In the Virtual World: Weapons Dealers or Talented Individuals?
By Dlicious in Uncategorized, pop culture, social networking, media on May 8 2008I’m always on the lookout for talented individuals, and I recently had the opportunity to speak with an individual who runs an island in Second Life that hosts weapons creators and vendors. Now, on first thought, I immediately determined that I shouldn’t get involved with “these people”. After thinking it through a bit more, I realized that these are not “real” weapons dealers - these are simply creative, talented individuals that choose to use their abilities to re-create things that they are passionate about.
War simulations are some of the most popular video games today. Millions of individuals participate in online battles with one another in various forms, be they with spells and magic wands in World of Warcraft, hands of poker in one of thousands of online rooms or realistic-looking and acting weapons in first person shooters. Humans seem to have the need to compete, and in some cases the battles get quite heated!
So, if weapons dealers are re-creating weapons in Second Life, how are they different from the individuals creating war simulation video games and selling millions of copies to kids and adults around the world? Isn’t this the same application of real life talents - creating tools of destruction for use in Virtual Worlds or in games? And isn’t it better for people to “play” with guns in the virtual world than in the real world?
When I was a kid and had too much pent-up energy, my mom would tell me to “go outside and run around the house a few times”. Today, when the net-gen has had a bad day and they need to blow off some steam, many turn to the likes of Grand Theft Auto and cause a riot or two. Others turn to Halo or Warhawk and virtually murder their friends and enemies for hours at a time. For some, this sounds like violent behaviour or tendencies - I would argue that the Virtual World is a FAR better place for these things to take place. Get it out of your system in games and the virtual world so you can be peaceful in real life. 
My point: predetermined perceptions, prejudices and real-world “labels” of what is right and wrong will become even less traditional as the net-gen infiltrates media and entertainment in the coming years. I think that we’ll all need to be prepared to take a second look at things that we thought we understood. And maybe we’ll make some new friends while we do it.
-Dlicious
I agree about it being better to take out your pent-up anger and frustration on a game of Grand Theft Auto than on your friends or other innocent targets. Games like these acknowledge that people have urges and it’s ok to be upset. They just find constructive ways of channeling that energy.