Second Life

Second Life has been a neet experience. It really is a virtual world where people can interact with others. Glassner says an author's desires are satisfied within the character. The characters he created are interacting in a way that is true to their personalitie, and the necessary confrontation will occur, with the necessary result.

The avatar that I interviewed in Second Life wanted her look to fit her personality. Her name is Raven Quine and she is a Mainland Renter. She chose her avatar's height according to her height in real life, 6'1. Raven chose her appearance to be pretty much realistic. She wanted pale skin to match hers. She did not want to be skinny like a "stripper body." She actually chose her facial features randomly. Her avatar style is mainly her style just spiffed up and more feminine.

I sked her about my appearance and what I could to change my look. She told me "to reduce the buggin of my eyes because its petruding my skin." I did not take this as an insult at all. As soon as she told me this, I actually reduced the size of my eyes. I really love this about Second Life. I can change my appearance not only from the clothes that I am wearing, but to the size and shape of my body and to specific facial features.

Second Life's environment is realistic to our world. There are parks, buildings, bars, etc. I can also share a conversation with others that I come across. I actually found out that the people are actually friendly and don't mind helping you out. There is probably so much more you can do playing Second Life, and I am looking forward to finding that out.

Digital Story

My story takes place in Vancouver, Canada, over the Christmas holidays. Glassner has said the ways in which someone can be interactive in a story. I was able to be interactive in my digital story because I was the one creating it. Stories have characters, plots, and conflicts. I chose the sequence of events for my story to flow well together. The setting is clearly around Christmas, not only does it say Christmas, but the characters are standing in front of a Christmas tree. The characters in the story are of my dad, brother, sister, and myself. I got my idea from the example of making a digital postcard from a trip that I have recently taken.

My story is all about my family having fun in a beautiful city that I have never been before. The events that are taking place in my story are from the Marriott, Chinese Garden, Granville Island, Seabus Ferry, Giggledam Dinner Theater, and Grouse Mountain. This story shows how beautiful Vancouver is by just seeing the boats from the bridge looking down onto Granville Island. The views from the Mountain overlooking the City are similar as to looking at a postcard. The trip was a once in a lifetime experience.

Glassner in Interactive Storytelling says characters have traits that leave a lasting impression on us. In my digital story, my family and I show that we are brave by skiing on a huge mountain for the first time, well except my dad. This is probably the climax of my story because it is at the end and it shows our personalities. By creating my own digital story it allowed me to be the author and tell a story to someone else. This was a good experience for putting a story together digitally and to get familiar with iMovie. By creating this I got better at using transitions as well. I learned that you can not just put any transition where you like because it can affect the tone of a story, even thought they are fun to use.