Wk 2 — Activity — Virtual: Worlds

Socializing: Me asking how the pandemic is going for people.

Blog page: “Hello ART 110” post.

Capacity Limit: Waiting in line to get in, just like in real life due to the Pandemic.

1. Place: The major difference between physical university and “Zoom University” is the experience that the student is getting. For one, socializing with new people is completely changed and is much harder to do when meeting people online. Socializing with one another allows for people to make the university their safe place, and in many cases, their home. The learning experience for some people can be harder when they’re not physically present in class, causing them to lose focus on class lessons. There are students that might find it easier to work from home as there is a lot of stress with personal interference such as commuting to school.
2. Place: One difference between the virtual world I decided to visit and the social media platforms in real life is the sense of judgement. In my virtual world, I’m free to “dress” and do things without being judged by anyone. In contrast to social media in real life, although I’m one hundred percent myself, I know that there are many people that will judge me in whatever I do. There’s definitely a huge difference in playfulness as in the virtual world, I don’t exactly know who is behind the screen, which allows more fun and excitement to the game. A similarity when it comes to both virtual worlds and platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, is the fact they both allow for meeting new people and socializing with one another.
3. Place: A physical place such as LBSU and a virtual place is far more different than just being able to physically get a hold of things. In “Woozworld”, the virtual world I’ve chosen, there are coffee shots that allow the characters to interact with one another. Regarding the pandemic, the difference between a real life coffee shop and a virtual coffee shop is that in real life one must wait in line if the maximum capacity number is reached. You also have to wear a mask in real life and have to worry about not only your health, but safety from other dangers in the real world. The physical experience in a way makes me feel alive, and it essentially makes me feel productive. In the virtual world, the coffee shop just seems too boring.
4. Conclusions: This experience has definitely made me feel as though there are many escapes from reality. As quarantine is still happening and places seem to not open up anytime soon, it is easy for people to feel trapped inside their own homes. The new “I can’t wait to get home already” is now “I need to go out”, in a way driving us apart from the feeling of comfort being in our homes. With the many virtual worlds there are online, people can find a way to cope with the Pandemic, aside from using social media.
5. Identity: Over the years, Instagram and Facebook have completely lost their sense of purpose, or at least it has drastically changed from what it started off as. Years ago, Instagram was just a place to post fun images and socialize with friends. In today’s time, Instagram has become a place of business and competition. Everyone wants to go viral and everyone wants to make money. In a sense, this is “MMORPGs” because everyone is putting a facade to reach their goals. It’s as if you get a lot of likes, it means you’re one of the top players and you’re winning against many. Everyone is playing a game; be someone or be forgotten.
6. Identity: RL itself is definitely an MMORPG as everyone is trying to be successful. The major prize everyone is playing for is money. People are working paycheck to paycheck and many people are working in other forms of ways such as social media. People have families that they need to support, and having a good job is essential for this. Just like the virtual world, people are fighting for the best things.

Why This World? Nostalgic memories of my childhood.