Why does Torley understand the Second Life experience?

(Tell then show: words first, video worth your while at the end.)

I often get grilled by well-meaning Resis with pointed questions like:

“Do you know how badly this bug is ruining my Second Life?”

and variants like

“Do you even understand how much of a problem this is?”

and

“Do you Lindens even play Second Life and realize this crap is happening?”

I’m thankful that more often than not, I do. And it simply has to do with living SL casually. Tofu Linden uses the term “recreational” and I like that too.

A few weeks into my ownership of Here island, I’m already griping about bug #VWR-5457, which is blocking me from seeing abuse reports from my estate — thanks to you guys who emailed me and said you had filed one. Apparently there’s been some griefings which weren’t creative chaos enjoyed by others (a la Improv Everywhere) but were just plain jerkassery. I appreciate you taking the time to call out the slop.

I also strongly dislike VWR-3922, which makes me a compulsive right-clicker to do the workaround so sculpties will fully load. I come across it not just on Here, but on my extended travels and journeys through the metaverse with my companion, the exquisite Lady Ravenelle. (She’s like the Rose to my Doctor.)

If I hadn’t gone through those troubles on a daily, regular basis, I wouldn’t understand how much they detrimentally affect the inworld experience. Because I know, I can advocate earnestly on our communities’ behalf. Amplify your awesome — isn’t that what I teach? All things considered, I’m not so closely involved with the Issue Tracker anymore because video tutorials and Resident Enlightenment consume a lot of time & energy, but since enlightenment is about giving hope, I’m happy to share what I do know about bugs that’ll be fixed soon — hopefully 1.21 Release Candidate is out in a couple weeks or so.

I’ve long mused that if you have a close friend or friends in Second Life, you’ll be more willing to put up with and persist through technical woes, because you can commiserate and joke about the “asshat server” together. This is especially true when you’re new — with an experienced buddy, you won’t feel alone or lost. Alongside Linden Lab employees working to make things better, it’s a testimonial to the humanity in this virtual world.

The same is true for every panicked IM (I used to get plenty) I’ve received from someone freaking out that their avatar had turned into an ugly woman with a mullet… aka Ruth. An outsider may be puzzled by the strong emotional reaction, but this is a simple illustration of the deep and profound connection someone feels with their Second Life identity, even if they don’t express it as such.

The same is also true for every person who’s called Second Life a “game” but spends tremendous time enjoying it, regardless of labels. (Scroo blahblahblah wordwars.) They certainly don’t mean “game” as an insult; it may just be what they’re used to from prior online experience.

All too often, people focus on words without corresponding accomplishment — what is said without being done. And already, my ownership of Here island has taught me a variety of useful Second Life lessons from the “Residents’ perspective” which you’ll see rolled (and rocked!) into future video tutorials. It keeps me connected, on the pulse, on the street of what’s happening, and there’s simply no substitute for it.

Just like James T. Kirk didn’t feel right being an admiral with a cushy desk job and sought the adventure of space, I crave the inworld experience and continually seek the adventures Second Life has to offer us. Like this:

Tagged as: General, Video, Work