Second Life Contextualization Post: Defamiliarization

I found my experience in Second Life interesting, yet strangely limited. Choosing an avatar for a game that was meant to represent a “Second Life” was strangely more difficult than playing a regular video game; yet I was surprised the game let you choose from only a handful of avatars. I also found initially engaging with the game difficult; it took over 40 minutes to get through the tutorial and initial immersion in the Second Life world was overwhelming and confusing. I assume that this de-familiarization would diminish over time; however, it seems to have a distinct dialect and form of social interaction that would require time to become familiar with. It seemed Second-Life was more concerned with a form of social interaction that was both related yet distinct with normal human experiences; such as flying and the ability to teleport.

 

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