Second Life Interview: Beeble Baxter

An Interview with Beeble Baxter

I am standing by my "mountain chalet," a one-room free building that I found in a store on Orientation Island before leaving for the Mainland. Dwellings are the cheap part of land-ownership in Second Life. One must be a dues-paying member to own the lot, and that is the main way Linden Labs makes money from its vast experiment.

Since UR owns an island, it can grant lots to professors teaching with SL, which is what they have done for me. I've landscaped the property with small plants and trees found in other free-stuff areas of SL. It seems the ideal place to interview Beeble Baxter, who in real life is a fellow environmentalist, Neo-Luddite, and backpacker. He's the "outdoorsy" type who, because of his academic interests, found himself immersed in this virtual world. He teaches at Richmond and is a PhD student in VCU's MATX (Media, Art, and Text) program.

Ignatius: Okay, shall we walk to my bench for the interview?

Beeble: Yes, I'll try to follow.

System Message: [Bench tells us] No room to sit here, try another spot.

Ignatius: Ah, sunset.

Ignatius: In a billion living pixels. So, have a seat and tell me about how you discovered SL. . .am I to blame?

[The sky beyond the beach in front of my chalet is going orange. This happens daily as the in-world sun in SL mimics a 24-hour cycle. A player who wants it forever noon, twilight, or night may, however, "force sun" to a particular setting.]

Beeble: How do I sit again?

Ignatius: Oh, no. Beeble fell into the ocean, folks.

Beeble: I don't seem to have full control...

Ignatius: I just saw it myself. "Furry fellow jumps into water."

Ignatius: Try flying out.

[Slapstick follows as Ignatius walks over, falls off the beach and into deep water, then clambers back onto shore.]

Ignatius: Okay. That was fun.

Beeble: I'd better sit here.

Ignatius: I think one impediment to this whole SL thing is how unnatural movement is! In RL we just move.

Beeble: Right, I don't have to think about moving in RL. I'm getting used to it slowly. You seem to be quite deft.

Ignatius: So, how did you learn bout SL?

Beeble: Hmm. I think I read about it and then it was mentioned in my MATX class, so I decided to check it out.

Ignatius: What keeps you coming back online? I know you like RL as much as I do.

[Beeble sits in Iggy's lap.]

Beeble: oops sorry.

Ignatius: Ain't we cozy. . .

[Beeble hastily stands and sits elsewhere]

Ignatius: that's better :)

Beeble: Damn. Sorry to have my back to you. I'm almost done sitting down!

Ignatius: Take your time. Again, SL does not seem to encourage things that come naturally to us, but. . . It enables things we don't ever do, like fly.

Beeble: Did that work?

Ignatius: You're doing fine. Have a seat.

Beeble: Whew! I'm tired!

Ignatius: Whew! me too.

Ignatius: Do you ever get "grief" as a relative newbie?

Beeble: No, not for being a newbie, but I did get teased for being a 'furry.'

Ignatius: Other than by me, I'm guessing. Why?

Beeble: I ran into a guy named Tonny who was a designer of SL and he said something about my students not taking me seriously in this guise.

Ignatius: One of my students chose a furry av. Do your students think it odd?

Ignatius: And are you sure Tonny was a "Linden"? How'd you meet?

Beeble: I haven't introduced Beeble to my students yet, but I'm sure they'll laugh. Actually one student told me that the 'furry' existed before SL.

Ignatius: Yeah. I get it from students, too. And even SL folks who see "Neo-Luddite" in my profile. One of them said "Hayduke." I was so new I did not know how to type "where?"

[George Hayduke is a radical environmentalist character from Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang.]

Beeble: I met Tonny by chance and his name had "Designer" instead of "Member" but I confirmed his identity by looking at his profile. I guess I need to edit mine.

Ignatius: Some profiles are wild.

[By now the virtual sunset has faded into darkness.]

Beeble: Why is it so dark?

Ignatius: By default, the game sets time to certain hours.

Ignatius: You can "force sun" to noon, if you wish under the "World" menu.

Beeble: OK, but is it considered rude to force the sun?

Ignatius: Depends on what you force it to do :)

Ignatius: I think--but am not sure--that it's a personal pref. I just changed it. Are you seeing it?

Beeble: Seeing what?

Ignatius: I just forced the sun to "sunset" from "midnight."

Beeble: Oh, I see. (or not) How did you build your house?

Ignatius: I didn't build it. I got it at a "Free Stuff" store on Orientation Island before I left for here.

Beeble: Oh - and now that I'm here I can't go back there eh?

