Reading Diary & Annotations

“A Rape in Cyber Space”
Rape in the realm of virtual time and space seems almost absurd to evaluate as a RL (real life) crime at first, but seeing its effects on society and individuals it can and should be looked at as punishable. In the case of the rape discussed by Julian Dibbell in her article “Rape in Cyberspace” a clownish character asserted his/her sexual powers over other characters in the game. The rape was damaging in both VR and RL considering it caused a great deal of traumatic stress on the victims. The rapist Mr. Bungle asserted his skills and powers against the wills of his victims. The VR community responded in shock and confusion. They felt abandoned and betrayed and eventually it was decided by one of the Wizards (moderators) of the communities to “Toad” him or in essence destroy his virtual character.

This article made me reevaluate my conceptions of rape, laws, and reality. At first I thought that the entire idea of this being as big of a deal as it was, kind of seemed unnecessary. I’ve seen tons of violence in virtual games before and was always able to make clear distinctions between that reality and the reality that I live in. But for many of the players in this VR game, this is their reality, so if their character is assaulted they feel assaulted. Because of this I understand how rape in VR can penetrate into RL and affect the psychology of the player.

“The Virtual Community”
Rheingold’s article on MUDs and Alternate Identities invites the non-user into the motivations and mindsets of those participating in MUDs. Rheingold highlights the fluidity of identity, concepts of power, social constructions, and issues dealing with addiction and RL abandonment. Players of some of these MUDs often spend most of their free time participating in the virtual realm forming friendships, identifying enemies, and even building and using superhuman powers. Participant’s identities are fully self-constructed so players, in many ways, can be the people whom they’ve always wanted to be. Communities offers a safe space for many people who do not find themselves “fitting into” the reality they are presented with in their day to day lives, this acceptance often leads to not only dedication, but also obsession with these games and communities. The community can both serve the wants and needs of the player and be a detriment to them. These communities offer players philosophical guidance, friendship, entertainment, and even elements of romance that may not be readily available to their non-virtual selves. I find this extremely interesting.


1. “Study on Second Life and the pursuit of happiness”
LINK
Studies by a Dutch think-tank are showing that the happier and more successful people are in RL the happier and more successful their characters seem to be in Second Life. This is an interesting correlation between Reality and Virtual Reality considering someone’s psyche and general persona transcends both worlds. It makes sense to me. It also discusses issues of gender, lying, and wealth gaps in second life.

2. “FBI Probes Second Life Gambling”
LINK
The Linden Lab has openly invited the FBI to take a look around Second Life and look into gambling in the virtual realm. The FBI has yet to take a definite stance on the issue and has declined to comment. SL could face criminal sanctions under certain acts legislation concerning gambling.

3. “Charity raises funds with homeless avatar”
LINK
A Spanish charity created a homeless avatar before Christmas last year to raise money and also awareness about issues of homelessness. I think that this is great-its effective, its educational, and it really brought issues of homelessness into a venue where they hadn’t been before.

4. “Amsterdam sold for $50,000”
LINK
Wow! A gamer in Florida created a virtual Amsterdam in SL, fully equipped with houseboats and even a red light district and he sold it for $50,000 US Dollars on EBAY. This is a true mark of the potential for economic success in Second Life.

5. “Outcry as ‘Copybot’ threatens copyright protection”
LINK
‘Copybot’ is a tool in SL that allows for people to copy avatars, objects, and textures, which has caused a stir because it challenges copyright protections of SL. The ‘Copybot’ code was nearly banned from SL, but wasn’t and was put up for sale. The Linden Lab has responded with ideas about marking and tagging items with labels so that they cannot be copied (i.e. clothing labels).

6. “Virtual reality TV: Big Brother to launch in SL”
LINK
Big Brother plans to launch a SL edition of their RL Reality show. This show will put 15 avatars up against each other and the winner of the show will receive an island in SL. I’m not quite sure I can wrap my mind around this one- I think I’d have to see it to understand.