The Second Life machinima of Garbage Princess are fairly lovely and unique -- beautifully shot, vibey, long-form videos set in gorgeous SL sims. They're the kind of thing you want to broadcast on your TV while cooking in the kitchen, or perhaps imbibing on your favorite chill out substance. (Here's the first one in the Sim Vibe series -- and click through for the SLurl to each featured location.)
Also unique is how they incorporate music and ambient sound, elements that usually go ignored in SL machinima.
"I do it in real life too when I enter a room," she explains. "I hear every sound. To me that was music. I had a blind friend in middle school. She showed me how to hear a room. Entering a place, tingles all five senses. My brain just instantly puts music and sound to bring the rooms to life."
At first she shot videos of beautiful sims that were empty of users (her "Dead" series). "But every time I would go back the sim would be gone."
So she changed her focus to showcase these sims in perpetuity.
"I just use my random teleporter and sometimes land in some amazing spots. Everybody and everything puts off a vibe."
Speaking of perpetuity, her reason for creating and uploading these videos is also unique:
“When I beat cancer in 2024, I decided to start sharing my stuff with the world. Second Life is a one of a kind game / experience."
She had been in Second Life for years as she fought cancer, which was first diagnosed in her teens, and went into remission with treatment. But around 2022, "I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. With a few more tests we found out it was cervix and ovarian cancer. This time all hopes of children were lost, so I went and got my hysterectomy."
This also triggered her to start sharing her SL videos on YouTube.
"I could have died and everything I've ever done would have died with me. At some point in time in life we all worry about being forgotten when we're gone. "
Her last round of chemo was late last year, and the cancer since seems to be, at last, conquered.
"So knock on some wood around you that I have finally beat cancer. Don't feel bad for me though, because I came out of it a better person. I'm trying to be, anyways."
She first discovered Second Life after playing Avakin Life, and Googled herself into our favorite virtual world. The UI was intimidating at first (of course) and she quit for a few weeks, but volunteers at NCI helped get her started.
"I fell mostly in love with the fact there were people my age [in SL]. I'm a old Millennial now. A lot has changed in 5 years. Honestly, I'veI been looking for a replacement for this game, now.
"There just isn't any."
So her focus remains on her Sim Vibe series. She's also experimenting with scripting, using ChatGPT as an assistant. "I am no builder at all. I think that's what makes it great -- the fact that I can't, but technology today allows me to try. "
Garbage Princess does evince some pride about the uniqueness of her videos:
"I think Second Life YouTube content gets stereotyped into trolling videos and music videos. WAY too many misleading clickbait tutorials. I never compare myself to anyone, but there is some amazing content for Second Life that just goes unnoticed.”
Now thanks to her videos, some of that will be a bit more noticed -- as will she.
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