Cystic Fibrosis | Newsletter | CysticFibrosis.com

Step into Second Life

We all have days where the reality of life with cystic fibrosis weighs us down and we long for some sort of escape. The world of Second Life (SL), created by Linden Labs, offers a virtual reality—a chance to momentarily escape into endless possibilities.

Second Life is not a game. It’s a virtual reality. Your experience “in world” is whatever you make it. The Boomer Esaison Foundation has created a special place called Boomer Island.

What's the benefit of joining SL? It's a chance to express yourself and your creativity. It's an opportunity to leave behind the feeling that you are just another CFer or caregiver. Your virtual self (aka your avatar or AV) can laugh, dance, fly, surf, and much, much more.

What Second Life Isn’t

Unlike other MMORPG (mega multi-player online role-playing games) Second Life isn’t a gaming platform or other team driven battle/conquest venue. Participation in Second Life is on an individual basis.

Second Life isn’t for teens. It’s a mature venue designed for the 18+ crowd. However, there is a teen version of it.

What Second Life Is

Boomer Island and the CF University are designed to be educational resources for the cystic fibrosis community at large. The goal is to eventually host guest speakers such as industry professionals, pharma reps, and other people of influence to interact with the CF community.

Second Life is a gathering place for friends. Several members of CysticFibrosis.com have already joined and are having fun participating in group activities. So far we have had virtual dance parties hosted by a live DJ, a scavenger hunt complete with prizes, and an amazing airborne adventure that included skydiving.

Second Life is for people who have a willingness to use their imaginations. You can create your in world avatar or character to be just about any size, shape or species that you want. Some people like to make their virtual selves to look as much like their real life of “First Life” selves as possible. Others fully embrace the limitless possibilities and take on a new persona on a daily basis. Having an avatar of your own and looking at someone else’s make chatting that much more realistic.

What People Are Saying About Their Experience in SL

Instead of just watching names on a Buddy list pop up and reading lines of text as they fly from your fingertips, you'll be seeing someone else's avatar as they type, which makes you feel like you're having a more interactive conversation. The closeness (if one can feel truly close to another person's avatar online) of the experience is somewhere between an actual sit -down conversation and a phone call. While you may not be actually out in the real world sharing a cup of coffee and breathing in the fresh air, at least you're not just glued to a computer screen waiting for that little chime to tell you that your buddy has typed text. Better still, there's no aggravating "3 foot rule" to maintain because of cross infection. As strange as it seems, just the image on the screen of my avatar standing virtual-toe-to-virtual-toe with someone and not having a mask or gown between us is something of a thrill.

-LightNlife (SL name Lolkje Osterham)

I have enjoyed Second Life because it gives me a new venue for my artwork. I can put it up in virtual galleries, and have talked with artists there from all over world.

Also, I really like the fact that most of the content in Second Life is user-created. I have been slowly getting into building things: I made a stuffed bunny, a red-eyed tree frog that croaks, an animated version of one of my art pieces, a space helmet with blinking lights and glowing antennae, and have started assisting with one of the CF buildings; I put in some arched windows in the Bar area.

While building is not for everyone, there are many aspects to Second Life that are not evident at first glance. When I first signed on, I was wondering what the big deal was. I flew around the deserted CF island for awhile and got bored. It's only when I poked around a bit more and found some very helpful people that I discovered the potential it had. The more people that populate the CF island, the more dynamic it will be.

--Audex (SL name Scottius Polke)

What we're doing is just "getting started". Then we'll run events...only limited to our imaginations. (concerts, plays, education days to name a few)

--Imogene (SL name Imogene Arctor)