At its core it is computer simulation of a 3D space. The basic unit of this space is a Region that measures 256x256 meters. Each region has ocean and land with sea level set to 20 meters and low lying land just above that. Regions can exist as independent 'islands' or be combined into estates or continents. Or subdivided into parcels for sale to individuals.

Land in these regions can be terraformed, raising it up to create mountains and pushing it down to create lakes and rivers.

In all, there are about 28,000 regions -- which is that makes this a virtual 'world'.

The simulators allow for spatial sounds; control of sky and water lighting with shadows and reflections, and avatars that have over 100 bones and joints for realistic movement, including lip movement when you talk --- all allowing for a more immersive experience. They also have physics engines that will make objects respond to a push or a ball to roll down hill.

Within Second Life you exist as an avatar which can be realistic in appearance or a fantasy character. You can move about, look and interact with things, chat with other users and, perhaps most importantly, you can create things. Everything you see is created by the users (or residents). In this sense it is sort of like Minecraft (tm), but with a really major difference. You are not building with a lot of little blocks, so what you end up with looks much more realistic. click image to enlarge

There are no game designers working for Linden Labs (LL), (the company that owns Second Life), to create a single game experience. But residents of SL can create their own games. These can be games of chance, logic/puzzle solving games, or even first person shooter games. Likewise LL does not do any world building. That is left to the residents to create whatever they want.

As a new resident you can select a default avatar look, and your 'Inventory' comes with a lot of things you can add to your avatar to change its appearance. This includes clothes, different skins, hair styles and accessories. And you can fine tune your avatar's appearance with shape editing tools for more body proportions that you knew existed.

What are those things that other residents have made that are for sale?

Th two main categories are things for building and things to enhance your avatar.

You can use the built-in tools to create your own home, or you can purchase a ready built home. Then there is furniture, lighting, art, plants, etc. Most residents today opt to spend a little money to purchase things other people have built, but the creative part of building your own stuff is one of the attractions.

Clothes and accessories for your appearance is big business in Second Life. Creating avatar clothes can be more complex that building a table, so there is a huge market for apparel and accessories.

You can browse the Second Life Marketplace here. // Those prices you see: L$ --- divide by 250 for USD

If you want to have a home there, you will need land to put it on. (This is how Linden Labs gets the money for all of those servers that are simulating the world). Once you own some land, (well you are actually renting it), you can then build your own home (or castle), or purchase one built by someone else from The Marketplace

1) Create an account at SecondLife.com

You probably want to be anonymous, so pick an username that is not associated with any of your other social media IDs. Note that you can also create a 'Display Name' (which is how other people see and know you), it can be more specific to your avatar's character. So your username/login may be happy123, but your display name (which you can easily change), might be 'Tomaz the Terrible'

2) Download the Second Life Viewer

You will see a link to do this after creating your account. The viewer is what renders the world on your computer screen. There is another viewer I recommend for later use (that is used by a majority of residents), as it has a lot more features, but start with the standard viewer.

3) Install the viewer

After the viewer installs, login for the first time. You will automatically arrive at one of the welcome islands with a lot of other newbies.

4)What to do first...

The welcome portals are usually restricted to new residents, so I can't say exactly what you will see, But first thing you should see is a sign that shows you how to move about. And then a path to follow that will guide you to other stations where you can learn more.

The first things the tutorial should explain are:

One of the realities of Second Life is that because you can just do so much, there is a steep learning curve for new residents. Linden Labs and older residents are constantly looking for ways to improve this. Perhaps this page will help in some small way.

• Moving about
• Looking at things
• Interacting with things
• About your Inventory (the things you have acquired).
• Talking with nearby people in local chat
• Sending someone an Instant Message
• How to Teleport to another region

There may be some experienced people there that can give you help in figuring things out.

All of the things you may need to initially modify your avatar's look or experience will already be included in your Inventory So as a general rule do not accept gifts from others with instructions to 'Just wear this' or 'add this' to your avatar. You can just ignore them or say 'thanks, I'll check it out later'. Such things are usually benign, but the world (real and virtual) is full of jerks that want to make mischief (they are called Grifers), --- and at this point you are not knowledgeable enough to understand which is which. (I'm probably being overly paranoid here, but I trying to avoid any unnecessary confusion).

A great location for new residents to reinforce what was presented to you at your arrival location is the Caledon Oxbridge Gateway .

Clicking this link will open a new webpage with a map of the location and a button to Teleport to it.

Click the Teleport button on that webpage and then return to Second Life viewer to see a 'Place Profile' panel. Touch the Teleport at the bottom of this panel to go to Caledon.

You will be surrounded by information panels. You can touch areas of those panels and receive notecards with more detailed information.

They also have weekly classes here. Look for a class schedule on one of the walls.

Once you've reviewed the panels (1 through 8), at the landing point follow the big red arrows on the floor to explore the other rooms.

This really is a great place to learn about SL!! and there is a lot of information here. ... more than you can take in at one time. So you will want to remember this place so you can come back to it.

A.K.A. Organizing your Inventory

Your Inventory is your SL storage area -- where you keep extra clothes (and body parts), notecards, landmarks, objects, animations, sounds , photos and more. I gave you an external link to teleport to Caledon, but you will want to have your own landmark for it so you can easily return. Some places offer you a landmark when you first arrive (a blue popup appears with buttons to accept or discard). When you accept it, it will then appear the the Landmarks folder of your Inventory. You can also create your own landmark for an interesting place. Find 'Landmark this place' under the World tab on the top bar.

Anytime you want to return to a location: Open your Inventory, open the Landmarks folder, and then double click on the location.

The same is true for notecards. Places will offer an notecard with background information or rules. If you accept them, they are stored in the Notecards folder in your Inventory. You can also create your own notecard for your notes or to offer to someone else.

Browse the Destinations Menu (on the bottom of the screen), by category to find interesting places.

Or you can at visit my little workshop.

TIP: Some locations put more effort into being an immersive experience than others. You can help with the illusion by:

• Run SL full screen.
• Use headphones or a stereo speakers you can hear sounds from sources to your left or right.
• At night, turn off room lights so you are more focused on the screen.
• Use 'Mouselook' (toggle the 'M' key and use your mouse), to see the world from your avatar's eyes.

The currency in SL is the Linden Dollar L$. Linden dollars exchange at about $L250 ~ $1.00 USD. Once you have a payment method registered (I use Paypal), an button to purchase will appear on the top menu bar.

With some L$ in your account you can purchase items on the Marketplace (or via an in-world vendor), or give a tip to a performer at a concert. Some stores have membership groups (like Sam's Club or Costco), that provide discounts and free gifts to members. Some really big stores want to have staff on hand to answer questions and will pay modest amounts for you to work there.

But you can do a lot without spending any money at all.

Message me and I'll met you in-world and help.

Method One

Click here to open my profile (back in the Viewer) and click 'Instant Message'

Method Two

To search for my Profile, open the search panel and enter my name 'Santo Hancroft'