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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Three Online Alter Egos
This is an article I wrote back in early 2007, when I was working full time on projects that utilized the virtual world of Second Life. It was never published, and just resurfaced in my mind, so I figured I’d share. Enjoy!
Wait, who am I? From left to right: Bhikku Beeks, Rafi Gkid, Theravada Young
Sometimes when I go to work, I wear jeans and a t-shirt. Sometimes it’ll be more of a blazer and khakis kind of day. On others I might go for something more formal, like a tuxedo. Lately I’ve taken to dressing up as an elf, a sumo wrestler and a lava monster, depending on my mood. I save my Godzilla costume for special occasions, like when I facilitate a workshop. No, I haven’t been asked for my letter of resignation yet, though some of my colleagues do give me funny looks as they pass by my desk and see me talking to a mermaid. I work in the virtual world of Second Life, an immersive three dimensional online environment populated by ‘residents’ from across the globe. It is a place where the odd and surreal are the norm, and a place that is surprisingly rich with lessons about the nature of identity, if one looks at it from the right angle.
Empathetics: Integral Life 