Second Life: My Second Experience

Unfortunately my Second Life avatar hasn't seen much action recently, so I thought it high time I went back and visited my lonely animated self.

Second Life is very different to Habbo and WoW, it is very sexual and a lot of the conversation revolves around sex. Not all of it, but a lot. The women are often under dressed and the men, tall and muscular.

This woman was being controlled by a chain

There is a pretty misogynistic set up; I even witnessed one scantily clad female chained to a man. Most of the conversations can't even be repeated as the language used was pretty explicit.

What I have learned is that there are definitely people playing Second Life with something else on their mind, I'm just not so sure it is love. There doesn't seem to be as many social boundaries as World of Warcraft and Habbo and users make it pretty obvious they're there for sexual gratification over anything else.

That's not to say that that is all Second Life is for. It depends what setting you're in, and by chance the setting today was filled with pole dancing, nearly naked women, dirty talking and kinky men.

I want to get past this part of Second Life and see if there are other reasons people are here. There are countless places to visit and I am intrigued to see what's in store next.

Meeting people can be a really exciting time- but always remember to keep safe online.

No Likey, No Lighty: My Second Habbo Experience

Today it was about time I delved in to the virtual brick walls of the never-ending hotel once again. Of course, I am referring to Habbo. This time I think I had a better grasp of how to navigate through the countless rooms and actually managed to stumble upon a right gem..

Habbo has the great feature of users being able to create their own rooms, with one, I am assuming British, user creating a room based on a much beloved dating TV show. If you haven't guessed by the title of this post, it's Take Me Out! So there ARE Habbo-ers out there looking for love.. and lots of them!

Lonely Habbo-ers looking for love in the Take Me Out room

Not quite like the original format, female users sit in a long line of chairs until a new bachelor walks in (they all patiently wait in line for the chance, as do the women, who wait for a chair).  The women stand up if they like the look of the guy, and then the guy ever so politely goes over to all of the women he doesn't like and asks them to 'sit down'.  Hilarious!

Waiting patiently in line for a chance to play Take Me Out

The lucky last two ladies get the opportunity to answer a question, upon which, the bachelor picks his favorite and it all starts again. I wonder if any will be jetting off to the Isle of Fernandos?

I am still getting to grips with the social dos and don'ts, but from what I found today, there are users from across the globe openly looking for relationships, albeit virtual ones. I'm yet to see whether many want these to go beyond Habbo and I can't wait to find out.

Meeting new people can be lots of fun, but please remember to keep safe online. 

World of Warcraft Love Story: Blair and Dan's journey

Dan, 22, and Blair, 21, met through World of Warcraft

In my journey to find romantic gamers I was contacted by Blair and Dan. Blair, 21, is from Canada, Dan, 22, is from the US. Their long-distance love sparked by their mutual passion for World of Warcraft (Wow).

They explained to me that people you meet through the game are often people you regard as good friends. They had mutual good friends on WoW who introduced them via a three-way call on Skype. Joint game play allowed them to get to know each other and for their relationship to blossom.

There are full social circles out there online, friends who have not met in person, but regard each other as close companions, so meeting someone special is something that came naturally for Blair and Dan, although unexpected. Dan said: "I never expected to meet anyone like Blair or even make any new friends (on WoW).

"I started playing World of Warcraft when I saw my brother playing it. At that time in my life, I lived in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't go out and play with my friends, because I didn't have any friends near me. So when I wanted a social life, I played World of Warcraft."

Dan (left) and Blair's (right) WoW characters

Although many users don't go looking for it, Blair thinks it is a great way to meet someone. She said: "I think it is the most honest way to meet people. You don't know what they look like. I mean, you know what their 'Night Elf' looks like, but you don't know what they look like.

"So if you're looking for a romantic relationship I think it's a good place to meet people. You get to know someone's personality before you even look at them. Instead of thinking someone is hot, you think 'this person is really interesting, I want to get to know them better'".

