Thats A Wrap... My Reaction to Virtual World

What did I learn from having a virtual world experience?? I learned that playing in a virtual world and having a cybernetic identity can be very time consuming. Maintaining these “lives” and playing in a world can be disconcerting to others. I also learned that a lot of people in class do not understand or see why other people play on the Internet. People who interact on the internet through mediums other than Facebook and Myspace are not seen as very sociable people. They are seen as socially inept or insecure.

I disagree with these views, but I saw and heard a lot of people voicing these opinions. I think that virtual worlds are more like movies and books. Virtual worlds are just another path way to escapism and entertainment. Virtual worlds are a nice way to social network with people you know have some kind of common interests or else you and them would not be playing the same game or in the same world together. I do not think that people understand this aspect of virtual world living entirely. I do not understand it and I have about eleven online identities. I also do not think that people who decide to change some if not all aspects of their identities online are totally accepted. These are the people that others see as the most insecure.


Since I played Pixie Hollow as a Sparrow Man, I attempted to see if questions of my self- perception could be answered. I wasn’t very secure with my sexuality going into this assignment. I did not exactly learn a lot about myself from playing this particular game. I played as a Garden talent. Garden talent fairy quests suck. I definitely do not have a cybernetic green thumb. Playing as a Sparrow Man was not all bad. I liked seeing what it was like to be a marginalized part of Pixie Hollow. It was kind of interesting just to have a different game experience. I usually played as a girl and as a Fairy. Gender does not matter in Pixie Hollow. Male objectives are the same as female objectives. Girls can do whatever boys can do. It only matters when it comes to shopping, go figure. I discovered, rather had my thoughts about my own sexuality confirmed.


The virtual world experience of Pixie Hollow also taught me that Disney is not as gender specific as people think. Pixie Hollow and Disney Fairies really are a liberal brand of Disney. Disney, I have always seen as teaching “boys do this stuff… blah blah blah” and “girls do this stuff… blah blah blah, and boy stuff is not to over cross with the girl stuff, or girl stuff with boy stuff.” Disney Fairies and Pixie Hollow showed me “boys and girls stuff and activities can be similar if not the same.” This experience has opened my eyes about Disney’s approach to gender and class, since there are no socio economic classes in Pixie Hollow. Disney doesn’t really address sexuality for good reason. Pixie Hollow isn’t made or designed for sexually active people and Fairies and Sparrow Men are not sexually produced, non-issue. Pixie Hollow was a good world for a me as a person to play and have as my virtual world.