Breaking the virtual and reality barrier

Ever felt like reliving your life all over again? Wished you could have remade your choices on some life changing decision? Trying to change over into a new leaf effortlessly? Well tough nuts, you can however do it in a virtual world, a virtual universe known as Second Life.

Leading a double life
More and more people are being drawn into the virtual world of second life, and for good reasons too. "Second Life is no more a game than the Web is a game. It's a platform," says John Lester, 39, of Somerville, Linden's community and education manager. The unique of Second Life is that the virtual world is boundless, almost anything and everything can be done provided the user follow a set rules to prevent it from spiraling into chaos.

According to Sege who publish this article in Boston Globe, even companies are venturing inside Second Life to sell their product. “Top Second Life fashionistas earn $50,000 to $75,000 a year”, says Wagner James Au, whose New World Notes blog chronicles Second Life.

Protest Staged in Second Life

Virtual reality.
As companies venture into Second Life, its effects on the real world are quite profound as well. In China, another virtual world is being setup known as Entropia Universe that is catered towards the Chinese, would create almost 10,000 jobs from the initial market penetrating strategy. Once the virtual have entrenched itself even more jobs would be available. (Simpson, 2007)

Top brand are also going in virtual worlds although their primarily intentions are not profit. “Second Life is a micro economy and there is no real-life brand that's here to make money. It is an excellent platform for building relationships, cementing brands and building consumer loyalty - yet few real-life brands are doing those things correctly in Second Life,” Cork-based Sabrina Dent said.

Real life laws are also being change by some government to allow them to exact legal right of virtual properties. According to James Harkin, a writer for Financial Times, “An American lawyer and virtual real-estate speculator on Second Life filed a lawsuit against Linden Lab for confiscating some of his virtual property.” Of course with the extension of legal power come with it a drawback, “People who take cash out of virtual economies are already required to report their incomes to the Internal Revenue Service in America.” He adds.

Clothing store in Second Life

Break the boundaries
Not as high tech as some movies life Matrix portray it to be, but virtual reality is already being develop and its success could perhaps lead to something like the Matrix. It would be awesome if that could develop in my life time cause I am dying to try out time-stopping-action moves.

Second life and other virtual worlds could have the potential to alter the way the internet is use. Instead of merely seeing text, videos, picture and all the other things in the internet, they could provide all the information we extract from the web using virtual avatar which allow people all over the world to interact while surfing.





References
1. Harkin, F, 2007. Virtual style? In another life. Viewed on 8 June 2007 at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/733d2398-05a6-11dc-b151-000b5df10621.html

2. Harkin, J, 2006. Get a (second) life. Viewed on 8 June 2007 at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cf9b81c2-753a-11db-aea1-0000779e2340.html

3. Sege, I, 2006. Leading a double life. Viewed on 8 June 2007 at http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/10/25/leading_a_double_life/

4. Simpson, G, 2007. China's virtual plans are out of this world. Viewed on 8 June 2007 at http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044246,62019275,00.htm