http://infinitelives.net/2008/06/30/identity-in-second-life-part-one/ Exploring the value of games-as-iconography in art, literature, and popular culture Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:33:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://infinitelives.net/2008/06/30/identity-in-second-life-part-one/#comment-19 afshin Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:42:30 +0000 http://www.infinitelives.net/2008/06/30/identity-in-second-life-part-one/#comment-19 I happened to try out the Spore Creature Creator at the same time I was attempting Second Life again (since I quit in frustration two or three years ago), and it's amazing how different the experience is. In SCC, it's intuitive and fun to make any creature you want; in Second Life, you're expected to invest a lot of time in using opaque tools. When I fly around Second Life, I feel like one of those off-the-shelf avatars that everyone uses in the Metaverse in Snow Crash. You shouldn't have to be a rocket surgeon to build a reasonable facsimile of yourself. Hell, even Miis are easier to customize. I happened to try out the Spore Creature Creator at the same time I was attempting Second Life again (since I quit in frustration two or three years ago), and it’s amazing how different the experience is. In SCC, it’s intuitive and fun to make any creature you want; in Second Life, you’re expected to invest a lot of time in using opaque tools. When I fly around Second Life, I feel like one of those off-the-shelf avatars that everyone uses in the Metaverse in Snow Crash. You shouldn’t have to be a rocket surgeon to build a reasonable facsimile of yourself. Hell, even Miis are easier to customize.

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