A Piece of Place: Modeling the Digital on the Real in Second Life

Abstract:     
Digital worlds exist as synthetic models and have no need for the constraints of the real world. This freedom allows digital worlds a vast design space of representational choices, ranging from near correspondence to the real world to complete abstraction. The digital world Second Life was designed to allow its residents enormous creative freedom and to be as broadly appealing as possible. Second Life chose to mirror the real world in many important aspects in order to provide a place that felt familiar and comfortable, while granting freedoms not possible in the real world. This Article will cover the environment of Second Life, the reasons for the choice and the challenges that arose.

Keywords: Virtual worlds, Second Life, Place

JEL Classifications: L86

Working Paper Series