This past weekend, I spent one hour living vicariously through Hank Hoover in SmallWorlds. Hank and I are still getting used to SmallWorlds but have acquired a couple of friends and some money which makes us feel a little more at home. Hank spent some time approaching other SmallWorld entities to see how they would respond to his distinct identity.
Since I have not yet posted a picture of Hank, here are a few observable traits that might help you create a mental picture of my virtual character. Hank is a middle-aged, white man who has a keen eye for fashion. Hank spent some time shopping in the SmallWorlds clothing store where he purchased a pair of semi-fitted jeans, a green t-shirt, and a new pair of grey sneaks. Hank's style is simple yet trendy. Hank has blue eyes and grey hair which he wears in a style he likes to call "the flip." He has a set of dimples and subtle wrinkles on his forehead appropriate to his age. As far as I've figured out, height and weight are not differentiated in this virtual world.
In my experience, Hank's identity did not seem to initiate experiences out of the ordinary. Hank approached several diverse virtual characters. He sat on a bench with a black female named Andi and had a brief conversation. The conversation was helpful as she explained some of the acronyms that SmallWorld characters use (i.e. IRL= in real life). The conversation was not flirty nor did race seem to be a barrier of any kind. Andi appeared to be somewhere in her mid-20s, a good 20 years younger than Hank, but the age gap did not seem to scare her away either. At most, the conversation was cordial and enlightening.
Hank did not have much interaction of substance with any other virtual people. Everyone was friendly but it seemed like they did not want to deal with the ignorance of a newbie. I guess in this sense, Hank was discriminated against because he was new to the virtual world and it seemed like people could instantly tell that he was a fresh face. This may be one aspect of Hank's identity that will be the hardest to overcome. It has been difficult for Hank to enhance his clout in SmallWorlds because, thus far, he has been stereotyped as a naive newbie and as a result not many people wanted to befriend him. So far, others in the virtual world have not completely accepted Hank's identity as a new member of SmallWorlds. This got me thinking about similar instances in real life and I've discovered that newcomers are often rejected in the beginning. For instance, in my high school the freshman class was always picked on. At general assemblies, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors would all chant, "Go home freshman, go home!" It was kind of like a school tradition. This also happens with some immigrants who come to America. In the beginning, their language and culture may not be accepted by the people of this country and it is not until they have made an attempt to assimilate that they become accepted. I think this is precisely what is happening in my virtual world. Until Hank becomes accustomed to the SmallWorlds lingo and behaviors, he will continue to be rejected by more experienced virtual personalities.
With that said, I wonder if anyone else in the class was stereotyped or poked fun at for being a new member to the virtual world? If so, did it hinder your ability to gain clout in your respective virtual world? Has anyone been able to shake this immature aspect of their virtual world personality and identity?
It is good to know that not everyone was made fun of being new in the virtual world. My character for one was not so lucky. I was poked fun at by women in my virtual world. My avatar, Gwenyth, looks like a supermodel and I don’t think the girls in my virtual world like that very much. I know for a fact I look better than they do, however I am not trying to be mean, but that is why they don’t treat me well. I also didn’t know the lingo so I didn’t talk like these girls did. I tried to join in on the conversation, but it didn’t seem to help the ridicule I received. However, the guys in this virtual world, second life, treated me very well even though I didn’t know the language. I think it was because of the way I looked they still talked to me and treated me well. Having the girls of second life treat me bad because I didn’t talk like them didn’t hinder my ability to gain clout because of the ways the guys treated me. I have come to the conclusion that I am never going to learn the language so I have stopped trying. I figure that the personality of my character, Gwenyth, is bitchy and therefore I should talk the way I want to in the virtual world.
ReplyDeleteHey Randi! It seems like you are having quite the interesting experience on SmallWorlds. I am jealous of all the ( well not much, but more than me ) interaction you are having with other avatars. I feel like these websites almost need a tutorial on all of the lingo, I hate walking around as a "noob" and not knowing the lingo doesn't help my cause. I agree with what you posted on my blog about how most of the people on these virtual worlds are there for an escape from their real world because there is something negative in their own life. It makes me wonder if they are taking out their aggressions on what they experience in real life on others in their virtual world? I remember those experience in high school when being new sometimes hurt a lot just because you are trying to make new friends and no one wants to be friends with you, or you are trying to get accustomed to a new situation but people that have been around longer are making it impossible. It would be interesting to find an actual table that looks at the users age on SmallWorlds and see if what they are experiencing in real life could potentially coexist to what is happening on this virtual world. If most of SmallWorlds users are young highschoolers, maybe this all relates?
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm a little jealous that you've actually made friends in SmallWorlds. I've talked to some users but I haven't really made any "friends" so to speak. From what I have noticed, there aren't many older avatars in the rooms I have ventured to, so you definitely seem to be in the minority! But I don't find it uncommon that people don't regard his age as much of an obstacle in talking to him because most people probably know that you can make your avatar anything you like and it doesn't necessarily reflect the looks or personality of the person controlling it. My avatar is a 20-somethings woman who is a teacher and also part of a polygamous marriage. I have tried to stir up discussion and see how people will react to her situation and lifestyle, but people either don't care or just don't want to talk about it because these attempts have received little to no response. I've definitely been given the identity of a "noob" against my will. Some people were pretty harsh and I've had a lot of spells put on me where I'm basically frozen and can't move. The first time it happened, I had left my computer open on SmallWorlds and walked away and when I came back there was someone repeatedly putting spells on me. I had to ask someone for help on how to get out of it! I've noticed that some people will help out the beginners (maybe they remember what it was like when they first started playing) and some people just ignore you or poke fun at you for being new. Identity on SmallWorlds doesn't seem to be a real issue to me so far or that I can really see in any other interactions between other users. The only time it's been a problem is when an argument was already started and one avatar brought up the other user's race. Other than that, it's basically hit or miss on whether someone will talk to me or not but I don't think it has much to do with my identity.
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