I love virtual worlds and online communities. In fact, I love them soo much I'm going to say it again. I love virtual worlds and online communities!
To me, they're just not a sandbox to play around in but a full fledged lifestyle. When one fully gets engrossed into a metaverse, that's it! Kiss the sun good bye. Of course there's a good chance that you might never care if you see the sun again with the sheer potential of whats waiting for them on the other side. Once logged in and an avatar is created the new resident has all they will ever need to reach new digital heights. But more on all those heights in their own dedicated posts later.
How I came to discover and embrace metaverses has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of my life. I got my first computer as a high school graduation gift and the first thing I realized was that while I could do many grand and exciting things on it, I was missing out on soo much by not being connected to the internet. I had a job at the time and still had collage a ways away thanks to some unforeseen events. Things just seemed to line up nicely towards online life.
The same day that I talked to the ISP was not coincidentally the same day that I picked up my first copy of World of Warcraft. While not a virtual world in the same sense as Second Life, it still had many of the basics that I eventually became familiar with. It had a vibrant economy, player organized groups and events, and the feature I was most fascinated with: character development!
Yes, I know character development Isn't a feature in true virtual worlds per se but bare with me. I see metaverses as a symbol of progress. They are all about taking you in your raw, natural, fleshy state and turning that into much more.
If you are a resident of a virtual world then may I ask you to humor me for a moment. Reach back into your memories and try to think back to your first day in your first metaverse. What was your first impressions of that place? What went through your mind as you interacted with an object for the first time? What was the first piece of user generated content you made? (feel free to share your stories in the comments) Now look at you today! Look at all you've done. Look at how you've given back to the community. And just look all your able to do now. That, I believe, is true character development. And that is why I love metaverses.
