Tom Boellstorff’s Coming of Age in Second Life: An
Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human. In this book Boellstorff
describes the methods and theories of anthropology and applies them to a
virtual world accessible only through a computer screen. He states “It is not
only that virtual worlds borrow assumptions from real life; virtual worlds show
us how, under our very noses, our "real" lives have been
"virtual" all along”(5). When reading the article, I laughed because
it did not seem “real” to me. There is an example he uses in the Second
life where you can fly in the virtual world. If so, then why would you need to
purchase a car in the Virtual World? If I could fly, I would not need a car to
travel from place to place. I find that is seems funny and odd all at the same
time. There are many aspects about virtual life that is similar to or just like
it is in a reality. The wedding in the Virtual World was described, as how a
wedding in “real” life would be. Boellstorff says, “After a few minutes, the
bride and groom prepare to walk down the aisle. They have been lovers for over
a year in Second Life but have never met in the "real" world (16).
This couple getting married on Second life must have a connection with each
other through the game but they don't even bother to introduce their “real”
selves to each other. Most of the people in the game do not even use their
“real” names, they just make up one. He also points out that the groom could be
a woman and the bride could be a man in the “real” world but in the virtual
world there is no way to be sure. Getting ready for a wedding would take a
lot of time in “real” life. In the virtual world, it only takes a click of a
button to put on a tuxedo and another click to teleport to the wedding. That click
of the button for the tuxedo you just put on and just bought was made by a
“well-known designer who earns over three thousand U.S. dollars a month from
their creations” of the dress or suit (15).
What was kind of crazy to me were the conversations you have
with the other avatars. For several minutes you carry on two conversations at
once—“you are part of a group of four people chatting with each other, and also
one of two people carrying on an instant-message conversation.” It is like
being able to “talk and whisper” at the same time (13). What is “real” about
that? In reality it is not easy to have several conversations at the same time.
In Second life they could be talking about the person next to them or behind
their back while still carrying on a conversation without him knowing that you
are talking to someone else about him.
When we talk about being part of virtual worlds it shows us
how, under our very noses, our "real" lives have been virtual all
along, does this mean you can be one and the same? While playing in Second
life, you can sometimes glance up at the top of your computer screen and
realize that you have been online for many hours; your
"real" body is hungry and it is time to eat dinner (16). Your avatar
does not eat or sleep, you can not be one and the same because you need food
and rest. Your minds are the same but not your bodies.
In class we talked about someone purchasing a pair
of boots for someone in the Second life. By a click of a button that
person had the boots. That is not the same thing as buying a
“real” pair of boots for someone. In “real” life, you would go to the
store, feel and smell the boots you want to purchase. There is a real
experience you go through when you are purchasing these boots. You had to know
many things before you purchase them. You need to know the size you want, the
color, the brand and other factors. In the Virtual world, you click a button
and purchase these boots. Maybe you have a choice of color
but certainly not the same as the “real” experience you would have
in the store.
I think about when we talked about the movie Surrogate with
Bruce Willis which is set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation
and interact through surrogate robots. The link below shows the trailer of the
movie.
(Surrogate trailer)
Another example which was odd/weird/ disturbing was the
World of Warcraft Funeral listed on the link below. It starts off with people
in a forum really angry at someone crashing the funeral of a person who passed
away in “real” life but that person loved playing the game. It showed the
different perspectives of the two groups. One group was the people traveling to
the funeral to crash it and the other was the group of people at the funeral
showing their respect for the person who passed away.
(World of Warcraft funeral)
Why? What made these people crash a funeral? Is that funny?
Why don't these people go to the actual funeral and show respect
-Chase Winter
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