Virtual Addictions

They say in order to break one addiction, you must replace it with another. I'm not so sure about that. Every new addiction I acquire just seems to settle on top of all the ones I already have. The newest one is Second Life.

I'm not a gamer. I've never understood the obsession with playing video games until now. Granted, Second Life isn't really a game. It's an online virtual world where you... well... live a second life! I will tell myself that discovering something new and how it works takes time, but let's face it, people. I spent 12 hours straight in Second Life last Friday. There is definitely something wrong with me! I did, however, take a 30 minute break to get something to eat (can't ignore THAT addiction).

What interests me is the psychology of all of this. Since you create your own avatar, and you can do and be anything you want (within the limitations of scripting), everyone is perfect. You have your mystical fairytale characters and such, but those who resemble humans are perfect. I can't say that there are no fat people in SL, but I've yet to come across one. Of course I have to go against the grain, so I created one.

This poses the question of what we consider perfect and why? Is it even an issue since we're dealing with a virtual world that isn't necessarily supposed to mimic this life? These are just a few among many questions/issues that I'll be exploring there.

After a few days, even I felt compelled to perfect Juliette (my avatar). I'm not sure if she represents me or not. So here she is, drunk, in a hot tub, with all her clothes on, in a bar. Did I mention addictions?