By: Tateru Nino
13 December, 2009
That might not take the prize for the most bizarre and ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard, but it’s right up there.
It’s like saying “There’s nothing to do in Paris.”
Everything in Second Life is user-generated, by folks like you and me. Obviously, a lot of people create things to suit themselves, and a smaller number make things to suit others.
When you say “There’s nothing to do in Second Life” what you’re really saying is “I’m annoyed that other users aren’t working harder to entertain me.”
That says more about you than it does about anyone, anywhere or anything else, including Second Life.
And I’m really kind of sorry that you’re missing out.
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A-frakking-men! If I had a Linden dollar for every time someone whined about this to me right off the bat, I’d have enough to pay tier for a year on my tiny slice of haven.
Hmm that’s a tough stance, so are all those people who say that (probably the majority of those who try it) wrong?
Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of an open ended world with no fixed purpose. For those who prefer goal oriented / gameplay should they be told up front it’s not for them, or better guided into the parts of SL that offer that type of experience?
Well, Simon, it’s the sort of world that most of us grow up in. You’d think we’d be getting the hang of it eventually. Or perhaps that’s why the really active SL users are in the over 45 bracket.
My very wise grandfather (yes, I actually had one of those) used to say that only boring people get bored. That’s what I think of when I hear that statement from a non-newbie. Noobs, I’m more patient with. It can take a while to figure out what the heck is going on here.
I disagree. I think when a new resident says there is nothing to do what I believe is truly meant is that it is too hard to FIND things to do. Face it, the SL platform and client are notoriously difficult to learn and use.
Well, it’s true that I didn’t have the newest users in mind — however, I must say that it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t get the basics of the UI quite quickly with any access to coaching at all.
In my experience, the interface is rarely a major problem in the new user experience. It’s everything else.
I find less and less of my time being spent in Second Life. Yes, the amount of entertaining new content *is* diminishing (at least in the areas I found interesting in the first place). The populations in the activities I enjoyed have dried up as well and activities I once found filling many hours hold me for far less time (as an example: this years Burning Life just fell flat with a feeling of “been there, done that” being the most common reaction I had).
Last year I found myself logging in daily to keep up with the art community, the programming communities and the gaming communities. I did create my own content for a while (and sold it, made money on land, etc) only to find I had a second *job* and not something I did for recreation.
Lately I find myself logging in only once or twice a week to “catch up”.
So I have moved on to other (real world) pursuits and only log in to Second Life when something entertaining shows up. The thinking on display in this post seems to indicate that my lesser engagement recently is a defect on my part and not part of the (natural?) evolution of my interests and the engagement provided by Second Life.
Instead I would claim that is in very similar to someone who has been to Paris many times for extended visits. It just don’t hold the same charm and so I only go when something new is around. Virtual Ennui?
But presumably we don’t hear you complaining about it either as a rule, right?
Well, saying you are becoming bored with Second Life is not the same as saying Second Life is by its nature boring. We all get bored with things eventually, particularly if we have inquiring minds and an active interest in a variety of things — there is just so MUCH to be interested in (as in the Chinese curse).
And I adamantly disagree with the “UI is notoriously difficult” mantra. The basics were totally easy to use from day one; just takes practice to get adept at it same as anything else worth doing. The more complicated functions come with tutoring, practicing, and experimenting, which to me is part of the fun — learning something new.
I am completely in agreement with the adage “anyone who is chronically bored is just boring.” It’s true that in SL it’s a challenge to find things to do at first if your mindset is “Okay, I’m here — entertain me.” People with that expectation shouldn’t bother with Second Life in the first place, since they are not looking for a challenge they are looking for spoon feeding. Better they should just go watch TV and channel flip and give back their processor cycles to those of us who can make use of them. Less lag, too. Begone oh bored ones!
The difficulty in the UI is not necessarily in the navigation but in search. SL is so vast and the tools do provide an easy way to find things to do.
Search is poorly executed. If I’m looking to explore interesting architecture how do I find a list of locations? Any attempt at a popular places list has always been gamed.
How do you find new and interesting things to do?
Wait… is that picture full of *bots*? LOL
I agree with what you say, but part of it has to do with the *social* aspect of it. I, for one just don’t “get” the sitting at my computer watching a bunch of cartoons, including the one I control – “dancing” on a bunch of poseballs.
Yes, I know – it’s “social”. But the chat is lame, and I keep voice and streaming media (read: music) turned-off (because I don;t want to waste bandwidth and it helps cut any lag.)
So, what if that question were rephrased: “It’s hard-as-hell to find anyone on the grid – who’s not just camping or “dancing” or a traffic-bot.”
it’s not that there isn’t anything to do, there are lots to do, but there is no clear direction to go (though of course there is also the thing with LL screwing resis away more and more, which does indeed reduce the amount of things for you to do involving other people and/or things other people do)