Residents can even build houses and other buildings. Residents make objects for different reasons - some do it to bolster the theme of a particular area or avatar design, others build objects just for fun. For example, a skilled user could create a puppy dog that follows him or her everywhere. They can also use the Linden Scripting Language, a programming language similar to Java, to give objects specific properties. By creating and linking together basic prim structures, users can create more complex objects. Users can also build objects within Second Life using simple in-world tools and menus. Savvy residents can customize their avatars by creating their own clothes and skins in a graphics program and importing the file into Second Life.Īvatar customization is just one way residents can tweak their Second Life experiences.
Users can find dozens of residents who sell and trade clothing, skin and even body parts in Second Life. Some residents create special skin textures for avatars ranging from realistic skin and hair to fantasy-inspired scales or feathers. If he or she wanted a completely new hairstyle, the user would have to either design it or buy it from another resident. Even with this level of control, the user can only adjust what is already there. For example, if the user wants to modify the avatar's hairstyle, he or she might use the tool's slide bars to make the hairstyle longer or shorter. One of the menu choices is appearance, which allows a user to adjust the way his or her avatar looks. Nothing in Second Life is permanent - if a user decides his or her avatar should evolve from a hulking brute to a half-cat half-girl creature, he or she can make the changes at any time.Ī resident can also right click his or her mouse on the avatar, which pulls up a pie-shaped menu. They can change their avatars' appearance as often as they like. So, whether you're a former or current user or just curious about Second Life, we'll explain to you how it all works.
But registration picked up in 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people at home. In 2018, it was reported to have 500,000 active monthly users (down from more than 1 million in 2013). Second Life was a huge hit in the mid-2000s, though interest has waned since then.
They inhabit a virtual world free of pre-determined goals or tasks, just like the real world. Unlike MMORPGs, residents in Second Life aren't in a game, though there are games inside Second Life's virtual environment. Users navigate through an online world, encountering strange landscapes and new people. Like an MMORPG, users represent themselves with a customizable, 3D figure that acts like a computer-generated puppet. In many ways, Second Life is similar to massively multiplayer online role playing games ( MMORPGs). Some residents design short programs, called scripts, which give avatars or objects new abilities, including special animations or the ability to generate copies of other objects. They can also do things that are impossible in the real world - avatars can fly or teleport to almost any location. They can do a lot of things you can do in real life - buy land, shop for clothes and gadgets, or just visit with friends. In Second Life, residents can go to social gatherings, live concerts, press conferences and even college classes.
User-generated content also explains why Second Life is for adults only - Linden Lab places few restrictions on residents, meaning that you can see some pretty raunchy creations while you're exploring the environment. Resident additions to the virtual world are called user-generated content, and this content is one of the factors that makes Second Life such a unique online environment. For one thing, they can contribute to the world around them, creating buildings, objects or even animations. Second Life isn't just a fancy chat room - residents can do much more than communicate with one another.