In the Divine Comedy (La Divina Commedia, by Dante Alighieri, 14th Century), as Virgil and Dante arrive at the gate of Hell, Dante notes that it bears an inscription, "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." This inscription implies the horror and torment of total despair. It suggests that upon entering Hell, all hope is lost. So it is - or should I say can be - with SL.
Yes, SL can be fun and interesting. SL has some amazing content to explore. SL provides a platform for people from all over the world to communicate, create, and roleplay. The problem with SL is that it's insidiously seductive. It sucks you in by feeding into your fantasies, needs, or fetishes. The environments, situations, and games we create in SL can mesmerize us into a false sense of reality if there is an emotional, social, or psychological need that one thinks is being met by these SL experiences. Whether or not these needs are appropriate or moral is certainly questionable and I will discuss them in greater detail in another blog post. Suffice to say that the sad fact is that what you do and how you conduct yourself in SL can destroy your real life if you let it. Don't let it. If you're unhappy, dissatisfied, or whatever - address your problems, confront your demons. Correct what's wrong in your real life by taking appropriate action and not hurting your loved ones or yourself. Get help. Remember who and what is truly important in your life. Remember who you really are. Don't buy into a hopeless fantasy that can ultimately destroy you and your loved ones. The answers are not found by escaping into SL. The answers to your problems are found by actively pursuing solutions to improve your real life.
Take SL for what it is... a temporary amusement. Don't get involved in "relationships" that can devastate a real life. Heed the warnings in this series (four parts): Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love
More on SL and gaming addictions can be found in my February 19th blog here: Gah!
I'm driven to blog about this issue because it is a very real concern that has affected the lives of people I know and/or care about. If you know someone who seems to have a problem with online/sex addiction, please, PLEASE try to help them. It's terribly painful to watch someone you care about degenerate and not be able to help them. So first I posted things to my SL profile...and I blog now... and hope that they read what I've written.
A little levity based on truth... Sarcastic Gamer
If you are interested in reading the Divine Comedy, an epic poem which can be described as a complex allegory that includes a variety of themes, it is available online at: The Divine Comedy at the Electronic Literature Foundation.
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