Got to be real, but how?

The concept of reality inworld keeps cropping up. Whether it’s photorealistic skins, “normal-height” avatars, or rituals such as pregnancy and child-rearing, attempts to clone the physical realm into SL are frequent. Some are even enforced at times, such as one club I went to whose rules stated you were at risk of ejection if your av was too large.

I’ve spoken my piece on the height and pregnancy issues before. The photorealistic skins are actually a good sign SL is developing graphically. Some of them are dead gorgeous, too. But I admit I often favor ones that are detailed without being picture-perfect. But that’s something of a tangent.

The one thing that is real inworld is that we bring ourselves in with us. Unless you are so good at mental compartmentalizing that you are capable of creating an entirely separate personality inworld, you are being who you are, no matter what. Maybe you’re acting or roleplaying, but as a former actress and tabletop gamer, you’re drawing from yourself in both situations. It is that reality as well as how people forget that which causes drama.

I find more and more that I prefer the company of those who recognize that there is no clear line between their second and first lives. They respect the fact there are people behind the av. They don’t play games within the game unless it’s clearly an RPG. And best of all, they don’t play games with themselves. The people who think it’s all a game and nobody should take it seriously probably don’t take their first lives seriously, either.

So, first, be real with yourself. Then respect others. That is the realism we need inworld most of all. The rest is self-expression and art.