The Genesis

Launched just three years ago in 2003 to take advantage of high-speed Internet connections, Second Life has already grown to the size of a virtual full-fledged city with its varied geography and cultural life. Rosedale says he wouldn’t have predicted many things about the direction users have taken the world. “I thought that when you came into Second Life, you’d see, like, ‘space port Alpha’… a wild mishmash of future visions,” he says. But despite the futuristic landscapes and cyber-punk characters, much of the Second Life’s residential property looks like a reflection of people’s earthly desires. “They want oceanfront property… and they want palm trees, up a little bit from a beach at a pier with a little power boat… And then they watch the sun set on the deck,” he says.To play, visit http://www.secondlife.com/