Seasons in Second Life

Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,

We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!

Humbert Wolfe 

            That time of year has rolled around again.

            The time when leaves are turning color and falling to the ground.  Schools have

reopened. Days are growing noticeably shorter.

            People are talking of the approaching Holidays and wondering where the year has gone.

            Yes, here where I live in Real Life (RL), summer is ending and autumn is fast approaching. 

            This happens four times a year here. (I live in a place where we have real seasons not just dates on a calendar.  Significant Other cheers.)

            We cycle through extremes of weather and the daily vicissitudes of dealing with these.  There is something reassuring about this.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s remark about being reliable unlike some.)

            The regular seasonal changes in RL make me think about Second Life (SL).

            We really don’t have seasons inworld.

            Yes, some sims change for the seasons.

            Some just ignore seasonality and are perpetually in one season.

            And, some change their seasons based on the whims of their owners.  As in, “Hey,

it’s Christmas tomorrow!  Where’d we put the snow from last year?” or “Wouldn’t it be fun to have snow in our tropical island paradise in the middle of July?”

            SL doesn’t really have seasons.  But, then for that matter, we don’t have the sun, moon, or stars either unless we want them and buy or build them.  Such is the world we live in in SL. 

            Changing seasons, where they do exist inworld, are more of an afterthought than anything else.  And, in fairness, it takes a considerable effort to build and maintain seasons in SL. 

            I admit a bias.

            I love the change in seasons.  It’s been part of my entire life and I’d be lost without them.  (Significant Other claims that this is one of my more endearing features.)

            Maybe someday, there’ll be a virtual world with seasons, weather, and the constellations in the sky!  For now, I just take what I can get inworld!

            Two of my favorite sims in SL with changing weather are First UCC and 1920s Berlin.  The former has an especially nice winter transition.  (Which may be the influence of my equally biased L’il Sister!) While the latter does a nice job of reflecting changes in the

weather to approximate the seasons.  (Always check whether you should bring your umbrella before visiting.)    

            As with virtually (No pun intended!) everything in SL, it’s what we make of it.  Seasons are optional unless we want them.  Admittedly, the overhead of building and maintaining them does get in the way!

            Please contact me with your favorite season seasons inworld and where I might find it.  I’ll do an update in the future on what I learn!   

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!