Are You Seasonal in Second Life?

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

Recently, as is my wont, I wandered around in Second Life (SL).

I thought it was very quiet.  Not many friends were inworld and not too many others were about either.  (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s observation that folks were just avoiding me.  Who’d want to do that? Please don’t feel any need to reply.)

I wondered why.

It’s just turned summer here where I live in Real Life (RL).  There were also Fourth of

July celebrations here as well in RL.

Could it be that RL seasons affect how many of us are ever inworld at any particular time?

Let’s discuss this!

Yes, we have seasons in SL.

Some sims have the same season all the time, some mimic the RL seasonal cycle, and others are simply at the whim of their owners. 

RL seasons, on the other hand, tend to be more predictable.

Like where I live in RL, we have four pretty much distinct seasons. 

(Significant Other requests that I mention summer is not Significant Other’s favorite but the remaining three are fine.)

Some places in RL, like Singapore and Florida, have pretty much the same weather all year round.  The amount of rain they receive and storms occurring may be the most distinguishing features of their seasons. 

What does this have to do with us?

Many of us appear to have our own routines in RL based on the seasons.

RL tends to draw some of us away when we receive better weather allowing us to go

outdoors.  Warmer temperatures not to mention longer hours of sunlight. 

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that RL warmer weather probably causes many of us to stay away from SL.  (Let’s face it, SL has beautiful beaches but they don’t quite compare to the feel of sand between your toes in RL!)

The weather gets colder and the days shorter, we come back inworld.  A variation on the RL snowbird theme!

What do you think?

Do RL seasons affect when we come in or not to SL? 

Does SL population numbers fall off during better weather?

What do you do?

Drop me a line and let me know!  If I get enough replies then I’ll do a follow up story.  I’m curious where we all go! 

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!

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!