Dan went on to say: "Just because you play a different character online, doesn't mean you can't be yourself."

Blair and Dan have been together for two years, but only met in person months after they started seeing each other. Dan said: "We were talking for over eight hours a day from the moment we met. To me it was seamless. I was talking to Blair on Skype one day, and she was here the next."

The couple are clearly happy, but do they still play WoW? Blair said: "Even though we don't play it all the time, it is still a big thing in our relationship."

Meeting new people is great, but remember to always keep safe online.

 

How to Keep Safe and Savvy Online: The Suzy Lamplugh Trust

I visited the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in London. This project explores how people are meeting online and when speaking to new people it is always important to keep your internet savvy head screwed on.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was set up after estate agent, Suzy Lamplugh, went missing when she went to meet an unknown client in 1986. She was officially declared dead in 1993, but with no body found. The trust focuses on personal safety and the importance of keeping yourself safe when meeting new people.

I spoke with Katherine- a spokesman for the trust- about her tips on speaking with new people and keeping yourself safe.

1. You do not have to give out personal information to someone if you don't want to. Never feel pressured to do this. From your email address to your last name, mobile number and home address.

2. If you feel comfortable with someone enough to exchange your details, that's fine, just remember to keep people around you aware of who you're speaking to.

3. If you get on with someone enough to want to meet up, fantastic, what an exciting time! Just remember to follow these steps:

- Meet in a public place, ideally during the day.
- Plan your journey there AND your journey home.
- Most importantly, make sure you TELL someone (a family member, or friend) all these details and a rough time you will be home.

4. If you want to stop speaking with someone, but they keep speaking to you, just send them a short message telling them you want to stop speaking with them. If they persist then you can contact the website/ phone's service provider directly and ask them to block the person. If the person still persists to find other ways to contact you then you can contact the police.

My First Habbo Experience

So, since reading about the Singapore couple meeting on Habbo, I decided to play the game myself and see if Habbo-ers are online looking for love.

I created an avatar, signed up and off I went in to this fantastical hotel filled with endless rooms and characters. I did this sat in the comfort of my pjs. I can kind of see the appeal now.

My avatar and new virtual home- possibly the only time I'll ever own a penthouse.

After already entering the world of Second Life, Habbo is surprisingly different, not only in landscape but with the people using it. They are less keen to chat. I started to even feel a bit socially awkward. Weird, right? The thing to remember here is that although the place is not real, the people behind the avatars, are. By going up and randomly starting a conversation, interrupting another one, you're received with a similar reaction if you were to do that in real life. You have to earn your social cred here and I am not Habbo-savvy enough to get it. Yet.

Singapore Couple Meet Through Habbo Hotel

Asyraf and Emilia met through Habbo Hotel  © Singapore Seen

Emillia first saw her now husband, Asyraf, in a hotel. No, not the kind of hotel that first comes to mind. This hotel is a virtual hotel, and the basis for the massive multi-player online game (MMOG) that is 'Habbo Hotel'.

After spying him online, Emillia told Singapore Seen that she would always wait for Asyraf to come online. She said: "I really liked the way he was; how he never failed to make me happy every time I 'saw' him online, especially all the nights he would chat with me."

Emilia and Asyraf's Habbo avatars © Singapore Seen

The couple from Singapore soon became emotionally attached.  Emillia said: "It felt like I had known him for years. I was speechless when he declared he liked me."


A while after, the couple spoke on the phone for the first time and arranged to meet. A few dates down the line and schoolgirl at the time, Emillia, had to face the challenge of introducing Asyraf to her Mother, who distrusted the idea of meeting someone online.

It took years to convince her mother that their relationship was legitimate and it would not interfere with her studies. Emillia said: "Ultimately, one fine day, my mum gave us her blessings and accepted him."

After 7 years of being together, Asyraf proposed in true technological style, by SMS.  

The couple were married on the 19th of October, also Emilia's birthday, this year.