VIRTUAL LIVES

Extract is an article drawn from Newsweek, an American weekly news magazine. It was written by Jessica Bennett & Malcolm Beith and published in July the 30th 2007. It deals with Second Life (SL) is a virtual world accessible on the Internet by thousands of people. In this text, we take the example of Rhonda Lillie and Paul Hawkins, a person with disability who plays this game.
The main line of our analysis will be to show that humans are outworn by virtual life
Firstly, we will see that this world constitutes a second life
Secondly, we will focus on that this can have some repercussions on her social life.

I/ At the beginning of the text, the authors define Second Life (l.4-5). This game allows to people to communicate from a distance through an avatar and it’s a serious matter.(l.5)
Moreover, there is two characters who use this software in order to talk: Rhonda Lillie lives in California and Paul Hawkins resides in Wales. These two persons meet in Second life and know for 2 years but they never meet one to one. (l.7-10)
In this way, we have no constraints. We’re more confident and tell whatever we want in front of their computer.
That’s why, it becomes easier to express what we feel, what we thinks because there are not the drawbacks of the real life like stress or shyness. (l.12-17). They identify themselves through their avatars who represents their second life. (l.17-20)
When the game has been conceived, one couldn’t know that it gets an immediate success with people. (l.24-25) and progressively becomes important in their life. (l.26-27)
Besides, according to Gartner Research, a significant numbers will play this game, more precisely 1.6 billion out of a total 2 billion as shown line 30-31.

Secondly, this game presents some advantages as we can see line 32-33. More than half of people spend more than 18 hours a week playing, to stimulate a virtual economy. They live in this world, consume, enjoy their life, things they