I never had anyone argue with me on this until today. I call SL a game. Someone actually argued with me on it and got about 30 people in it and we were split!
Funny, I see something that looks like a game! Does it look like Microsoft Word? No. Media Player? No. Photoshop? No. Yahoo Messanger? No. Guess that means its a game!
To further my point.
If you combine MMOs like WOW, Everquest into one, then add places inbewteen for people to shop, eat, live and buy stuff what do you get? Ready? Second Life! And what do you think that is? A GAME!
Thats what this is! A mass collection of game stuff in one giant ball! Some people use the game for dancing, some use it for shotting, some for homes, some for selling! In the end its still a game! Sure some will call it a "virtual world", you know what a virtual world is? A game! Thats what MMOS are! Its not like your hurting yourself to say the word! It doesn't change anything! Your still selling dresses in this game, still dancing in this game, still shooting in this game!
So why not just call it a game then and stop pretending its not?
And BTW before anyone goes "MMOS ar diffrent! Those are MMOS!" No MMO is a genre. Game is the name of what this actually is! Duke Nukem is a game, Mario is a game, Second Life is a game! Its a form of entertainment. Now argue that.
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Is SL a "game" or another word? |
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Kez Oh
Registered User
Join date: 29 Apr 2007
Posts: 26
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05-16-2007 19:25
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Kenn Nilsson
AeonVox
Join date: 24 May 2005
Posts: 897
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05-16-2007 19:39
The entire OFFICIALLY STATED PURPOSE of SecondLife is to provide a 'platform' that becomes the next version of the internet. Is the internet a game? SecondLife is 'web 3.0'.
To get an idea of what the founding Linden's envisioned when building SecondLife, go pick up the book Snow Crash. It is officially admitted in interviews that said book was the inspiration for SecondLife. In the book there is a 'metaverse' that is a virtual 3-D internet. Funny thing is, even it had giant walking penises...hah. SecondLife is most definitely NOT a game...if only by definition by those who CREATED it. The fact that Toyota (under their Scion tag), IBM, Circuit City, Caldwell Banker, and even Playboy have invested in making "websites" (i.e. regions) in SecondLife is further testament to the fact that SL is a platform, not a game. The confusion, however, is that SecondLife contains many games within the world. Such is also true of the internet (Popcap games, MUDDs, etc). _____________________
--AeonVox--
Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms chasing ghosts, eating magic pills, and listening to repetitive, addictive, electronic music. |
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Jesseaitui Petion
king of polynesia :P
Join date: 2 Jan 2006
Posts: 2,175
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05-16-2007 19:40
It`s not a game.
This isnt "house" |
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Ricky Zamboni
Private citizen
Join date: 4 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,080
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05-16-2007 19:42
It's a toy.
No set goals => not a game Not reliable => not a platform Therefore, it's a toy. |
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Conan Godwin
In ur base kilin ur d00ds
Join date: 2 Aug 2006
Posts: 3,676
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05-16-2007 19:43
Game
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Conan Godwin
In ur base kilin ur d00ds
Join date: 2 Aug 2006
Posts: 3,676
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05-16-2007 19:44
The fact that Toyota (under their Scion tag), IBM, Circuit City, Caldwell Banker, and even Playboy have invested in making "websites" (i.e. regions) in SecondLife is further testament to the fact that SL is a platform, not a game. Well a lot of corporations have online games. MacDonalds certainly does. Infact, the MacDonald's game even has an ingame currency" Game on!! |
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Alicia Sautereau
if (!social) hide;
Join date: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 3,125
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05-16-2007 19:56
world in a game
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Banking Laws
Realty Serious
Join date: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 602
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05-16-2007 19:59
An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime: party games; word games.
Informal.
A few definitions of 'game' all of which SL fits. Some people see it as a platform, others a world, some a game, some a toy, some just a joke. Noone can define what SL is for everyone - Its a game to me. For the record..if we go by creator's intent.. your deck of cards and such are not toys or games - they were created from tarot decks and for soothsaying, not as a game. Ring around the poseys is often seen as a game by children.. it was created to describe the black death, not as a game. By Kenn's definition - poker is not a game. Blackjack is not a game. Ring around the Posey is not a game. _____________________
"I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid in posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President |
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Michelle Thurston
Registered User
Join date: 14 Jul 2006
Posts: 208
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05-16-2007 20:00
Didn't you read the ToS? I mean...for legal purposes, you did read it, but did you actually read it?
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Lilbit Nervous
Registered User
Join date: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 71
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05-16-2007 20:01
Interactive application.
