Creativity and New Media

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New media can bring out the creativity in almost anybody. If somebody like me can become inspired and enlightened by new media, anybody can. An example of using new media to foster creativity is Second Life. Second Life is a simulation game that can be played for free. It allows the player to create an avatar that is similar to the player or completely different from the player. A person can essentially have a "second life". They can get jobs, explore, communicate with other players, and much more. I downloaded and played for the first time and my experience was very positive. My Second Life character was a DJ with a wife and three kids. I lived in a house and even had a dog. It allowed me to simulate a different life with the ability to fly without any real repercussions. I can understand how simulation games like Second Life can foster imagination and creativity in young kids because of how vast the world is. Kids see the world much bigger than adults. They would have a much more entertaining experience because they lack real world experiences so to them, this is a real world experience. My experience of Second Life was entertaining for a short period of time because after achieving a whole life, there is not much I was able to do. My character would go to work, enjoy the world, and then go home and repeat. It became a literal simulation of the real world. Another popular simulation game I loved playing was The Sims. Much like second life, players can create their own world and explore the environment. My experience with The Sims was pretty similar to that of Second Life except I built my own house. Unfortunately I have no snapshot of The Sims because I deleted it for storage, but I do have a snapshot of my Second Life avatar when he was born.
Second Life allows people to do anything they want to do with no consequences. This is a great way to relieve stress from the real world and escape into the virtual world where they can truly be who they want to. However, while it is a fun escape, it should be taken with a grain of salt because excessive use of Second Life can cause a person to lose their sense of reality. Players should not replace their real life with Second Life. Instead, players should just enjoy the game for what it is, a Second Life.

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