Why play Second Life?

In chapter three of Yochai Benkler’s book, The Wealth of Networks, he mentions massive multiplayer online games. I started thinking about my gaming experience. I realize that I don’t understand how one can find continuous enjoyment in playing a game such as Second Life. A game like this which just simulates reality takes users out of the real world. By that I mean they stop living their actual life.

Gaming in the past took people out of their normal reality and put them into an alternate universe where they could be any sort of being. The kind of games I play are sports games put out by EA such as Madden or FIFA Road to the World Cup and games like Halo or Final Fantasy. With all these games I become for that time a person or persons that have more ability than me. I can be Tiki Baber or Ranaldinho. In Second Life this alternate reality is basically a simulation of the world today. Second Life does offer the gamer the ability to become almost anyone they want to be, but it is still the gamer living that virtual day to day life. They can buy a house and become rich and buy extravagant virtual objects. But why not do this in the real world and yourself actually wealthy. Why not live your day to day life to the fullest.

I guess a counter argument can be made about what I just said. Why don’t I go out and play football or soccer when I want to play video games. My response to that is that the NFL and International soccer are completely different experiences then that of play backyard football. As a varsity athlete both at MIT and back in high school and a big sports fan, I know that the feeling one gets from a sports game is similar to actually being there. This sort of game simulates a moment of life, in my case playing high school football underneath the lights on a Friday night, but with Second Life you are simulating a whole other life. One would be living two lives, one of which is just zeros and ones. Most things that can be done on Second Life can also be done in the real world.

So not to be totally negative to those who actually play this game there do seem to be some positives to the game. One positive I found was that everyone can create things in the game that they can use for trade or to make money. Making money, while being entertained by a game is a definite positive.

I am not completely hateful of games like Second Life. I just understand more why a game like Halo is played. Playing Halo can be analogous to reading a science fiction book about saving the human race from aliens. I feel that Second Life does not offer much outside of what a person can do living a normal productive life.