I remember being excited when I downloaded the CNet video and seeing SL touted by the handsome Philip Rosedale not as a game, but as a world. Exactly the thing I was waiting for since imagining the idea of a totally "virtual", computer generated, totaly artificial world as a girl watching TRON.
The clincher, the one moment that made me go fetch a copy of the software in the first place was seeing a physical object created and randomly moved about. That said much for the flexibility of the platform being demonstrated.
In fact, after scrambling through orientation island, feeling not unlike a little girl awoken on Christmas morning too early and having to wait with unnatural patience for the proper time to open the bedroom door, one of the first things I did was rez up a torus and make it physical. The novelty of that alone kept me busy and happy for several hours, rezzing and copying more of that torus, and seeing what the physics engine did with them, and decorating them in various garish tints of that wonderful zebra stripe texture.
Once I was more settled and comfortable enough to venture beyond the WA and Morris I found something else that was a pleasant surprise. I could interact with people better than I usually could. It wasn't the medium, though having an artificial medium has always helped me, it was the people. SL was (and still is) populated primarily by people who are more tolerant of difference. It doesn't set them on edge anything like it does the general population of FL. I suppose that would be a necessary thing - to have an interest in "living" a Second Life would necessitate a tolerance, even an interest in, that which is different. And that was all I needed to go ahead and buy a year's worth of time.
And it's been a fascinating year. I've learned much! Not only using the build tools and scripting, but economics, politics, social dynamics, xenophobia... I've had talks with avatars I've never before seen or seen since on subjects ranging from religion to human sexuality to favorite movies. I've met people who leave me in awe of their prowess in various fields - clothing designers, builders, scripters, texture artists, writers, sculptors - who have been fabulous as people as well.
I've watched SL evolve and change, most of the time with landmark events. My favorite event for its simultaneous feelings of excitement and sadness was the destruction of the old WA. The feeling is one I get a lot in SL - it's so fluid and quick and ever changing. The old WA's obliteration was just the usual, but with a stronger sense of reminiscence. I'd sat on those benches a lot, listening to older residents talk. Learning from them indirectly and having a sense that what I interjected made some difference to them. Of course, the most fascinating happened when all the objects were returned in a puff of particle smoke. Something named "object" was returned to me, as well.
I rezzed it up later, and laughed till my sides hurt when a little torus bounced around with it's bright purple-pink zebra-stripe texture.
A decidedly SL moment, if you ask me.
So, in keeping with my own birthday traditions, I offer thanks to those who give me reasons to want to be alive - or, reasons to remain rezzed-up, in this case.
To everyone who contributed to the Wikki, thanks! To those who passed out freebie textures to us L$ poor Morris sandbox denizens, thanks! To the fabulous and welcoming folks who once crowded the WA, thanks! To the land barons who made it easy for me to buy and sell land as I tried to find a spot to "settle" in, thanks! To those who made it too difficult to be a custom-build contractor, thanks! (no, that's not sarcasm!) To everyone who paused at my odd little builds in Morris and spent one L$ to say "that's cool", thanks! To the folks who run the aerodrome in Abbots whos cool aircraft still inspire me to keep trying harder, thanks! To the scripters who leave behind all sorts of interesting, open code lying around for all to use, thanks! To those who ran show-n-tell and build contests, thanks! To everyone who attended my LSL basics classes, thanks!
I think I'll stay another year. Is that OK?