Ignatius: Ignatius: No, but there are other free stuff places. I can give you a copy [of the house].

Beeble: A copy? I like the chalet, but I had in mind more of a shotgun shack.

Ignatius: Do you think SL or something like it will get better? If so, how so?

Ignatius: I ask that b/c HoJo [Kilda, also interviewed earlier] says that her research shows that [unlike other games she considered] SL
lets us, and not the company, build the world.

[Ignatius reaches into his inventory to offer Beeble a copy of the chalet.]

Ignatius: Here. Have a house.

Beeble: An interesting question. I may not have enough SL experience yet to know the potentials but I read about SL voice interaction which would change this quite a bit.

Beeble: (thanks for the chalet!)

Ignatius: Voice will change it all. BUT SL is "crashy" already.

Ignatius: Hard-core gamers find that lame, in their opinion. The big RPGs online have a pre-built world.

Beeble: "Crashy" I like that...In some way if we were talking the flow of conversation would be more natural if the system could handle it.

Ignatius: But one can learn chat netiquette pretty well after a bit. SL has the advantage that chat is based on proximity, so you have to be close enough to chat.

Beeble: Lame? Hmm wonder why? Maybe they miss having a quest to go on - but couldn't you make your own quest here??

Ignatius: I think that lots of gamers are the "adventure out of the box" sorts rather than creators. D&D refs who like to build worlds are the sorts to LOVE SL.

Ignatius: Have you met any students who do SL?

Ignatius: Or, for that matter, any MATX folks who are terrified of it?

Beeble: No, and I've been surprised at how few have heard of it. We had someone come demonstrate SL...I guess that's when I first learned of it.

Beeble: It was interesting because she was short. . . but her avatar was tall with green skin and purple hair.

Ignatius: True. Why do you think that person chose to be tall and green and purple?

Beeble: I don't know, but I did notice that she had changed her RL hair so that it was spiky and somewhat purple! (I hope she didn't get green skin!)

Ignatius: Here's a personal Q: what is the MOST FUN THING you have done in SL?

Beeble: The most fun thing? This is actually the most fun because it's the longest, most coherent conversation.

Ignatius: Oh, and while I'm at it, I'd like to quote from your blog in my [TD] profile, about your reasons for being a furry.

Ignatius: This is really going to interest folks.

Beeble: Yes, I'd love to discuss why I'm a furry.

Ignatius: Okay. . . tell me all NOW :)

Beeble: I plan on staying a furry mostly because it offers the chance to discuss embodiment.

Beeble: I chose the dog image because I love dogs and I somewhat identify with dogs, but I was hoping for a look that was somewhat less 'cartoony'.

Ignatius: I am going to look for a good dog "outfit" for you. Did you know that you can take off all your skin and be a white putty man? Watch. . .

Beeble: Putty man? OK.

[Ignatius stands up and begins to remove his "face."]

Beeble: Lookin' kinda pasty there Iggy!

Ignatius: boo.

Beeble: You look like a bleached Blue Man!

Ignatius: I have always wanted to do that.

Ignatius: To be honest, it demonstrates more than anything else how irreal SL is.

Ignatius: And, yes, taking off my head was one of the most fun things I have ever done.

Beeble: Actually, it's a good look - maybe I'll make another avatar with a putty face.

Beeble: I'd get up to face you, but I'm afraid I'd get lost or fall in the ocean!

Ignatius: I've decided to have several "skins," including a Cyberpunk dude for clubbing.

Ignatius: SO. . .what is the most fun you have had in-world?

Beeble: I'm not going to commit that to writing !

Ignatius: Well, I mean that you can share on the Net :)

Beeble: If we both have multiple avatars and we meet regularly, I see a new form of fiction evolving.

Ignatius: True. I am thinking of that Caveman AV I am considering.

Ignatius: I have this slight fear that I will never be able to recreate my old head :)

Beeble: Now that would make for some interesting reflection...

[Ignatius reaches into his inventory and puts on his sunglasses again.]

Ignatius: There. Got my shades.

Beeble: Most fun in RL? Well, I love to be in the woods and I love to swim....I am very aware and appreciative of my body and its various experiences.

Ignatius: And I cannot swim for anything. . .though I can float, and you cannot do that in SL!

Ignatius: BTW, I'll give you a canoe. . . in SL I mean.

Beeble: Cool, that would be fun - then we can have a chat out in the ocean.

[Ignatius offers Beeble a canoe]

System Message: Beeble Baxter accepted your inventory offer.

Ignatius: Do you think that some of these highly developed AVs are afraid to be "pasty" or are they too ready to change their skins?

