Second Life is First World (A Think)

The New York Times Technology section is running an article entitled "A Virtual World but Real Money." The article is about Second Life, a virtual realm created by Linden Labs in which people can buy and sell property and other goods and services. There's actually a currence in Second Life. People can buy Second Life dollars with first world credit cards. The article states:

But now, the budding fake world is not only attracting a lot more people, it is taking on a real world twist: big business interests are intruding on digital utopia. The Second Life online service is fast becoming a three-dimensional test bed for corporate marketers, including Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sun Microsystems, Nissan, Adidas/Reebok, Toyota and Starwood Hotels.

Our students likely know more about Second Life than we do. When my friend's eleven year old son recently looked my computer and saw a shortcut to Second Life, which I've actually only been on once and don't know how to use very well, he asked me how much property I own in Second Life. I'm with him a lot. I've never seen him go onto Second Life but he knows about it.

Lesson Ideas:
1. Ask students to cosider how people's behavior changes between virtual settings and real world settings. Nearly everybody would agree that there are behaviors that are inappropriate in a real world setting. Are their behaviors that are inappropriate in a virtual setting? You might have students develop a code of behavior in virtual settings or write an argument explaining why such a code is not necessary. They might post these codes on-line.
2. Ask students to explain the most incredible experience that they've had playing virtual games on line. Ask them to provide as much detail about this experience as possible. Now ask them if this experience was a real experience. You might have students who have not played many virtual games pair up with students who have significant experience with virtual games and conduct television interviews with them about these experiences. You might vod-cast these interviews.
3. When nations are unsettled people can acquire large portions of land. They can take advantege of available natural resources. If other people then want to purchase this land or take advantage of these resources they have to pay the owners. Consequently the first people in a place that later becomes popular have the ability to make handsome profits. Ask your students if they can think of any situations in which people have become wealthy this way. (When the Sears Tower was being built in Chicago the person who owned the last building that needed to be demolished to build the tower made a fortunate by selling the building and land.) Now ask students if they think that this scenario is also accurate in a virtual game like Second Life. Do they first people who set up property in virtual worlds stand the chance to make healthy profits? Why/why not. Encourage students to explain thier positions thoughtfully.
4. Ask students to design their own virtual worlds or to work in groups to design virtual worlds. You might actually set these worlds up on Second Life or another virtual environment. You could specifically tell the students to set up a world related to the content of your course. So for example, if you are teaching history have the students set up a community that they are studying. If you are teaching physics have the students set up a community in which physical laws must be obeyed. If students decide not to use physical laws they still have to explain the law and develop a thoughtful explanation as to why the law might not have to be obeyed.

Edit or expand these lesson ideas on our Lesson-Wiki.