Second Life and Emergence
While playing games I rarely think of exciting and innovative ideas to add. As a person who does not like to break the rules in real life, I struggle with finding ways to change a gaming experience. I figure the designers planned the game to be played a certain way so changing the rules would detract from it. Second Life allows players to customize their avatars with various hairstyles and clothes. While some people’s avatars are original designs, I like my avatar to represent who I am. Because I wanted the avatar to represent me, I found the customization process very personal. It made me examine what I wanted to look like but also forced me to accept who I am as a person. I had to use some appearance settings to really make my avatar imitate my appearance. I did add one abnormal setting to my avatar. I added a pair of black wings as a representation of Final Fantasy 7, one of my favorite games. In the end I realized that changing rules or not including any is good for players and keeps them entertained. I enjoyed customizing my characters and look forward to designing buildings and vehicles.
As the title suggests, Second Life allows players to live another life in a user created land. Because the game has neither a specific plot nor a large number of rules, emergent behavior is prominent in Second Life. “In games, emergence arises through the interaction of the formal game system and decisions made by players” (Salen, Zimmerman 164). Second life contains emergence, in that players can design and create simple cabins to floating clubs with complicated passageways. In some cases players will create extremely elaborate vehicles for others to ride and enjoy. Flying through the world I saw some interesting things, including some mature vehicles and locations. Although this might seem inappropriate for some people, these products are all results of the emergent properties of Second Life. It is these properties that manage to keep players interested in the game.