Somewhere out there in cyberspace, your very own digital manifestation could be exploring a virtual 3D world. Ten years ago this would have sounded fanciful, and yet today, a growing number of Internet users around world have become pioneers in a new frontier. Second Life is a virtual world populated by avatars and where your own personal avatar can be made to look as butch or as feminine as you like; where you can choose sex, hair colour, eye colour and build. And if you get bored with those attributes, you can change at any time - a sex change in Second Life is easy and almost instant!
Launched to the public in 2003 by Linden Labs, Second Life is where dreams come true - but it helps to have some imagination too! It is hugely popular, and the vibrant gay and lesbian community is testament to how diverse its residents are.
There are other virtual worlds on the Internet, but Second Life is probably the most popular, and most talked about in the media. It is free to join, there is also a premium membership option, and providing you have a fast Internet connection (cable, DSL or broadband), an up-to-date computer and graphics card; a mind-blowing Internet experience awaits.
The first time I arrived, Second Lifers call this the birth date, I wasn't sure what to do next but it was a beautiful scene: a clear blue sky, palm trees gently swaying in the breeze, birds singing, and the sound of trickling water from a brook nearby. I soon worked out how to make my avatar walk and to alter his looks. Choosing hair colour was interesting. I went for purple and deep blue eyes. The size and shape of the nose was next - in fact the list of attributes is almost endless - and you can buy extensions, such as a penis. Finally I got round to body shaping. I chose the well-defined muscular look. I want my man to look firm, but there is fun to be had looking through a range of almost endless options. For clothing, a designer T-shirt and tight fitting jeans brought from a virtual shopping mall fit perfectly onto a youthful muscular frame.
Second Life has its own currency, Linden Dollars (L$) with which you can buy almost anything including: virtual land, houses, furniture, sports cars, clothes, in fact just about anything you can think of. You can also make your own objects for personal use and sell copies to other members. Some Second Lifers are making a tidy profit doing exactly that which can be converted back to real money.
Interacting with other residents makes Second Life special. You chat in real time, just like in a chat room, and like the real world, life goes on around you. If someone starts to annoy, you can quickly get away and fly like Superman to somewhere else. Getting around Second Life is easy and the list of places you can 'Teleport' to is almost endless. It's estimated that Second Life is now so large, that it would take more than a real lifetime to see it all.
There are many gay and lesbian places to visit and in June 2007, Second Pride opened its virtual gates for a fourth consecutive year. This month long virtual pride extravaganza was host to a variety of attractions including live music, theatre acts, art exhibits, a dance pavilion with live DJ and a museum highlighting contributions of gay and lesbian people throughout history.
For year round activities, Gay World with its dance floor gyrating avatars, good music and friendly bar is a top favourite. It was here that I met Nord, a friendly leather clad guy with a five-o'clock shadow and wicked green eyes. He told me of other gay places to check out: virtual dark rooms and gay theme parks where your avatar can experience the thrill of virtual rides, rainbow flag decked shopping malls where you can buy trendy outfits, tattoos, body hair and other body attachments - just what you might need if you're planning to visit a gay club or nudist resort.
Second Life can be great fun and novel way to make new friends in a virtual world. But a word of caution; spending too much time in this make-believe world could impact on your real life. And how far will technology take virtual worlds like Second Life? Some scientists predict that within thirty years, 'Nanobots' implanted into the human brain will make it possible for us to interact and experience virtual reality environments as if we are really there - now that's spooky!
