sample essay

Jonathan Callahan

The Second Life client provides users with the ability to “live” a “second life” in a virtual world which Linden Research created. Furthermore, users can create their own worlds and have total control over their individual domains. Second Life even has its own currency, Linden Dollars. Second Life is a bit like “The Sims” on crack in that it allows visitors to function within an entirely virtual world. The Second Life client focuses on a customizable user experience. Myriad aspects of the user experience, from avatar clothing and hair color to the ability to build nearly any conceivable item on personal plots of land instill the client with a tailored fit for visitors.

In a functional sense, the Second Life client can be somewhat inconsistent. The fact that the game links to an immense network of other Second Life users creates significant vulnerabilities in the software. In addition, the program demands significant system and network resources. As such, some computers are not able to proficiently display the game. For purposes of comparison, Second Life uses over five hundred thousand kilobytes of system memory. Meanwhile, a program like Firefox, installed on the same machine, only needs eighty thousands kilobytes of memory. Clearly, then, Second Life is not functional for users on computers with low memory, or poor processing speed. Additionally, as Second Life is highly dependent on its connection to the network, a broadband Internet connection is essential.

The program does, however, successfully provide users with highly interactive experiences. The media-rich content makes for seemingly limitless exploration. Many components of Second Life employ some interactive aspect. Despite such inclusion, users are not always presented with the most logical or clear way of utilizing those resources. Another contingency lies in the ability of the computer hardware to keep up with rendering the myriad worlds displayed on screen. Some Second Life world provide easy to use features and permit easy exploration; however, since most Second Life locations are user generated content, quality design standards are by no means a guarantee. The Second Life Location <A Tahoa Mountain Ski Resort> (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tahoa%20Mountain%20Tiger/224/127/153) serves as an example of a partially functional world. Users encounter a content rich world where extra features apparently exist; however making use of those features is not entirely clear.

The navigation in Second Life is highly complex and this reality detracts from Second Life's usability. While the client provides a highly diverse, customizable experience, ease of use suffers appreciably. Users must deal with ten major grouping options are the bottom of the page. If their needs are not thus satisfied, they proceed to hunt through the busy file menus at the top of the screen. To top the complications off, individual items and locations provide further menu choices upon a right-click. Entering buildings, for example, poses another challenge to users: some doors open automatically while others require a click. What's more, other doors have no apparent opening mechanism. Excessive possibilities like these lead to aimless wandering and exploring. While exploration can provide a good experience for users, goal-oriented individuals will likely flounder in the overwhelmingly frustrating environment. At times, trolling through Second Life becomes an exasperating time wherein users are not satisfied. Controlling an avatar also comes with difficulties. Not all computers meet the needs of a Second Life power user. Theoretically a three dimensional mouse would help most. As it stands for most visitors, however, the keyboard and mouse (or touch pad) must suffice.

The highly visual world in Second Life provides many opportunities to hunt around virtual worlds and find “Easter Eggs.” While this activity may entertain the bulk of Second Life users, visually impaired visitors would have significant difficulties in navigating the client. Even users with poor vision will have trouble seeing and reading what signs, placards, and note cards indicate. And even a user can read and understand all text and symbols, the creator of each world can assign specific or unique actions to features in the client. For instance, some chairs are easy to “sit” in while other furniture feels more like Grandma's antique room; Things are meant for looking but not using. In the previously referenced location (Tahoa Mountain), doorways to small buildings do not open even when engaged by the user. As Second Life is primarily a visually oriented program, it fails to meet the needs of impaired visitors.

The appearance of Second Life worlds varies drastically from location to location. Again, this is a consequence of relying upon user-generated content. Some locations, like the career site of consulting firm Accenture LLP (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Accenture%20Careers/238/229/28 demonstrate a finely polished exterior wherein users are greeted by clear, easy to use features. After browsing the Accenture world for a short time, it becomes apparent that the company hired an independent developer to create a custom Second Life world. Such professional development is then juxtaposed with often amateurish attempts to create life within the client.

That being said, this openness is a great strength found in Second Life. The modifiable user experience permits creative uses of space. Furthermore, Second Life stimulates the imagination by defying the laws of gravity (with actions like flying) and the laws of physics (with a reliance on teleporting). While these types of experiences enhance the breadth of the clients, Second Life's expandability does not always beget quality. Some worlds juxtapose incongruous elements which debase the maintenance of a unified theme. This is a cost/benefit situation in which Second Life must decide how much freedom to give users.

Second Life clearly errs on the side of liberal constraints. Users spending any significant amount of time in a public world will soon be met with the ugly reality of cyber stalking. As such, Second Life is not at all appropriate for young audiences. Uninvited harassment abounds on the Second Life client and the anonymity of its users imbues some worlds with the feeling of a shadowy network of low-level criminals.

Second Life content is again the result of user contributions. Some worlds, like Accenture, provide information for potential applicants. These types of informational worlds generally also include some sort of engaging activity in an attempt to increase the time users spend in a specific location. Other worlds are filled with explicit content. Although location descriptions can provide warning of such unsavoriness, implicit in the content of world are offensive and inappropriate. Other locations merely serve as advertising or promotion for real life services or products. The Weather Channel world (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Weather/113/5/27) highlights a number of the network's shows. Most often, however, Second Life worlds pander to superficial aims of users. Hunting hidden eggs, driving a car, flying a helicopter, or baking on a virtual sun-tan fail to intellectually stimulate.

Once more, the user controlled content on Second Life jeopardizes the accuracy of information. In addition, some Second Life worlds attract visitors with promises of enticing activities. For instance, the chance to drive an exotic sports car entices many users. Indeed some world's appear to provide such experiences; however, some Second Life developers trick visitors and instead proposition them for explicit activity. In the end, visitors leave without the e-rush of adrenaline from e-horsepower.

The idea of a connected network like Second Life could potentially provide a unique way of organizing and accessing information. The bulkiness of the software and navigation will inhibit the expansion of Second Life into such a market. Visitors looking for a specifically themed Second Life world must wade through many false positives in the search results. This method may work for a leisure-based program but will never satisfy the speed required by many of the Internet's information seekers.