glue that hold me there long enough to find new interests in SL to keep me going. If it were not for my friends, the other stuff (building, creating, and exploring) would probably not be enough. But when I get tired/bored of socializing, I create; when I get tired of creating, I socialize; when I get tired/bored of either, I might explore.

I will say though that the time that SL was the most dull was when I had no projects/business/venue at all... for a month or two I tried doing the "I'm just in SL to dance and chat" thing and I was bored out of my mind.

Well, except for about a month ago I purchased a year's premium account (so it would be less per month). Soooo....hopefully revitalization will kick in by at least Fall.

Something that keeps coming to mind (just talking out loud here) is that my Partner and I are interested in so many things that I feel a bit scattered.

Life was much "simpler" when I first arrived in SL and was ensconced in my Gorean home. I only had one type of clothes/hair/furnishings, etc. to deal with and I just kept up with the events there.

Even though I don't want to return to that community, I wish there were someplace we could kind of "settle" as a base of sorts. But we together have so many different interests, where would it be: An Asian community, my Partner enjoys his IoW dragons and would probably enjoy that community more if I were interested, Victorian, Furries (probably not), Medieval, well, you get the picture.

In one evening on SL we can be at parts of all of these depending on what's happening, events, etc.

Perhaps you should make a Neutral Home base, one that is just yours, and from there go to your various places of interest.

A few random thoughts, having just seen this thread ...

I agree with the concept of cycles, and also that of SL appearing to have limitations when explored in depth. From personal experience, I found that my involvement in communities on the internet certainly changed with time, and was linked primarily to the personalities who occupied those communities.

My own experiences within SL during the relatively short time I have been a resident have been truly awesome, probably predictable considering the palette the SL provides. However, the experiences are not what I envisaged, and are presenting facets of myself which would never show in RL. eg one friend has commented to me that I appear to have become something of an 'agony uncle', to her amusement, because of my trustworthy nature. This opens up ideas and possibilities that had never occured to me, and in simple terms suggests that SL may hold more promise than the forums and chatrooms of my previous internet lives.

So my answer to the OP?
The immediate attractions of SL may well fade, but a deeper social culture may provide the sustenance that keeps SL appealing, to the longer term residents.

Just some thoughts ...

for a year and more I have just built with prims and made my own textures. I still have scuplties to learn, I still have animations to learn, I still have to make my own SL video, I've never made a gesture yet, I've never even tried 'sex' in SL, so I think I have a fair bit to go before I get bored and there's all the new places to explore, presently if i take a break i can find something new and exciting to go to on a daily basis.

We have that now. It's just a personal yearning to be immersed deeply in one type of community (more on my part).

One way we have thought of pursuing that is with alts we created for a specific community and really spending more time with them.

~ ~ ~

I'm really appreciating all the insights and comments you all are posted. Giving me great food for thought.

Well observed. I see two possible viewpoints on this. One is that there are many things within SL that can captivate a bored mind, after the thrill of sightseeing, dancing, (sex?) etc begin to pall. That is the tenacious approach I suspect. Another view is that SL is just one world in the internet universe, which is a bigger view. Of course, then there is RL ...

Czari, I'm going to be gone for a few days, but if you two ever want to run around as kids again let me know. (Or as a kid and cookies) I can see potential for some fun in that. I've also discovered it's a riot "going tiny."