Bumping Into Walls in Second Life

"Just make her a little more skinny.  No, a little more. Yup. Nope, I'd like the hair a bit longer.  Thicker.  Yup.  Good."  Thus go the temptations of the first avatar.  All today I've been feeling guilty, wandering around Belfast telling myself I'll make an alternative identity based on those photographs of the aged Dorris Lessing in last week's papers.  Round.  Old. Wrinkled.  Wise.  But maybe with pigtails....

What am I talking about? Second Life, of course!  Somebody told me recently that nobody really gets to grips with new technology once they pass the age of 27, and being slighlty older than that, I've been determined ever since to prove them wrong.  So yesterday I figured out how to get onto Second Life, the virtual world where one builds an avatar of one's self and walks around.  It's amazing!  You walk around!  Wow!  I walked around!  Yes - hard to believe, but I did.  Neat, huh?

Ok, now can I make a confession? 

1)my walking was pretty poor.  I spent alot of time bumping repeatedly into walls, once I fell off a path into the sea, and once I bumped into - no I did actually BUMP (bang, crash, accidentally thump) a creative writing teacher from the USA who was unable to get out of the way because he was trying to figure out how to change his shirt. Embarassing.

2) it was totally compelling.  I walked around - for hours.  No really.  Real earth hours.  Terrifying.

Apparently people pay REAL money to buy virtual stuff for their virtual selves in this virtual world.  Lots and lots of money, thousands and thousands of US dollars.  Hard to believe, but after experiencing the thrill of all that walking yesterday I begin to have a tiny inkling as to why.  Not that I ever would. Real Life is too good!

Doris and I are just going to nip in for a quick stumble.