Second Life
Online avatar existence
Second Life is a virtual world launched in 2003 where users create avatars and interact in user-generated environments.
Unlike video games with set objectives, Second Life is open-ended—residents socialize, build, create businesses, and buy virtual land with real money.
It pioneered concepts now common in discussions of the metaverse: She made a living designing clothes in Second Life.
The platform saw massive hype in the mid-2000s before fading from mainstream attention, though it retains a dedicated community.
Shared immersive digital universe
- simulationImitation of real processes
- 3DThree-axis spatial representation
- onlineNetwork-connected state
- cyberspaceVirtual electronic network environment
sandbox · grid · regions · teleporting · viewer · client · scripting · prims
Venue for commerce
- rentalsLeased items or properties
- creatorsOnes who originate
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- transactionsExchanges of value
stipend · entrepreneurship · branding · storefronts · commissions
People living somewhere
- socialConcerning community life
- interactionReciprocal action between parties
- groupsCollections of related things
- eventsThings that take place
clubs · friendship · relationships · meetups · forums · networking · creators · builders
Modification to individual preference
- personaAssumed public identity
- appearanceOutward visible form
- skinsOuter animal coverings
- shapesExternal outlines of things
accessories · clothing · animations · gestures · profile · embodiment · self-expression · furry
Imaginative mental wandering
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- alter-egoAlternate version of oneself
- anonymityUnknown identity state
- freedomAbsence of constraint
refuge · roleplay · immersion · exploration
metaverse
Shared immersive digital universe
- simulationImitation of real processes
- 3DThree-axis spatial representation
- onlineNetwork-connected state
cyberspace · sandbox · grid · regions · teleporting · viewer · client · scripting · prims · mesh
marketplace
Venue for commerce
transactions · stipend · entrepreneurship · branding · storefronts · commissions
residents
People living somewhere
- socialConcerning community life
- interactionReciprocal action between parties
- groupsCollections of related things
events · clubs · friendship · relationships · meetups · forums · networking · creators · builders · DJs
customization
Modification to individual preference
- personaAssumed public identity
- appearanceOutward visible form
- skinsOuter animal coverings
shapes · accessories · clothing · animations · gestures · profile · embodiment · self-expression · furry · human
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- alter-egoAlternate version of oneself
- anonymityUnknown identity state
freedom · refuge · roleplay · immersion · exploration
Second Lifereal life
Existence beyond imagination
physical reality · meatspace · IRL · physical world · flesh and blood
life, second, secondary, lifeless, lifetime, lives, lifestyle, seconds, afterlife