The Disruptive Power of Second Life OR Too Much Time on SOME People's Hands!!

Second Life?  To be frank I had never even heard of this new use of technology until taking a Walden University graduate course on Emerging and Future Technologies.  As a former, pre-computer “gamer” of a different sort, i.e. a former Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master, the idea of a role-playing, artificial computer world is engaging, illustrative of human creativity, but at the end of the day much less exciting than real life.

Why?

Although adolescence affords one the ability to develop creativity and many continue this trend into adulthood by and large the demands of real life, financial, vocational, familial or just other interests that become more compelling, often makes such a virtual computerized world just a niche market.  However, as Philip Rosedale points out this new technology extends beyond normal gamers due to not having traditional gaming features such as high resolution graphics (2008). 

But what about use of technologies such as Second Life for educational purposes, can this prove promising?  Here, I can speak somewhat directly due to such technologies currently being used in a First Year Sequence course that I am teaching (currently two sections) for the University of Phoenix.  HUM 114: Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving has an innovative curriculum, partly based upon traditional pedagogical methodologies such as discussion questions, essays and a fairly straightforward introductory textbook, albeit in online E-Text form.  However, forms of virtual reality role playing are also included as course assignments.

Why?

My thoughts are that given a generational shift toward increasing technological familiarity and immersion that in order to draw students into an introductory university curriculum, especially since for-profit schools draw non-traditional students normally not accustomed to traditional universities and liberal arts colleges, such technology is especially inviting.

Here I think that Second Life has the power to be a major disruptive technology as higher education (or other industries) ends up shifting in the available genres of accepted pedagogical or communication practices.  My students are graded, to include even short answer questions with definitive right and wrong answers, and all as set within an artificial online world similar to Second Life.  However, to the extent that such Second Life technologies provide a consumer-based set of artificial worlds that cater to every interest from art & fantasy to even home & garden or Duran Duran (the 1980’s musical group) http://secondlife.com/destinations?sourceid=1111-sergoog-othervirtualworldsa-dg&gclid=COPV8sLNnbMCFQmonQod8EEAYg this technology has an ability to draw in those who are predisposed to spending time in role-playing in ways that might even increase overall percentage participation of a given population.  Thus, whereas once the Advanced Dungeon Master led his or her fellow gamers through an artificial world in which one’s role playing identity could be a creative diversion from one’s own life now such interests have simply moved online.

AD & D, and other such role-playing games lacking a precise telos or end-goal, have been effectively displaced, and now people will increasingly relate online than in person.  However, what percentage of the population will truly be affected by such a shift?  Second Life might already be in the process of finding its “shelf life” about to expire, especially as socio-economic factors will limit those with such spare time on their hands to only a minority.  The rest of us will be working 2 – 3 jobs, taking real online undergraduate and graduate courses toward completion of the next academic degree.  Who needs a Second Life when one’s First Life is already spent increasingly online?

Reference
Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video].  Retrieved October 25, 2012 from

http://www.ted.com/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html