Second Life mimics real life. After all, SL residents are real people behind their keyboards and they bring along their personal baggage as they travel the virtual world.
Protesters on the Egypt sim in Second Life
Take, for instance, the ancient land of Egypt in the real world, which has been in turmoil for the last week with tens of thousands in Cairo and other cities marching in street demonstrations, rallies, acts of civil disobedience, riots, and violent clashes that began on National Police Day, January 25, 2011.
Passionate speech is heard in the Egypt region
Bringing together media and society, the protesters and their supporters have been demanding on TV and YouTube, in newspapers and on posters, on Facebook and Twitter, an end to police brutality, state of emergency laws, corruption, high unemployment, food price inflation and low wages. They want free elections and free speech.
Demonstrators mill around on the Egypt sim in Second Life
With 22 SL million residents — only 40 percent from the U.S. and 60 percent from elsewhere — it’s not hard to imagine the Arab world demonstrations spilling into Second Life.
A resident with multiple points of view
An Egyptian named ammtory Aedipo, living in the United Arab Emirates, owns an SL region named Egypt.
The region depicts the ancient land of Egypt
For the past week, Egypt in Second Life has been crowded with protesters from around the world, displaying protest signs, waving flags, and talking endlessly about the uprising in real-life Egypt.
Flags, posters and protest signs
Shutting off the Internet in Egypt in RL hasn’t stopped interested picketers around the world from teleporting into Egypt in SL.
A call for free elections and free speech
What do they talk about? The latest news from Egypt, how to circumvent the Internet shutdown, how people they have heard about in RL have been mistreated, and how good President Mubarak has been for the country over 30 years.
Second Life media-on-a-prim intermingles real life images
Turn up the volume and you can hear popular Arab music on the audio stream and rants from both sides in voice chat.
The real world viewed from within Second Life
As you stand on the Egypt region of SL, with avatars walking around, dancing, waving flags, thrusting posters and cheering the news, you see in the mind’s eye how closely it must be simulating the verbal strife in RL Egypt. You can feel not only their heartache but also their elation.
Pro-democracy anti-Mubarak posters at Terra Egypta
UPDATE (February 5, 2011): The demonstrations in the virtual world are spreading. While Second Life’s Egypt region displays pro-Mubarak signs, a larger four-region commemoration of ancient Egypt called Terra Egypta is displaying pro-democracy anti-Murbarak posters.
An ancient Egyptian mural simulated at Terra Egypta
Here are some key travel and information links:
The acronym SLURL is short for “Second Life URL,” a Web address. SLURLs are direct links from the Web to locations inside Second Life. When logged into a Second Life account with an SL viewer open, clicking one of these SLURLs takes you directly to the named location.
New World Notes (February 4, 2011): Ancient Egypt Sim in Second Life Welcomes Anti-Mubarak Protestors (As Pro-Mubarak Banners Festoon SL’s Egypt)
New World Notes (February 2, 2011): Anti-Mubarak Speech Banned From Second Life Egypt UPDATE: Now PRO-Mubarak Signs Also Appear in SL Egypt
New World Notes (January 30, 2011): Egyptians Worldwide Gather in Second Life to Share Resources, Information, Support for Uprising
Betterverse (February 2, 2011: Owner of Egypt Sim in Second Life Bans Avatars for “abusing” Mubarak
CNN iReport (February 1, 2011): Support For The People At Egypt Sim
Download PDF: How to get started in Second Life
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- Protesters on the Egypt sim in Second Life
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- Passionate speech is heard in the Egypt region
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- Demonstrators mill around on the Egypt sim in Second Life
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- On the circular walkway
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- A resident with multiple points of view
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- Cartoons on posters
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- In front of the anicent ruins
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- Flags, posters and protest signs
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- More people speaking their minds
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- A call for free elections and free speech
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- Residents being interviewed
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- Signs and flags
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- Displaying the flag
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- Second Life media-on-a-prim intermingles with real life images
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- The real world viewed from within Second Life
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- The region depicts the ancient land of Egypt
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- Pro-democracy anti-Mubarak posters at Terra Egypta
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- “Cleopatra” is part of the pro-democracy demonstration at Terra Egypta
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- An ancient Egyptian mural simulated at Terra Egypta
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- “Cleopatra” is carried in her litter at Terra Egypta
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- One re-creation of many on the four-region sim Terra Egypta
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- The protest is at the main gate of Terra Egypta
Second Edition 