[MD] RPG's, AI's, Gaming and "Virtuality"

[Arlo Bensinger]

Hi Mike,

Our professor is using it in a class of future language instructors 
and applied linguists to give them experience with the tool in seeing 
first hand how identity construction, computer-mediated textual 
dialogue, virtuality and cultures-of-use can be used to leverage 
language acquisition. There are ramifications also with both distance 
education and the erosion of classroom "boundaries" (symbolically and 
temporally).

I have seen land and money "for sale" in the "real" world. Even 
exchange rates have come out of this. Fascinating.

Arlo

At 11:43 AM 1/23/2007, you wrote:
>Arlo,
>
>Hadn't heard of Second Life before. It's interesting to see MMORPGs
>going mainstream. It's getting column inches in stodgy conservative
>newspapers here in England. A friend of a friend is doing an
>anthropology field study relating to MMORPG behaviour. And now there's
>Second Life, using the MMORPG format and sanitising it of the elves
>and dragons (and maybe, the excitement) of World of Warcraft etc. The
>possibilities are astounding, and in some cases a little worrying,
>especially seeing how there seems to be no insulation between the
>fantasy economy and the real (or better-established fastasy) economy.
>Money-laundering, anyone? Those virtual islands look like a nice
>investment...
>
>Anyway, I was wondering how this professor is using Second Life with
>his course. Will the students gather in a virtual lecture theatre?
>
>Mike