My "Second Life" review: goodbye, real world.
Because what I needed was one more addiction to make me not want to work IRL, a friend showed me Second Life this weekend. I have yet to figure out the real goal of it, or how to make money, but the basic jist is that it is one HUMUNGOUS world in which everything, everything is customizable, 90% of what you see is user-created, and you can meet lots of new people and see and do lots of new things.
The game itself is free to play. You sign up for an account, download some software, and play online. Don't think free means crappy - it doesn't. The thing is pretty resource intensive, and requires a good video card and decent memory and processor speed. The free account is called basic, and you're not going to be bored or unable to access half the game if you stay with that account type. You won't have a house, but you don't really need one anyway. If you go up to premium, you can own land and you get a decent monthly stipend. I will probably end up there, because...eh, it's 10.00 a month. Affordable. But I'm not there yet, and the game's still enjoyable.
3-D chat interface? Yes. Game? Yes. Kinky? There's some of that, too. You can modify yourself, your hair, your clothes, your jewlery, your house, your land, your travel equipment, your animals, plants, furniture, the way you walk, the way you lay down, how you fly (yes, Peter, you can fly)...you can also SELL those modifications to other users. And if you want to get really clever, you can sell your Linden Dollars (in-game currency) to some idiot like me for IRL currency. This practice is banned in EQ, but seems to be widely accepted in Second Life and maybe even encouraged. This means if you're a clever graphics/gaming type person who can figure out scripts and how to make pixels look pretty, you could basically earn a living playing this damn game. I would kill you. But you could do it.
The graphics aren't as quite as smooth as EQ or the Sims 2, and it tends to get a little laggy and have trouble resolving for me. But I've been playing on my computer that's having a memory issue, and that may be why. Yesterday in game, I was guided around by a dragon, a sumari, and a riot grrl. I found them in the most beautiful Zen Garden, which they had built, while I was feeding birds. They showed me dragon avatars and dragon familiars, both of which were beautiful. I did my own tarot reading. They took me shopping for a walk and a wig. Later, I walked through bazaars based on Egyptian and Celtic designs, and saw the Easter Island heads and Stonehenge. I went swimming, watched a dragon light my friend on fire, took a guided tour through an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy, shook a money tree, bought an ice cream cone in a suburban settlement and saw more Furries then I care to remember. So, obviously, the place kept me amused and the graphics were enjoyable. :o) Especially in places where the creators had really taken time with the objects. I hear there's somewhere you can fight, but I haven't found that yet, which is good because I'd get creamed.
So, I think you should all check it out and get completely addicted, too. But you should let me send you an invite first so I can make some Linden dollars to spend on all the stuff I don't know how to create yet. *grins* Or, you know...ignore this post and avoid addicition to the pixels.
Run, lj friends, run!!!!!!!!! ;oP
The game itself is free to play. You sign up for an account, download some software, and play online. Don't think free means crappy - it doesn't. The thing is pretty resource intensive, and requires a good video card and decent memory and processor speed. The free account is called basic, and you're not going to be bored or unable to access half the game if you stay with that account type. You won't have a house, but you don't really need one anyway. If you go up to premium, you can own land and you get a decent monthly stipend. I will probably end up there, because...eh, it's 10.00 a month. Affordable. But I'm not there yet, and the game's still enjoyable.
3-D chat interface? Yes. Game? Yes. Kinky? There's some of that, too. You can modify yourself, your hair, your clothes, your jewlery, your house, your land, your travel equipment, your animals, plants, furniture, the way you walk, the way you lay down, how you fly (yes, Peter, you can fly)...you can also SELL those modifications to other users. And if you want to get really clever, you can sell your Linden Dollars (in-game currency) to some idiot like me for IRL currency. This practice is banned in EQ, but seems to be widely accepted in Second Life and maybe even encouraged. This means if you're a clever graphics/gaming type person who can figure out scripts and how to make pixels look pretty, you could basically earn a living playing this damn game. I would kill you. But you could do it.
The graphics aren't as quite as smooth as EQ or the Sims 2, and it tends to get a little laggy and have trouble resolving for me. But I've been playing on my computer that's having a memory issue, and that may be why. Yesterday in game, I was guided around by a dragon, a sumari, and a riot grrl. I found them in the most beautiful Zen Garden, which they had built, while I was feeding birds. They showed me dragon avatars and dragon familiars, both of which were beautiful. I did my own tarot reading. They took me shopping for a walk and a wig. Later, I walked through bazaars based on Egyptian and Celtic designs, and saw the Easter Island heads and Stonehenge. I went swimming, watched a dragon light my friend on fire, took a guided tour through an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy, shook a money tree, bought an ice cream cone in a suburban settlement and saw more Furries then I care to remember. So, obviously, the place kept me amused and the graphics were enjoyable. :o) Especially in places where the creators had really taken time with the objects. I hear there's somewhere you can fight, but I haven't found that yet, which is good because I'd get creamed.
So, I think you should all check it out and get completely addicted, too. But you should let me send you an invite first so I can make some Linden dollars to spend on all the stuff I don't know how to create yet. *grins* Or, you know...ignore this post and avoid addicition to the pixels.
Run, lj friends, run!!!!!!!!! ;oP