How Torin Came to SL (Late 05)

From ROMA Scribae

(Late 2005)

[[ This is the first part of a submission for Archaeolog archaeology blog (archaeology.org), but was too long so was much much cut down for the first part of an interview Torin did there. The uncut version here gives a good creator’s history of ROMA. ]]

Why did you go to Second Life?

"I came from primarily a gaming background. I became frustrated though with two major aspects. The first was the lack of 'user created' content. I was always excited to 'get my own house' in a game like Dark Age of Camelot or Asheron's Call, but there was always only a limited amount of customization available. The second aspect that frustrated me was the atmosphere in many of the gaming communities. Gaming communities often tolerate or look the other way on issues of sexism and racism and homophobia, and as someone already in my mid 30s I wasn't interested in being around a bunch of 13 year old boys any longer (or adults acting like 13 year old boys). It was actually a homophobic screed against Second Life on a gaming board that first brought Second Life to my attention. After investigating it, I thought it looked like a more mature virtual world. I thought the lack of a 'game' aspect (as well as the real world economic ties) might attract more mature 'players'. So I downloaded the client, got a free account, and spent the next week trying to figure out what Second Life was all about."

"I was still in gamer/fantasy mode, however. I think the first group I joined was an elven fantasy one. My first avatar was a fantasy one- a little satyr. But I soon hit upon what for me was the main draw- the ability to create and build. Within a few days I had my first little 512 sq m plot and was building. My interest began to shift from the more traditional fantasy focus to what for me was even more interesting- ancient Roman culture. I built myself a house (what I assumed was what everyone did when they got a plot in SL) based on the ancient Roman atrium style house. It did not take long for me to get hooked on the unlimited creative potential. I began to teach myself how to build and work with scripts within this new world."

"SL soon became a creative outlet as well as an educational one. As an educator, I saw such great potential to teach people about Roman culture and architecture (my specialty) as well as a way to satisfy what I was missing from my traditional recreational gaming experience. All I needed to find was an audience."

What are you after?

"Initially I was not after a social component, although I knew that was a major draw (perhaps the main draw) for other people to SL. I was there to build. Partly I was soured on the social component by my experiences with other gaming communities. I also have a great real-life social life so I was not initially seeking to find something I was lacking. Also, building in SL, like writing, is a solitary pursuit, so socializing means lost building time. After almost two years in SL, I've made some really good friendships and acquaintanceships, allowing me to socialize when I want to socialize, and build when I want to build."

"After a month or so, knowing I was hooked on the creative aspect of SL, I bought a much larger plot elsewhere on the Mainland, which eventually grew into 1/4 of a sim. I began to create some items to sell and turned my old house into a store. They were mostly reproductions of ancient Roman art, furniture, armor, and vehicles. At that point there was no one else in SL focusing on ancient Roman themed items, so I basically had a niche market (especially since many of the items could be tweaked to fit into a fantasy setting as well). It was not a huge money maker, but it helped offset some of the cash I spent buying up a larger Mainland plot, which eventually turned out to be a couple hundred real dollars. I had passed that month leading up to the purchase justifying it to myself and my budget, and planning what I wanted to build on the larger plot. I wanted to make a Roman themed land. I wanted to recreate some Roman themed buildings, have attractions like a Roman bath building and a Roman tavern, and open it to interested people. Hopefully they would both learn about Roman culture and be entertained. Since SL attracted more mature 'gamers', and since there was already a history of 'themed' lands on the grid, I thought I could build something that would draw a community and provide feedback. This Mainland plot pushed me a bit further away from 'casual gaming' toward a real investment of money, time, and effort."

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