Everyone wishes at some point in their life that they could be someone else, start a second-life if you will. Maybe you want to start life with a different identity, manage your funds a bit differently, maybe have a few electronic friends, and become a business mogul in an invented online world. If you haven't done anything like this before, then you'll need to know how. Fortunately, there is a website offering exactly that, called Second Life.
1. GETTING STARTED
First off, what is Second Life? There is a very handy web page accessible from the home page of www.secondlife.com, where they address that exact question. In their own words, “Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 4,315,826 people from around the globe.” Basically, Second Life is a game where a person can create a whole new life for themselves without having to resort to anything drastic. From the homepage of Second Life, you can click on the Join Now link in order to start your own Second Life this very second. After you fill out all the info, and such.
2. CREATING A SECOND SELF
Your second step, after you have clicked on the Join Now link, is creating your own Second Life persona. First you start with naming your character. You need to pick a first name, which can be anything. Then you need to pick a last name from a long list of possible last names. These are worth skimming through; there are some interesting ones. It's possible that the name you have picked is already taken, but there is a handy link right there where you can check the availability of any given name combination. Or you can just go ahead and try for the name you have picked, and if that combo is taken, then you are allowed to pick from a list of last names that are free combinations with the first name you've already chosen. Then you enter your birthday, and finally your screen name. Then hit the handy continue button when you want to continue.
3. PICK THE LOOK
Third, the next option in this “Creating an alternate personality through the Internet” is to Pick an Avatar, which basically means “what your character looks like.” There are two lists of six options apiece, one list is female, the other is male, and you can pick from these options, which are all explained on the website. Once you've chosen your avatar, it's time to submit your personal information.
4. FINISHING UP
Now, with all of this personal information you have to fill out, take a second to reflect on all the things you want to do with your Second Life that you could never do with your real life. Now fill out your information, which consists of the general information such as your name, and what password you 'd like to use to access the site in the future. From there, put down whether or not you've already got a Second Life, because this might be your third or fourth, and who referred you, and so on. Be sure to click on the “I agree to the Terms of Service” box, as well as actually reading the Terms of Service. It 's always a good idea to read through the terms of service so that further down the road you don 't do something to violate those terms of service.
5. GO PREMIUM?
Now, you have a choice. You can skip this step if you want, but it might make things easier if you want to make this into a Premium account. You may pick a credit card company or Paypal for your method of transaction, but Second Life is not asking for money yet. This allows them to simply access your bank account directly for if and when you do, in fact, want to upgrade to Premium. And they take this chance to tell you about the great deals you can get, but wait, there's more on the next page when you click on the Submit button. Once you finish creating your account, you are given the chance to make it a Premium account if you so wish. You can be billed monthly, quarterly, or annually at a variety of fixed rates which are presented to you. Thanks to an easy contract, you can choose to upgrade or downgrade your account easily while a member. So even if you start your account by paying money, you can choose to revert to a free account at any time.
6. DOWNLOAD AND BE BORN AGAIN
Now, you have to download the software, free of charge, and install it. It's about 67mb of data, and it shouldn't take very long at all; just make sure that you have the proper system requirements, especially the right video card. After that, you are ready to start enjoying your Second Life. You can do all kinds of things, but it might be a good idea to start with customizing your own appearance. There's quite an in-depth 3D rendering program for your character, so the facial features can get pretty subtle if you take the time for it. Also, you can socialize with your fellow Second Life users and go to nightclubs or go and gamble. There are a wide variety of options available to you, so do whatever suits you. If you have any additional questions, check out the main Second Life page. There's a comprehensive FAQ section, and a phone number for any questions Monday through Friday, 9am-6pm PST. You can also find more information at http://lindenlab.com/, the website of the company responsible for Second Life.
7. MASTER SECOND LIFE PLAY WITH TIPS AND TRICKS
If you want to get the most out of Second Life there are a few tips and trick you should learn to elevate your game play to a new level.
• Learn to zoom. Get a close up view of your Second Life world by holding the Alt key and clicking on the ground.
• Change your field of view. Use Ctrl+8 or Ctrl+0 up to six times to see the world from a whole other angle. To switch back to normal view you simply hit Ctrl+9.
• Upgrade to a paying account. Upgrading gives you the opportunity to purchase things in your Second Life such as land and clothing.
• Do not sell or share your password. Selling or sharing your password violates the terms of service and could give others access to information in your first life.
• Join a discussion forum. Learn from others as you play Second Life by joining a discussion group to share insider secrets.
There are a number of websites that offer tips on different Second Life options.
• Virtual Underworld has a page to show you how to change your avatar appearance cheaply, create a flying house, add personalized jewelry and change camera options.
• Visit the Second life tips page for more tips while playing Second Life.