It's not reality, you don't exist in it, some people take it WAAAAYYY too seriously, but, in the end, it's just a neat application that you can create your own content and make games within. |
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Ciaran Laval
Mostly Harmless
Join date: 11 Mar 2007
Posts: 7,951
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05-16-2007 20:01
It's an RPG.
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Sir Snookums
Registered User
Join date: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 59
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05-16-2007 20:03
The fact that Toyota (under their Scion tag), IBM, Circuit City, Caldwell Banker, and even Playboy have invested in making "websites" (i.e. regions) in SecondLife is further testament to the fact that SL is a platform, not a game. Well a lot of corporations have online games. MacDonalds certainly does. Infact, the MacDonald's game even has an ingame currency" Game on!! Starwood Hotels, too. Wait, where are the circuit city, IBM, and Caldwell Banker sims? Edit: Yeah, but McDonald's games have an objective. In second life, you actually CREATE a second life, in a different world. Not a game, because in games, there are objectives, and in SL, there are endless possibilities. _____________________
I had bum sex with an underage rabbit once, while snorting cocaine too. |
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Brenda Connolly
Un United Avatar
Join date: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 25,000
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05-16-2007 20:06
To me it's a game. I come to be entertained.
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Don't you ever try to look behind my eyes. You don't want to know what they have seen.
http://brenda-connolly.blogspot.com |
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Yumi Murakami
DoIt!AttachTheEarOfACat!
Join date: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 6,860
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05-16-2007 20:07
To me it's a game. I come to be entertained. Surfing the web can be entertaining, but that doesn't mean that the web is a game. |
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Brenda Connolly
Un United Avatar
Join date: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 25,000
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05-16-2007 20:10
Surfing the web can be entertaining, but that doesn't mean that the web is a game. True. But to ME, Second Life is a game. The web is the web. _____________________
Don't you ever try to look behind my eyes. You don't want to know what they have seen.
http://brenda-connolly.blogspot.com |
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Mickey McLuhan
She of the SwissArmy Tail
Join date: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 1,032
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05-16-2007 20:18
I don't mean to be smart ass, but... does it matter? Call it whatever you want. Why fight about it?
Platform, game, entertainment, hobby, whatever. Seriously, in the long run, is it really worth arguing about? _____________________
*0.0*  Where there's smoke, there isn't always fire. It might just be a particle display.  -Mari- |
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Growdile Qian
Accident Prone
Join date: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 94
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05-16-2007 20:18
It's a game to me. I play it if it works, and when I'm bored. I stopped using real money last week and cashed in all I had. It laggs like mad, you lose your items and cant claim anything. That to me is a game. To some, it's a world as they live here and use it for a real life living (god help them) Guess it depends on your perspective, VR vs RL
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Banking Laws
Realty Serious
Join date: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 602
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05-16-2007 20:19
Not a game, because in games, there are objectives, and in SL, there are endless possibilities. Games don't require preset goals - One example is freeform RPG tabletop where a world is created and added to - and players are free to roam as they like. Its not a 'quest' style game, for sure, but since when was that the only kind? Second Life is just such a game to me. I don't mean to be smart ass, but... does it matter? Call it whatever you want. Why fight about it? Platform, game, entertainment, hobby, whatever. Seriously, in the long run, is it really worth arguing about? BINGO! _____________________
"I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid in posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President |
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Sir Snookums
Registered User
Join date: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 59
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05-16-2007 20:19
I never had anyone argue with me on this until today. I call SL a game. Someone actually argued with me on it and got about 30 people in it and we were split! Funny, I see something that looks like a game! Does it look like Microsoft Word? No. Media Player? No. Photoshop? No. Yahoo Messanger? No. Guess that means its a game! To further my point. If you combine MMOs like WOW, Everquest into one, then add places inbewteen for people to shop, eat, live and buy stuff what do you get? Ready? Second Life! And what do you think that is? A GAME!<b>until you take away the ability to level up, and run dungeons/kill monsters.</b> Oh, those games that people make, are not relevant to what second life is, even tho alot of people just spend their time in one of those games. Thats what this is! A mass collection of game stuff in one giant ball! Some people use the game for dancing, some use it for shotting, some for homes, some for selling! In the end its still a game! Sure some will call it a "virtual world", you know what a virtual world is? A game! Thats what MMOS are! Its not like your hurting yourself to say the word! It doesn't change anything! Your still selling dresses in this game, still dancing in this game, still shooting in this game! So why not just call it a game then and stop pretending its not? And BTW before anyone goes "MMOS ar diffrent! Those are MMOS!" No MMO is a genre. Game is the name of what this actually is! Duke Nukem is a game, Mario is a game, Second Life is a game! Its a form of entertainment. Now argue that. Oh, and just because it is an interactive form of entertainment, it doesn't mean it is a game. >> I am a hardcore gamer, (yes, I spend 6-14 hours a day playing... That is when I am not on SL, working, or working out.) and I have come to the conclusion that second life is NOT a game. Sorry, but just because it is an interactive form of entertainment that involves virtual graphics, it doesn't make it a game. _____________________
