In the article, “Transformed IBM’s Technology Elite Into Virtual World Believers” discussed how IMB successfully held their business meeting on Second Life and it was 1/5 of the cost of a real world event. People realized that SL wasn’t just a game or social networking site, but rather it had the potential to change the way business is done globally and might be worthwhile exploring. The way they tried to prepare people for the event was just like how we prepared and first started off using SL to get comfortable with our avatars and learn to navigate the environment. When the people arrived they were encouraged to be interactive and take part in what a virtual world could offer. The group saved money and was happy with the results of the meeting. Second Life “becomes the beating heart of the annual general meeting” discussed how SL became a place for attendees to both attend their meetings and hang out. People began to form a community in the workplace and through out the day, there would be people logged in and socializing. The people learned to connect and network within the new environment. In addition, they compared using a phone or web conference to SL and felt that even the next day it felt as if they had attended a real-time meeting, interacting with others and learning. I think this is mostly because your brain is able to make connections and associations and since you are watching your avatar speak and walk for you, it can make your mind think you experienced it. SL moments because memories also.
In the New York Times article, “The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer” “while the Internet has produced some strange new job descriptions over the years, it is hard to think of any more surreal than that of the Chinese gold farmer (2).” Within the worlds, players need to get money so that they can by items they need to do better in the game. For many players, they decided to use real money to get ahead in the game. The line between fun and work isn’t well defined in a gold farmer’s daily routines. Online games, even when there isn’t real money being exchanged can generate actual wealth. It’s interesting how people can be playing online and working at the same time. The article, “Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier” discusses a world called “Norrath” and similarly to the previous article, the people using it can make a small amount of money but still it seems to be a very attractive and appealing game to them. The world has its own people, culture and economy that is taken very seriously by the users. “Some 60,000 people visit Norrath in any given hour, paying for the privilege, around the clock, every day, year round.” Many people even used the term addiction to describe their own behavior on the site. It is different from SL because the avatars seem to invest a lot of money into their appearance and also can kill each other if they want. “The avatar’s skills will determine whether the avatar will be a demander or supplier of various goods and services in the VW.” The avatars are working to achieve advancement and approval from other avatars. More time and devotion into the site will determine the success rate. In VWs there is real equality of opportunity and since avatars are all born with no money, it creates an equal playing field. There are actually many similarities for this online world and Earth and it seems that most people even prefer the online world once they are exposed to it and understand its many benefits. I found the articles informative and enjoyed reading through the experience in Norrath. I found it interesting that some people feel it is unfair to use real money in these sties because it gives beginners less of a chance of excelling in the games.
