When I first heard of second life I was excited by the prospect of creating a virtual character, exploring online worlds, meeting some people along the way, and doing some interesting things which aren't possible in real life. The reality of virtual reality in this instance is that it's dull, and for me, meaningless. The first major draw back to second life is the visuals. I understand that it's a huge world being streamed to your computer so there's restrictions. This doesn't get away from the fact that it's incredibly boring to look at, to the point where it lacked character, and it felt soulless. There might be people walking around, and the odd few might strike up a conversation with you, but it's never going to match real life socialising. I visited clubs, shops and shows but none of them would ever be a substitute to the real thing. As I've mentioned before, second life became a glorified chat room to me, mainly inhabited by people with nothing better to do with their time.

Another disappointment for me is the way everything is centered around money. I was hoping that in my virtual world I'd be able to do what I want without having to pay for it. It's an achievement that such a society has been created, many of whom generate their own content to make the world even more interesting. It's just a shame that I can't make my avatar look how I want it to without having to pay for it.

I've never enjoyed a role playing game, and my time with second life has only bolstered this. Second life isn't even a game, it's an escape for millions of people, people who want to be someone else if only for a couple of hours a day. I however don't want to escape and I'm more than content with my real life and facebook. It was a fleeting experience, one which you couldn't pay me to go through again.