I had bum sex with an underage rabbit once, while snorting cocaine too. |
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Banking Laws
Realty Serious
Join date: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 602
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05-16-2007 20:20
Oh, and just because it is an interactive form of entertainment, it doesn't mean it is a game. >> I am a hardcore gamer, (yes, I spend 6-14 hours a day playing... That is when I am not on SL, working, or working out.) and I have come to the conclusion that second life is NOT a game. Sorry, but just because it is an interactive form of entertainment that involves virtual graphics, it doesn't make it a game. And just because it doesn't preset goals for you doesn't mean its not a game either. _____________________
"I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid in posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President |
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Usagi Musashi
UM ™®
Join date: 24 Oct 2004
Posts: 6,083
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05-16-2007 20:22
I never had anyone argue with me on this until today. I call SL a game. Someone actually argued with me on it and got about 30 people in it and we were split! Years ago it was a life, now its a game. Because of the way they run operations these days, and the lack of quility service and human resources. Real Life just to busy, and the way LLABs runs their workers leaves alot to improve. On one hand LLABs promotos the as a game, on the other hand they turn face and just let their workers do whatever they want to whom ever they want. Thats not the way to run the operations of a company. |
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Brenda Connolly
Un United Avatar
Join date: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 25,000
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05-16-2007 20:26
I don't mean to be smart ass, but... does it matter? Call it whatever you want. Why fight about it? Platform, game, entertainment, hobby, whatever. Seriously, in the long run, is it really worth arguing about? Mickey, Mickey. Dear Mickey. Don't you realize that is what we must do. Argue over trivialities...... _____________________
Don't you ever try to look behind my eyes. You don't want to know what they have seen.
http://brenda-connolly.blogspot.com |
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Merchant Ivory
Registered User
Join date: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 45
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05-16-2007 20:35
Sorry to disagree Usagi, but it is exactly because Linden Labs are starting to run SL as a business (admittedly not that well sometimes), that they have ruffled some old school feathers.
In my view LL have realised that they haven't started a social revolution, this isn't Web 3.0 - its barely Web 2.0 with puppets. Unfortunately LL have learned as we all do, that somewhere along the line you have to make a living. Don't get me wrong I like SL. It's a game or a fancy chat room where I speak with friends. For those that say its a new way of living, I'd say go into the country this weekend and smell a flower or dip your toes in a cool stream.....yeah I know, a bit corny - but true all the same. To be blunt, if SL is anything more than an interesting pastime, you have some re-evaluation to do.. |
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RobbyRacoon Olmstead
Red warrior is hungry!
Join date: 20 Sep 2006
Posts: 1,821
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05-16-2007 20:37
Second Life is, to me, a game. It is often entertaining, and I came here specifically to do fun stuff. I also happen to make a small amount of money at it.
I have friends who make a real-life wage playing poker. Most of us consider that a game, to them it is a job that they enjoy. I also happen to know not a few people who will tell you with deadly seriousness that their dog/cat/bird/rodent is *NOT* a pet, it's a member of the family. Pretty ridiculous to try to define whether Second Life is or is not a "game", and try to convince others to see it "the right way", in my humble opinion. There is no practical purpose in doing so, as far as I can see, unless you just like arguing for the fun of it. Oh, wait.... THE FORUMS ARE A GAME! Why did I not see that before, lol . _____________________
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Kenn Nilsson
AeonVox
Join date: 24 May 2005
Posts: 897
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05-16-2007 20:42
Well...if we really want to get into things THIS deep...
...then life is a game. Seriously. And yea, I actually treat life like a game. I was just trying to work in the 'generally assumed definition'. Why is important to realize SL is not a game? Because if people do realize that, perhaps they will start treating it like a platform and allow for an actual economy to develop. Additionally, treating SL like a platform may hasten the day of platform neutralization--where a whole slew of independent companies get their hands on "SL" and turn it into the internet "for realz". _____________________
--AeonVox--
Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms chasing ghosts, eating magic pills, and listening to repetitive, addictive, electronic music. |