Second-Life is a Virtual World or, technically speaking, a “multi-user virtual environment”, started in 2003 as a project by "Linden Research, Inc." doing business as "Linden Lab". Users need to create an account and download a Viewer, which will enable them to interact with the other users (called “Residents”) through avatars. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the world (which residents refer to as "the grid"). There is also a tool based around simple geometric shapes that allows a resident to build virtual objects. A unique feature of learning in Second Life, as in other Multi-User Virtual Environments, is the perception of immersion in an alternate world.
Second Life is considered by many as a promising tool for education and training in general. While Second Life can certainly support the traditional teacher-centered form of education, it also supports and encourages more student-centered, constructivist forms of education. In intercultural education the main potential of Second Life is for informal intercultural literary development. This is done by the simple fact that people using Second Life interact in various ways and, even if the interaction is mediated by their avatars, their cultural background is reflected in the interaction.
Second-Life surely has a great potential for education and training but that there are also a number of challenges to overcome:
- a significant time is needed for a newcomer to understand the way Second Life functions (even for someone with very good computer skills and online experience)
- student acceptance of Second Life as an educational tool
- technical problems
- a steep learning curve
- Lack of privacy is another challenge
- the potential for distraction and disruption caused by avatars unrelated to the class
- potential exposure to misinformation and pornography
Thus, the ideal situation which would maximise the potential use of Second Life for an Intercultural Simulation Game would be:
- a pre-defined tutorial showing only exactly what is necessary for the users to perform the tasks implied by the simulation;
- the possibility to teleport directly at the location where the simulation takes place, avoiding the general entry areas;
- ensuring privacy of the location of the simulation;
- providing appropriate training for the tutors/facilitators of the simulation.
This implies some costs, especially for buying virtual property and for providing the possibility of directly teleporting users to a specified location.
Link: http://secondlife.com/
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