I am a little baffled that Second Life seems to get so much positive press in the mainstream media, aside from the recent child porn reports, while EverQuest (a few years ago) and now World of Warcraft are demonized as these addictive games that are turning kids into suicidal, flesh-eating zombies. Ok, that's not EXACTLY how it is reported, but the negative spin is so bad most of the time that they might as well say that. This is how I have perceived the coverage I have seen-- there's a chance that I've missed all the anti-Second Life, Pro-WoW coverage, so maybe I am totally wrong.
It seems to come down to two things: the perception of productivity-- in Second Life, as they often report, you can build things and sell them for real money without going "under the table" with the goldseller equivalent in WoW and other games. Therefore, Second Life isn't a waste of time; it's a brand new sort of business opportunity. Also, Second Life isn't really a game, and seems to come off as this wonderful virtual world where anyone can be anything they want (even if they really want to be a puppy), while WoW and EQ are games, and so not worthy of the time of normal, serious adults.
I am not against virtual worlds that aren't really games, or even things that really are nothing but graphical chat rooms. I am just surprised that they generally get better press. It simply doesn't make sense to me. I am sure there are people out there wasting their lives and losing everything because they like their Second Life better than their first, just as I know for a fact that many people play World of Warcraft or EverQuest and still manage to pay their bills or make good grades. They are all time-wasting amusements if you feel like every moment of your day has to be filled with something worthy and meaningful. You only get the illusion that you're doing something "real" when you don't have to say that you're "playing a game".
Any MMORPG that doesn't already have advertising in it is a refuge from the constant bombardment of commercial and propaganda messages that saturate our lives otherwise, from TV and radio commercials to highway billboards to the branding splashed on the T-shirts of people walking past us at the mall. Second Life, on the other hand, is sort of the opposite kind of environment. Sure, there are free things to see and do, but there are also people there with an agenda and an eye on your wallet. Noone is going to set up a campaign headquarters, embassy, or online boutique in Azeroth. It's a whole different animal.
I had actually intended to hit several different topics, but I seem to be stuck on just this one. No offense is intended against people who use and enjoy Second Life. My beef is with people on the outside who are giving legitimacy to one format and sensationalizing the dangers of another. That's all.
MMORPG.com writes:
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