Second Life: Embedded Agent

I chose to travel to another sci-fi role play sim (different from the BSG sim in the previous exercise).

This RP had a much wider scope in terms of its influence, compared to the BSG sim. The BSG RP was very specific to the world and canon of the reimagined series. This sim had influences primarily from the worlds of the series Firefly and the book/movie world of Dune. There were references to Spice and Sand worms (Dune) as well as Companions and Blue Sun (Firefly). However, there were also many items and areas that were not related to either of these two sci-fi worlds (for example, I was able to purchase an outfit from the animated series Starblazers).

I spent several hours exploring the sim, mostly alone. It was noted in the background and rules of the RP that most RP was conducted alone. I chose to take on the character of a researcher, which was a character type described in the rules of the RP), searching the desert of the planet for artifacts and information.

On only two occasions did I encounter other people in the RP.

On one occasion, I encountered a player who was in the character of a humanoid feline, watching the spaceships in the spaceport. I spoke with her briefly, in character. She spoke of discrimination and hatred that her character encountered in the RP, and I sympathized with her briefly before moving on.

The other encounter I had was much more the type of RP experience that I would expect in this type of world. I visited the Chapterhouse of an organization called the Sinisterhood of Valnor. In the Chapterhouse, I encountered two female characters, one of whom was Dr. A'dab, the second highest ranking member of the Chapterhouse. I had a lengthy discussion with these two, in character, about the purpose of the Sinisterhood, and the state of humanity. Dr. A'dab explained (in very vague terms) that the mission of the Sinisterhood was to help humanity. When I pressed for details on what type of help they offered, Dr. A'dab merely asked what type of help I needed. Given my limited experience in the RP, I chose not to pursue this much further, beyond general discussions of whether or not humanity deserved to be advanced, and what my purpose was for asking so many questions. I simply said that the help I needed was information, and that they had provided it. Given the sign posted outside of the Chapterhouse, and the fact that their "donation" box requests money in the form of "bribes," I surmised that the Sinisterhood (as the name suggests) are most likely in the business of illicit "help."

I enjoyed spending time in the RP. I would have liked to have been able to interact with more characters in the sim, but it seems to be sparsely populated. I was interested in the many different influences that seemed to play into the world, and the commerce of the planet. There were many locations and shipping berths that could be rented, and there were shops, housing, restaurants, offices, religious institutions, and hotels. Most of these were actively being rented, which suggests that many players do visit at least occasionally. There were also a number of other features that added to the immersion of the world. NPC creatures, sandstorms, and electrical fields were encountered in various locations throughout the sim.

I will continue to visit this and the other RP (BSG) periodically, to see what else I can learn. Any updates will be posted here.