Reports from a Reading in the Virtual World

Last Saturday, I participated in a virtual reading in the virtual world of Second Life. It was a cafe reading, in which five different SF authors from five different continents read from their writings. I was one of the authors.

The experience was pure 90’s science fiction, not least of which because of the 3D nature of Second Life along with the fact that there are facsimiles for everything.

When I ‘entered’ the cafe, by popping in out of nowhere, I was asked by Kueperpunk Korhonen, one of the event’s supervisors, if I wanted to be teleported to a nearby warm-up concert.

Of course I wanted to teleport. Doesn’t everyone?

During the warm-up concert, the editor Michael Iwoleit, who was one of the authors, noticed I wasn’t wearing any clothes. “Looking a bit naked, aren’t you, Guy?” he said.

“Do I?” I said, not aware of what my avatar looks like or that clothing issues were a ‘thing’. “I hope I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You look quite well,” he answered.

“Ah, well. No need to change, then.”

And to my knowledge, if no one else dressed me before the reading, I read from my book completely naked. Didn’t bother me a bit. Didn’t even feel a breeze.

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Tags: reading, Second Life, virtual reading