SL: A continuing supply of people with too much time on their hands

Didn't we used to have a specific forum to put 'SL in the media' stuff in?

Anyhoo, MIT Tech Review has a Q&A with Philip I don't think has been mentioned here. I don't think the reviewer was all that convinced. The questioning sounds a bit cynical

E.g.

Assuming a continuing supply of people with too much time on their hands, how big could it get?

If that was the question as it was put to Philip, he could have at least defended us a bit in the answer

Oh yeah. Linkie.

http://www.technologyreview.com/BizTech/wtr_16023,307,p1.html

kris you have too much time on your hands i expect to see you iw more! *hugs*

My immediate comeback would've been something like:

"You mean people with lots of creativity on their hands, and I totally agree...in fact..."

And then lead into a direct example, etc..

Lots of people bored with the passive pastime of television viewing ripe for an alternative which taps into their creativity.

And, Kris, this is very ironic from you considering how often you cite your bored at work condition.

Well. If any of them are better scriptors or designers than me that would like to put some time in on a project I'm writing up. It's not much to actually 'do' but it'd be fun as hell when it's done. When I get home from work it's all I can do not to pass straight into a coma.

I have too much hands on my time!!!

Yeah, but being bored and needing a creative outlet aren't necessarily the same thing. Yes, my work day is boring, but it's not like I could SL there if I wanted to, for one thing.

And with all the problems SL throws at me, I found it more of an exercise in frustration than outlet. I assure you I was never bored of SL, and I rarely logged into SL just because I was bored. I loved it! I wanted to be there! I just don't think the pain of trying to use it is worth it. So I'm still bored at work, and I still need a creative outlet when I'm on my own time.

But that's just me. My point about the article is that I'd hardly describe the majority of residents of SL as being here because they have too much time on their hands, and I think Philip should have addressed that immediately as Maxx said rather than let it ride! Most are here because they want to be, whether to exercise their creative muscles or because they enjoy it in other ways.

I just think it makes quite a difference whether people who haven't seen SL picture it as a playground of bored people trying desperately to amuse themselves or as a community of creative, hard working and in some cases highly talented people taking full advantage of a platform that facilitates it (for those that can use it, of course ). And I'm surprised Uncle Phil didn't jump all over the guy

There still seems to be a stigma attached to "playing a video game". People who don't really know much about SL assume you're a 40 yr old living in your parents basement.

I have a full time job, I'm probably fitter than the guy who wrote the article, I have friends, hobbies and interests outside SL. I MAKE time for SL because its become my main creative outlet. I never watch TV anymore. I guess making snide remarks makes for a better read though.

Now that I'm married, I spend an awful lot of time with my two hands!

Well, judging by what the guy asked before, about "people really buy into this?" and all, I imagine Philip realized he had sort of an antagonistic interviewer here and wanted the interview to be positive nonetheless.

Maybe he thought of a good comeback later. I always think of my best combacks WAYYY later. At the time, I'm always busy being polite.

coco

Of course it does; like making snide remarks on the forums! Why should the mainstream press be any different? Actually this was not a very bad example of prejudiced journalism. I have seen much worse.

On the other hand, there are more and more "people with too much time on their hands" in many societies of this world. And many of those can afford a few bucks every month or could subtract that from some other entertaining budget. So this is a very, very interesting target group!

But this is just one side of the coin. Philips - and a lot of residents - vision of Second Life as a model for the next version of the web - say Web 3.0? - a medium which is not a "game" but a platform for a multitude of applications, is hard to grasp for most people. This "most people" does include technology journalists, of course. The inability to envision something that might surpass "what I am used to now", is very human.

I have too much hands on my time

JERK STORE! JERK STORE!

I know, and agree with you hence the first part of my post. Just had to tease you a bit.

P2

Amen. What I find funny is that almost no one with the 40-year-old-in-the-basement-with-too-much-time attitude ever takes it to its logical conclusion - ANYTHING you do that doesn't directly contribute to your survival is entertainment. Watching TV, reading a book, painting a picture - why, you just have too much time on your hands! Get back to work!

What's even funnier is I've met them in Second Life before. A certain individual I once had the displeasure of speaking to (who sounded like he should've been in teen grid) told me 'I don't know how old you are, but you sound like you're in your 30s, and that's just sad you're playing a game at that age.' only it was written in the lovely incoherent chatspeak we all enjoy so much. I guess adults aren't allowed to have fun. Back to the coal mines with us! I wasn't sure to whether to take it as a compliment, since I'm only early-twenties, or laugh my butt off. But then, we get ample demonstration all too often that age != maturity, sadly.

The questioner came off as rather pompous, and Philip answered in a sincere fashion that seemed fine to me. It would be good, I think, to experiment with stressing the creative aspect of SL without mentioning the money-making aspect. The first thing I get asked by new residents is, "How do I make money?"

The thing that sets SL apart is the creative aspect, and I think the money thing would be noticed in good time anyway. The idea that I could create was what drew me to SL. For months I bumped against the window like a moth attracted to a lightbulb - kept out by my (shudder) dial-up. Included in creativity is the ability of some people to - not make - but buy - many separate things that they then assemble into the particular look they wish to have.

Perhaps there should be a little section of the website that has residents' pictures, so you can click on them and find out how they got that way. A new person has no idea, really, and it would probably be reassuring to find out a bit about the process.

On the other hand I really have no clue what anyone else wants or needs.

Friends of mine have a daughter who was about 20 when she began dating The 40-Year-Old Man Who Lives in His Parents' Basement. They weren't thrilled. After a bit it evaporated, and the 'rents breathed a sigh of relief. He was a boyish-looking 40, but that would fade away before long. He worked as a waiter. I don't think he played around on the computer much.

Brilliant! As Tateru Nino told me, "Each person is a story", and I'd like to see more of these. It's not only personally reassuring, it's just kewl.

I fully support this feature. There should be a giant button on the sl homepage. It should say something like "People of the Grid" or something eye catching and witty .

Click it, it takes you to a page that has thumbnails of avatars, maybe 9 to a page, randomly chosen on page load. Each has a short section of text under it taken from the story that avatar has written about their experience. Anyone who wants to should be able to submit a picture and a story but they should be reviewed by LL before they're included to make sure it is a photo of themselves, the story is pg, and heh, since it is advertising , that the story isn't bashing SL.

I'd like to call it...

"MEET THE RESIDENTS"!

or

"THE HALL OF RESIDENTS"!

Oh yeah. Word.

oh ya, if the writing needs proofing durring the review process, a revised version should be given to the author for approval and/or further revision and nothing should be posted that hasn't been approved in it's published form, by the author.