Second Life is not a game per se. It is hard to call it a "video game", rather it tends to go by virtual environment, more than anything. There is no overall goal other than what you bring to it. Most games have some form of rules that direct a player towards a goal. SL does not have this.
Still, it does have a lot of the characteristics of what many people are considering as a part of the virtual lands which people are colonizing. Along these lines, SL and video games in general share commonality.
SL and the welcoming atmosphere that the people I have had the pleasure to have met, have allowed me a certain indulgence and growth of the music I write. In this regards, it's become apparent to me, quite how powerful and growth promoting the virtual environments can be, not only for myself, but for others.
To be sure, there are those who play problematically. I have met quite a number in my professional and personal life, who developed difficulties though most often the games were only an aspect or manifestation of other issues.
In this vein, I wrote Video Game Play and Addiction. Now I will give a presentation of the topic from within the virtual environment of Second Life itself. I invite you to join me on October 18th at 12pm PST where I will also have availabe a virtual copy of the book.
The presentation is free of charge. All you need is a Second Life client and the URL to get to Book Island here.
