Monday, October 08, 2007

Coolest Degree Ever!


I've never even dared to look into Second Life. It's a "3-D online digital world imagined and created by its residents."







I tend to get sucked into things like that. Anything that requires building profiles, following links to other people's stuff, investigating every corner of a game or site. I am one of those people who's real life would come to a stand-still because my Second Life has taken over.

The other day I was reading the forums on Ravelry. Someone posted that they wouldn't be able to make it to their knitting group that night because of her class at Harvard Extension. I followed the link she provided, and was struck: http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~nesson/e4/


<--"Berkman Island"





Here's the line that really grabbed me:

After an initial segment of the course where we introduce you to your
second life, we'll examine models for virtual world law and government,
economics and business, cultural norms, art, education and activism.

I am so fascinated by this idea! Not of the game itself so much, but looking behind the game at how the created society works. And then the fact that half of the classes take place in the game--I love it!

However, I hate to join classes late, and I'm not into the option of attending the Second Life classes, as what I'm really interested in is the stuff that will happen when the course members discuss the game amongst themselves. And unfortunately, the professor is finishing up her Ph.D. and then leaving Harvard, so this class won't be offered again! :-(

4 comments:

A.B. said...

I think they teach something like this at Princeton, too. On the 'academics' page of our website, there's a link to p-ton 'second life.'

I tried to log into it once, just to see what all the fuss was about. All these peeps kept running up to me and pointing. And all of them seemed to want to laugh at me for not having any pants on, yet I could not figure out how I might put an end to the mockery by dressing myself. It was like some sort of horrible nightmare.

I decided that 1st life was hard enough, but at least I can (usually) dress myself here! I'm just not that committed to the virtual experience, I guess.

Stacey said...

Amanda!

Did you see my post on the state of my bathroom? I really need your suction-cup spy skills!!!

A.B. said...

Sorry Stacey, I can't break out the suction cups until the semester ends (January 16th).

And the bathroom had better be done by then! :)

Stacey said...

Stupid school ;-)