I’ve never heard anyone say the words “I’ve never heard of Second Life”. This virtual world has been around since 2003, and most people have heard of it, albeit in passing.
Today we’ll take a closer look at what this online world looks like these days. Read on to discover our Second Life review!
Second Life
Developed by Linden Lab, Second Life is an online virtual world with around 1 million active users. The world is freely accessible for users aged sixteen and older.
What sets Second Life apart from other virtual worlds? It’s the fact that it’s largely a user-generated world, thus making it the creative effort of thousands of minds rather than just the staff of the developing company.
This is something that is immediately apparent upon entering this virtual world. The effect is a mash-up of styles and genres, but it’s also what makes this place so unique – there’s really nothing else quite like it on the web.
How to get started
Let’s back up a bit and get back to basics. For those who want to try Second Life, it’s important to know that the world is completely free to use without any hidden costs. You can download the game for free right here.
There is a premium membership, which can be acquired for a monthly fee of $6 to $9.5 (depending on duration), but the large majority of users have a basic membership.
All you have to do is sign up, create an avatar, and download the viewer software. There, you’re good to go!
Places to go, people to see
What makes Second Life so special is the seemingly endless parade of destinations. Destinations are best explained as in-game regions that are dedicated to a specific theme.
Just to take our pick of the litter: you could visit a recreation of Dublin, for instance, or a faithful recreation of Hogwarts. You could travel to Tatooine, or visit 1920’s Saint Petersburg. Exploration is a big part of this virtual experience, so travel around and let it all sink in.
A list of possible destinations is available on the official Second Life website, organized by themes like romance, role-playing, nature, underwater, or adults-only.
Adult content
There is a lot of adult content available in this virtual world. This phenomenon actually stands to reason: give users absolute freedom of creation in a virtual world, and they’re going to create sexual content.
Of course, it’s possible for Second Life users to have virtual sex together, with a solid range of sexual animations. You can join another player in a private setting and experiment with all the game has to offer as far as sexual content goes.
The sexual content is not limited to these private encounters: a large percentage of the destinations have mature content and cater to different sexual preferences, be it SM, furry, fantasy or swinging.
Virtual Reality
VR is not currently supported in Second Life. However, developer Linden Lab is in the final stages of creating a VR successor to Second Life, called Sansar.
Conclusion to our Second Life review: what we think
Well, that’s the end of our Second Life review! It’s hard to put this one into words: this virtual world is and always will be a pioneer of the genre, and should be regarded as such.
While the graphics might be starting to get a bit dated, Second Life is certainly worth your while. As it’s completely free, we recommend you take the time to discover it for yourself, as the array of places to discover is so vast that you cannot help but find something that speaks to you personally.
One quick footnote to end this review on: get ready for some weird. It’s a user-created world, after all!
Want to give it a try? Download the game right here for free!