Why I Should Avoid Las Vegas
Second Life is by far the most emergence-heavy MMORPG I have ever played. Through my brief explorations into the world, I have discovered a richness and variety of areas and places that games like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes can only dream about.
Of course, the main reason for such high levels of emergence in Second Life is because of the user-created content system. Within the confines of this system the only limitations on what players can build are time, their imaginations and how much money they’re willing to spend. In Second Life many people are willing to spend a lot. While exploring the game world I came across several different types of vehicles. Most of them cost several hundred Lynden dollars to buy. I saw a rocket ship that went for L$600 and a World War II era motorcycle that sold for around L$350. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford to buy them. Not all vehicles have to be paid for, however. I copied a boat I found docked at a massive skyscraper and motored around in it for a bit.
Identity is closely tied with emergence. This is true for both business owners in Second Life and for newbie like me. No matter how long you’ve been playing, your experiences shape the character of your avatar. I came across a good example of this in the form of a spooky fun house. It was called Sinatra’s Spook House. For the low price of L$1 anyone can enjoy the ride’s bizarre and admittedly corny special effects. Afterwards, I received a free t-shirt. This shirt is more valuable to be because it emerged out of my play experience rather than simply being handed to me by the game.
Of course, not all instances of emergence are beneficial. I found this out when I stumbled into this gambling parlor and decided to test my luck. I started out winning about L$30 or so and decided to press my luck. Like in Salen & Zimmerman’s increased risk penny-flipping variant, the simple act of betting L$10 and pressing a button became more meaningful with the prospect of earning more money and the risk of losing it all. Unfortunately for me, I had a stroke of bad luck and ended up losing over L$100. So it looks like I won’t be buying that rocket ship any time soon.