Originally published May 21 and June 4th of 2003 here and here.
Part I - bUTTONpUSHER Jones
At this date, Second Life has existed in some form for more than ten months. (Which must be decades, by the game's internal clock.) Many thousands have since joined the world; whole neighborhoods and cities have since been built; much more of both are coming soon. But what was it like in the first few weeks, when Linden Lab launched the game in its very nascent, "Alpha" stage, when it was still known as LindenWorld? To get some handle on that, while also trying to get a sense of how far Second Life has come, since then, this ongoing oral history will let the people who were there back then tell us about it, in their own words.
bUTTONpUSHER Jones, 32, describes himself as a player of first-person shooters like Quake III and Unreal Tournament 2003, while also being "a recovering Diablo II" addict. His story below.
WHAT BROUGHT HIM TO HERE
I had been searching for the Metaverse since I read Snow Crash about 3 years ago. I found Second Life mentioned in a GameSpy.com forum that was discussing the inadequacies of MMORPGs shown at 2002's E3. When I checked the link, I immediately knew I had found my Metaverse.
That was in August, 2002, and after a few excited e-mails to Linden Lab, I was allowed into LindenWorld in early September. LindenWorld was the pre-Second Life world, basically SL without water.
WHO WAS THERE, WHEN HE ARRIVED
I heard that about 50 users had logged into the game before I arrived, but there were only about 5 regulars that I would see each week. If 6 people were in-world at the same time it was a PAR-TAY! A couple months later we moved from LindenWorld to Second Life, and there were peaks of 20 people on at the same time. They mostly hung out in the same area -- around the "newbie corral".
WHAT THE "CULTURE" WAS, WHEN IT BEGAN
In the early months the culture was definitely create-centric. At least I was. I love creating, and socializing is secondary for me. My most memorable event was one weekend (while the Lindens were away), BuhBuhCuh and I decided to build a bunch of Neo-Tokyo structures overshadowing the little downtown city the Lindens had built. Money went a lot farther in those days, and over the course of 2 days we made about 4 or 5 enormous towers with interconnecting walkways. Okay, so that wasn't really an event... The idea of "events" is something that appears to be proactively created by Linden starting in (looking at the event calendar) January '03. I can take or leave events, but I know many people love them, and it's another aspect in which SL shines -- communication.
WHO WERE AMONG THE MOST VALUED MEMBERS, BACK THEN
Nobisan Wu made an amazing house in LindenWorld -- looked like a cover shot for Architectural Digest. I have yet to see its equal. SpaceDave Didgeridoo made a texture farm with about 100 textures free for the taking. I wore one of those textures as my shirt for months. Alpha Omega started LindenWorld the same day I did. He and I made trouble.
WHO ARE STILL AMONG THE MOST VALUED MEMBERS, EVEN NOW
Steller Sunshine embodies the spirit of Second Life. Endlessly cheerful, creative, and helpful. Flyk Escher is up to her eyeballs in style. She is a master of organic shapes and playful outfits. BuhBuhCuh Fairchild is a soft-spoken pioneer. He is a fountain of good ideas.
WHAT KEEPS HIM HERE
The reason I am still in Second Life is because I find it fun, and it's a fantastic creative outlet. My to-do list has grown from about 5 items before I entered SL to around 50 items now. As I learn more about the scripting language and am inspired by other people's creations, the potential keeps expanding. I haven't hit Second Life's "ceiling" yet, and I don't think I'm close.
(Thanks to bUTTONpUSHER Jones, for his comments.)
THE EARLY CREATORS -- AN ORAL HISTORY, PART II
WHAT BROUGHT THEM HERE
Flyk Escher:
A New York Times article about LindenWorld (when I should have been reading the job postings.)
Skeedalee Skidoo:
I was browsing the Internet looking for new multiplayer games, and found information on Second Life. It looked a lot like The Sims, which my kids were playing at the time, so I signed up for it, so they could try it.
They never got a chance to play. I took it over as soon as I logged in because this is my type of game.
WHO WAS HERE, WHEN THEY ARRIVED
Skeedalee Skidoo:
The first person I met was Derek Jones, who I'm convinced is the most insane person I've ever met. He was standing in a field launching rockets, so I hung around for a few days and learned how to do it. We became friends and did a lot of things together since.
WHAT THE "CULTURE" WAS LIKE, WHEN IT BEGAN
Skeedalee Skidoo:
Maybe it was just me but I didn't see much of a culture at first. People were all busy on their projects and there wasn't a whole lot of community gathering. That soon changed however as Linden Lab started supporting events and working to bring people together more. I think the game now is much more fun than at first, except for the few troublemakers I've met lately.
Charlie Omega:
[W]hat I do remember was the social climate was much calmer than it is now. People weren't out to cause trouble as much. It was extremely friendly. I was more willing and able to go and meet people and build…
Also, as I grew with SL, it felt like more then just a game. It was a community; after about two weeks I learned enough to get close to many. It felt like a tight-knit community, friendly, caring, calm… But since about early February it seems to have changed a bit. But change is always a factor in everything. Especially with more and more people added. But Second Life can't survive on just a few.
WHAT KEEPS THEM HERE
Charlie Omega:
Second Life is still by far the most interesting thing I have done on my computer...I believe I have obtained a skill I otherwise would have overlooked. I am not a programmer in real life. I always thought I wouldn't have the patience for it. I know LSL [Linden Scripting Language] is a light version of programming, but it has definitely piqued my interests [in learning more about it.]
Also, some of the people in here I have met are very nice, and I would feel a loss if I lost contact with them. Not to mention I met my now-girlfriend and possibly future wife here in SL (who just happens to be my Second Life wife). [See Notes' April 29th entry.]
Flyk Escher:
Inspiration when it grabs me. Sadly, lack of time in real life has cut into SL over the l ast few months.
Skeedalee Skidoo:
I have spent a long time as an artist and building [in Second Life] is like sculpturing but a lot cheaper… and I've got to say that the [Linden online] liaisons are among the nicest and most helpful administrators I've met in any online game; a big thumbs up to them.
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