Beeble: As for my avatar, the dog image is meant to emphasize connection to the earth and embodiment. I mean, dogs are completely at home in their bodies....I mean they scratch, lick and sniff places that humans can barely mention.

Ignatius: I mean, people spend HOURS on just their HAIR here.

Beeble: So, are you suggesting I go for a poodle look?

Ignatius: Uh, no.

Beeble: It would be easy to get lost in creating the image of your avatar, but there is so much else to explore here.

Ignatius: What do you think the future of this phenomenon will be?

Beeble: I think you are right about SL - this is going to be big....especially in education.

Ignatius: True. Ida Keen specializes in being a tourist. Some others just explore their sexuality or ego-trips.

Ignatius: It would be good to have more EDU folk here. There's an underworld feeling to the world I don't like at times.

Ignatius: What is the weirdest thing that has happened to you in-world?

Beeble: Now, that's a good question. I suppose stranger things could 'happen' here, but it wouldn't be the same as being physically present.

Beeble: I doubt that genuine fear can be experienced in SL - at least not for me.

Ignatius: True. I've had weird things in RL, but here. . .well. ..the guy with the car around his waist with the first name "Swedish Ambassador" was straight out of a Dali painting. I LOVED that.

Ignatius: Some of my students were VERY afraid, either b/c of griefing by perverts or just a fear that this type of engagement would become expected every day and become popular. Let's face it, they use Facebook to retain a network of RL friends.And here, you can be anywhere and total strangers show up and talk to you.

Beeble: I find their fear fascinating and worth further discussion. I know the whole "fear of the cyberstalker" is big business now, unless someone is stupid enough to meet a stranger alone, there is no real danger.

Ignatius: It's more than that fear, though. It's more complex. I think they fear their own ageing bodies. They know that many avs are plain IRL and here, they can be anything. They also fear losing that close nest of friends here on a campus. Beyond the gates, many of them will only have SL. . . but I may be overstating this. Consider how Facebook is mostly a college phenomenon among people who already know each other.

Beeble: I can imagine SL as the only social life for the gated community....yes, the whole Facebook thing is both interesting and creepy.

Beeble: I don't have [a Facebook page], but I'm curious...my blog is about as much of myself as I want to share.

Ignatius: My blog is about my dumbstruck wonder at this place.

Ignatius: Facebook scares me less now in one respect. . .they know each other IRL. And it scares me more in another. . . .students are expected to use it to plan their lives.

Ignatius: Groupthink?

Beeble: Yeah, a real tool to develop that.

Beeble: So West End!

Ignatius: So universally American, sadly. New York, for all it's big-city hustle, was a real place unlike others.

Beeble: Or maybe it will organically evolve?

Beeble: Like the Borg?

Ignatius: No, more like Stepford or a little suburban enclave where the rules are all unspoken.

Ignatius: Tools do evolve, but what will this one evolve into? Ever considered that?

Beeble: Kathryn Hayles wrote an essay about how now machines are writing a lot of the computer code we encounter every day and how this is like a vast unconscious.

Ignatius: I think Hayles' point is scary. . . if there is an unconscious, isn't there an Id? "Monsters from the Id!" from Forbidden Planet.

Ignatius: And we know that machines do "bite back" now.

Beeble: Yes, and they captivate us more than we realize.

Beeble: This is the most time I've spent in SL in one stretch - I need to have more engaged discussions like this.

Ignatius: But what long-term effects will SL have if it becomes wildly popular? AND will it become that popular?

Beeble: I don't know that it will be so much wildly popular but it has the potential (or something like it) to become an integral part of human interaction...in DEVELOPED countries.

Ignatius: Yes. . . you need a fast machine + a fast connection. Another divide in the making. . . . Plus English! Though to be fair lots of other languages can be heard (or seen) here.

Ignatius: I'm going to have to run soon. One more Q. . .

Ignatius: If you could do anything in SL, what would it be?

Beeble: If I could do anything...well, aside from being able to sit down successfully, I'd like to build that little shotgun shack.

Ignatius: Stay tuned. Molotov Alva is hanging out with the Hobo King of SL. And we should both visit that virtual trailer court.

Beeble: Actually, I don't want us all to move here...too much like "the Bin" in Danvers' novel....we've all got plenty of work to do in RL.

Ignatius: Yeah. Plenty of work. We ignore RL at our peril. Off I go. Bye now.

Ignatius: Pasty head and all! Up up and away!

[Ignatius flies straight up into the air to log off.]

Beeble: I've got to go to MATX...thanks!

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