British Government Department Defends Use of Second Life

Earlier, it made the news that the British government’s Department of Work and Pensions, with help from other departments, was running an “Innovations Centre” on Second Life. The sim (or site as the article called it), reportedly cost 20,000 British Pounds to set up and would cost 12,000 Pounds to run every year. It is not accessible to the general public. One Member of Parliament called this a waste of money, accusing those involved of “living in a fantasy world.” “I am as excited by technology as anyone. I just don’t necessarily think in these times that taxpayers’ money ... should be spent on things like this.”

A spokesman for the DWP soon responded, saying that the cost to get the sim was less than that, 6,000 Pounds. They explained the Centre was only a pilot project, but is developed to function like a real-life location. They defended the money spent, saying it will save taxpayers in the long run by allowing people to hold meetings online without having to travel, “We are currently exploring the potential use of Second Life, and have active interest from a number of Government departments. ... We believe it could help ... save taxpayers money as meetings, events, and shows can be held online at a fraction of the cost and resources.”

The DWP went on to suggest they could further cover their costs by allowing companies to “showcase” a product at the sim, in exchange for paying a fee. The Innovations Centre is up for renewal in 2011. There are no plans to make the sim accessible to other Second Life residents.

Sources: BBC, eWeek Europe

Bixyl Shuftan

Is It OK To Cry Here?

By FoxM Ember

We met at a dance club. I’d just ended my first of several (I’m not proud to say) “bad” SL relationships. She was waiting for someone, and was kind enough to allow me to sit near her and listened to me, when I needed to talk........................................

Continued in the RFL section

Is this Just a Game?

One of the most frequent questions I ask myself when living my Second Life is whether people look at it as a simple game or an actual extension of their real life.

The most troubling part of it is, in my opinion, sex. Of course, where the Web developed, the sexuality industry was among the pioneers to make photography, payment and meeting opportunities available for its target market. Second Life doesn't seem to escape that logic. Quickly, places such as Xcite offered male and female organs. Many places cooked up sex poses and people started to meet each other.

I can understand that this meets a lot of people's needs, but I do have questions to ask. And I probably don't have the answers for them.

• What is the obsession of men and women to have a penis or a vagina in Second Life? I mean, we do have those in RL, but why would you go to a great extent to get one? Is your SL existence lesser without them?
• Do you feel intimacy with someone when using sexual poses?

And the last but most important question is about betrayal:

• Why do so many people invite you to betray your partner so often?

I've stopped counting the number of times when I've been asked for sexual favors to hear "oh, don't worry, I won't tell your boyfriend" when I said that I had no intention to betray. I don't see such loose principles as often in real life. Do people feel that the link between you and your partner in SL is fiction because we are in a 3D environment instead of flesh and blood?

My time in Second Life shows me that we can accomplish things and go through a meeting-of-the-minds. And I believe such principles apply well to my photo gallery (accomplishment) and partnership with a guy (meeting-of-the-minds).

But is it less real or satisfying because it is in Second Life?

Your 15 minutes of fame? Be on MTV!

Not long ago our newspaper received a request from a Casting Director working for a show on MTV USA. They’re looking for people who have a second life in a virtual world. What better place to look for than in Second Life. Right? So here is the info they sent us:

MTV TRUE LIFE - I Lead Another Life on the Web

MTV True Life is casting for their next episode, "I Lead Another Life on the Web". We are looking for Second Life players who are entirely different online than they are offline. Players who become whomever they want and live out their ideal fantasy life in Second Life.


Do you DJ in Second Life but never had the opportunity to do so in real life? Are you a successful business owner in Second Life yet an average student in real life? Are you shy and single in real life but in Second Life you are the most popular sought out fashion model?

We want to know - how do you lead your life online? All candidates must must appear to be between the ages of 18-28 and reside in the US. Please email your name, age, photo, and phone number to acordova@leftright.tv.

You can also send the information in-world to Dixie Barbosa and your information will be forwarded to the casting director asap (full privacy/confidentiality guaranteed). And make sure you check out the website of the show: MTV True Life.