
What a way to start my blog talking about being addicted to Second Life (SL) and implications it has on real life.
Yesterday I was surfing the net reading about the way SL had impacted people’s lives – good and bad.
Dylan Rikenbacker’s story was well worth the read and I’m glad to see he has not left Second Life just found some balance. http://wp.me/p4pt2-X
A very common thread I found on my search about SL addiction was that it seemed to affect couples and their lives the most – people in real life (RL) relationships with and without kids. Some of the gripes mentioned were things like not doing the housework while your partner is working all day and instead being on SL for 12 hrs plus with your virtual lover, or not preparing meals for their families, hiding in rooms with their laptops instead of spending time with their loved ones. This link has many stories about addiction to SL http://elliptic.typepad.com/elliptic_blog/2004/01/second_life_add.html
As for myself I am single and I suppose can please myself. I have found SL has made me a bit anti-social but I have a 40 hr plus day job with all its responsbilities in the graphic design field and often enjoy the peace of winding down after work in SL. I must admit my apartment has not been as tidy for the last few years but I am the only one living in it.
Isn’t it all about “BALANCE”, Second Life addiction, alcohol addiction, drug addiction, gambling addiction – a few drinks or tokes won’t hurt you, betting on some horses or the occasional roulette table won’t hurt you either but if you don’t have the strength to say enough is enough and when to stop I suppose then “cold turkey” is your only answer.
Don’t get me wrong I see many positives in this virtual world, the art created in this world, the photography, the live musicians, the editors and writers, the dress designers, the scripters, all the content creators that make this world possible and so mesmerising. I am just a little cautious about letting my real life slip away too much and I am looking for my own balance.
So for now I am still flying Bosco Constantine’s “Addicted Flag” from his famous “Addicted” original tune over my avatar’s head while I search for my own answers. https://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=832711
Posted in SL Addiction, Second Life Addiction