A great setup, and a promising look to what would have been a great event…

…Until the music started, and the event was more akin to a nightmare. 

It is pretty amazing what Second Life offers.  In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if you can do something in real life, you can most likely do it in Second Life.  I’ve gone places where I can play full arcade games (Pac-man, for example), I’ve talked to people, gone to the beach, etc.  It doesn’t just stop there. I can do things that I haven’t even been able to do in real life yet like drive expensive cars, go to Jersusalem, etc.  And it doesn’t even stop there! I can do things in Second Life that I may never get the chance to do in real life… I lost my virtual virginity (teehee, I’m officially a playa woot woot). And if you thought it stopped there, it doesn’t!  I can do things in Second Life that are practically impossible to do in real life (although with modern technology, maybe not).  I got to pretend I was a woman in a lesbian area and after a very satisfying ”exchange” I took my female skin off and came out of the closet… if there is anything more satisfying  in life, I have not yet seen it.   I’ve done basically every (perverted) thing I could think of in Second Life, and can proudly say I had a blast doing it (no pun intended). Naturally, after seeing so much, I thought I saw everything there was to see in Second Life. However, one thing I didn’t really expect to see (or didn’t waste time looking for) on Second Life was  a musical concert orchestrated like a real life event. 

 The event I participated in was called “BLS Concert” which started at 8:30 pacific time, and ”BLS” basically stands for a band named Black Label Society.  I had never heard their music before, and after the event, I really wish I hadn’t, but it was still a unique experience nonetheless.  The concert had a clever setup with lots of billboards, a floating globe, etc.  and once the concert began, the billboards fell down and a few avatars danced around with guitars while BLS’s music was playing in the background.  This was all taken place on the “Yankee Stadium”, and there were a large number of people who showed up waving some signature BLS flags. Everyone I saw was wearing black, and had spikes somewhere on their body…I mean, big surprise…

 The first person I interacted with (actually, who interacted with me) was Annalisa Lopez who offered me one of the BLS flags before the event had begun (that was her job I think because I wasn’t the only one who was given this offer). I did ask her where she was from, but she was too busy passing flags, so I walked toward this one huge dude named Lostdia Ares.  I said hi, and asked him where he was from. He said  he’s from California and I asked him what he does, to which he replied “I’m a stoner.” Figures.  The last interesting soul I encountered went by the name of Sally Vuckowic who had a very attractive avatar.  I tried hitting on her, and it pretty much worked. I first told her that BLS’s music is awesome (this was before the concert began) and also complimented her tatoo  that was promiscuously placed behind her back.  She proceeded to make “giggling” gestures, and then my buddy Lostdia Ares came and cursed me out for hitting on his girlfriend.  I made a “crying” gesture and they didn’t even feel bad for me!  Then the music started, and while grinding my ears on my desk, I typed my final ”ownage” statement to that self-loathing female: ”You have as much taste in music as you do in boys.” 

I had high hopes for this event. The setup was great, people were excited, and everyone was telling me how BLS rules before the concert began.  However, I can say three things. NO. THEY. DON’T.  Everyone I talked to who said the band rules, and everyone who even came to this event intentionally just to listen to them have lost my respect.  I am now dumber for having listened to the band. But one good thing did come out of the event: it served as a good topic for this blog.

A game that plays on 2 axes can scroll left, right, down, up.  Simcity and Civilization are examples provided by the book

Professor Polack will be emailing a copy of Civilization to the class.

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Adjacent spaces displayed one at a time are games where there is no scrolling. The camera is stagnant until the player moves off screen, and then the picture completely changes.

www.flasharcade.com/adventure-games/desert-battle-game.html this game, called Desert Battle Game, is one such example. The helicopter remains in the confines of one screen, however, move out of the frame on the right side, and the background completely changes, and the helicopter is then on the left side of the screen.

***Edit: removed Christmas castle game.

–Mike, Missak, Zwe

So far, I’m having a lot of fun with Second Life.  This is the first time I’m really playing a game similar to the popular World of Warcraft game (I always thought it was overrated…maybe I shouldn’t judge it too soon) and I have to say, conversing and meeting with people in a virtual world is more fun than I thought it would be.  Granted, the game isn’t perfect, and I wouldn’t trade any of my “quality” home video games, but Second Life is free, and it’s great for what it is. 

  I first teleported to a place that was set on a beach, and i rested, talked to some people, saw some sights and some naked people, and talked to them about where they’re from. One person named Maxamo something told me he was from Mars (yeah, like i expected him to tell me where he really was from) and I told him I was from Jupiter.  The conversation didn’t go very smoothly.  I asked him why he teleported to this place, and he said because he liked the scenery (i.e. the naked people). 

In terms of groups, I joined a gamers group that were serious about gaming, and I talked to someone about what his favorite game was.  One interesting fellow told  me he liked the Halo series. I nodded my head and agreed.  Someone else named gamezerart said he liked the Final Fantasy series, and I stopped talking to him and left the group. Heh, serious gamers? Pshh yeah right. I also  joined another group called Armenian club.  Considering my heritage is Armenian, i thought it would be neat to converse with them in the virtual world…that is, until I found out that there are about 10 people in the group, and nobody was online.  I received no messages or anything from any of the groups I’ve joined.

   To be honest, the best luck I’ve had in Second Life so far were in the adult places I could teleport to.  And when I say luck, I don’t mean it THAT way (hehe, or do I) but these locations are where i met the most people (big surprise) and where people were willing to talk to me about, ya know, stuff…;)

One of the most remarkable aspects of the video, and a powerful testament to the strong demand for an innovative and fresh medium, was when the first PONG machine was set up in a local pub. After its first day, Nolan Bushnell was informed that his machine was broken, when in fact, it was just inundated with too many coins. What must have been a precursor to the future, this instigating moment lead to one of the most successful commercial breakthroughs the world had ever seen. Finally, could videogames escape the dark, narrow confines of their creator’s garage or basement. The time of broadcast television had passed, and the time of the videogame would take its rightful place on the throne, while the world would know and embrace it. Long live videogames!

P.S. Nolan Bushnell IS the father of videogames. Sure, Ralph Baer may have created the first concept for PONG and whatnot, but lets make an analogy here. Hamburgers, I’m sure, have been around long before McDonalds ever made them a breakthrough commercial success. To create a hambuger is one thing, but to bring it to the masses is another. Whoever created the first hamburger is probably somewhere on Wikipedia if you want to look for him, as is Ralph Baer, and both get credit for being the first to create what they created. However, who is nationally considered to be the real father-and by father, I mean the person who brought it to everyone on the planet? McDonalds and Nolan Bushnell. Though to that degree, I consider the god of videogames Shigeru Miyamoto and the god of hamburgers Red Robin.  No explanation needed for why.