Marxist Escape

My immediate, visceral reaction to SL was disgust at how realistic, yet (or perhaps hence) superficial the world was. I hope I don't reveal to much about myself here, but my immediate critical lens for this world was that of a Marxist. The sophistication of the avatars and props gave users a sense of the material. With this sense of ownership, came the forces of division of labor, hierarchy, and fetishism of props, invading what should be ( in my mind) a diversion from these social frustrations. When I expressed these to a chatter, he claimed that it was easy to live like a "SL vagabond" and just get by doing this and that, and only really use the chat functions, and enjoy the lifelike atmospheres. He assured me that SL could, like other internet world, be used as an escape.

SL was different than I expected. It wasn't just an animated chat room, in fact often took second tier to many of the program's other, more unique, functions. I went to a bar that was designed after the cantina in Star Wars. The owner seemed stressed out about making sure everyone was dressed in the proper attire to continue the illusion. She was very serious about it.

When I thought about it, it seemed that living out the dream of opening a strange business can be time consuming and costly on SL, but nothing compared to the toll it would take to do it in RL. Some people held propriety over businesses that didn't really make money, it was a labor of love, and a very creative one at that. They got to share their babies with the world, without having to deal with many of the realities of being a business owner. Like playing the "Life" board game, SL gives the player the opportunity for escapism, or to become embroiled in a second life that will just further pre-occupy you. I personally believe that the latter is more likely.

I guess it depends on perspective.