Ever since Internet became a widely available tool, people always imagined and used it as a virtual universe for chatting, buying and selling or simply socializing. Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become a secondary, virtual life, for many and on this premise the concept of the metaverse was born. The metaverse is a virtual universe that copies, more or less, the real life Universe and one of the clearest ways to express a metaverse is through what is known today as a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Some of these MMO's create a fantasy world of their own (take for example World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online or Everquest) whereas some simply offer a real-world alternative universe, as is the case of Second Life, one of the most popular such phenomenons on the Internet.
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Second Life - Basic Premises
The Second Life metaverse is based on an Earth-like world, known as the Grid. This grid consists of land masses and "free" areas and the world is divided into 256x256 areas of "grid" called Regions. Each of these regions, powered by their own servers, has its own name and a content rating (either Mature or PG), some being more stable than others. The land masses in Second Life are controlled by Linden Research (called Linden Labs in the "game") and each of the program's users are called Metaverse Residents.
Residents of Second Life have an avatar that can be of either sex, wear different clothing, or have different physical attributes, simulating the "real life" universe entirely. Residents can communicate in this environment by several means, including local chat, which is further divided into normal chat (which can be "heard" in a 25m area), yelling (heard in a 96m area) and whispering (18m area) but Second Life also offers a form of instant messaging for private conversations, regardless of the chatting residents' position in the Grid.
Residents can also buy, sell and manage property and items in Second Life for a currency called the "Linden Dollars" (or simply L$). There's a virtual exchange rate in this metaverse, that fluctuates slightly, but a stable rate seems to be revolving around the 270 Linden Dollars to one US Dollar ratio. You're probably anticipating what I'm going to say next: you can actually make real life US Dollars, using Second Life Linden Dollars. Either by selling land or items, you can cash in some nice income, given the fact that you put some dedication into your Second Life avatar and you can read the virtual economy of its world.
Second Life - Conclusion
So should Second Life be considered a game? Should it be put in the same category as other Massively Multiplayer Online worlds as the ones created by World of Warcraft and the likes? In principle, Second Life doesn't share the same premises that these fantasy worlds offer, for example it has no real objectives, no "levels" and no abilities, which makes many object to the fact that it's a "game" per say. Still, Second Life has the purpose of entertaining its Residents through its simulation of real life, so it's yet unclear whether we should watch it as a game or not. What is clear is that this is becoming a quickly increasing phenomenon that appeals to all genders, all ages and all religions, bringing us closer together in a virtual metaverse than we are in our real lives.
Some time back I had written an article on teaching first generation speakers of the English Language basic conversation skills. I had focused on areas that they will need to be comfortable speaking in. These are listed below again.
In the primary block are:
1. Bank
2. Supermarket
3. Restaurant
4. Hospital
Next in order of importance:
1. Police
2. Railway Reservations
3. Air Tickets
4. Hotel Bookings
Not so important but can also be covered:
1. Post Office
2. Library
3. Office
4. Social Gathering
The questions related to Banks were related to:
1. Opening an Account
2. Accessing an existing Account
3. Making or receiving Money Transfers
4. Problems with ATM Cards
5. Cheque Book requests, etc
I decided to go some more in detail and frame possible situations and questions that they might face while in conversation with people in the remaining places.
So possible conversation topics, in each of the remaining eleven places will be expanded in this post. So without much ado let's drive to the Supermarket. Questions at the Supermarket may include:
1. Finding the Food Aisle
2. Asking for the latest discounts on offer
3. Paying the Bill by cash or credit card
4. Finding the parking space
5. Help carrying the bags or asking for use of the trolley till the parking area
Questions at a Restaurant:
1. Asking for the Menu
2. Clarifying what a dish contains and how it is cooked
3. Ordering a meal
4. Ordering for accompanying drinks
5. Asking for the bill and paying it
6. Calling for the Chef and complimenting him
Questions at the Hospital:
1. Finding the relevant department by getting directions to it
2. Making an appointment with the doctor concerned on the phone
3. Describing symptoms accurately
4. Understanding the diagnosis and prognosis
5. Following the instructions for the medication
6. Requesting for follow up checks
This finishes our primary block. The next block consists of dealing with the various services first of which is the Police. Questions will depend on the situation. The policeman might be seeking you for some reason such as a traffic violation or you might be seeking his help to ask directions to your destination. Define the situation clearly first. For our example we are tackling reporting a missing wallet. Questions to be asked and answered:
1. Asking the nearest policeman for directions to the nearest police station.
2. Lodging a First Information Report.
3. Describing the wallet and its contents.
4. Giving residence and identity details.
5. Following up on the matter till resolved.
Now we come to Railway Reservations, Air Tickets and Hotel Bookings. Since most of the questions here are common I give a combined list of questions.
1. Getting the phone number or address of party concerned.
2. Making enquires about mode of transport to desired destination.
3. Making an informed choice and booking the tickets.
4. Asking for ticket confirmation.
5. Booking a room with specific requirements such as extra bed for child below eight years traveling with parents.
That finishes the second block of essential services and now we come to some more in the third block. Starting with the Post Office which is a place most visitors to a different country are likely to visit.
1. Asking for postage costs.
2. Weighing a letter.
3. Calculating postage and buying stamps.
4. Sending a parcel.
5. Savings options.
Traditionally there is to be little or no talking at the Library. Yet here we have situations where you will need to make some conversation with the librarian. Most students will use libraries extensively to counter the high costs of study books. Here is a list of questions to practice with.
1. Finding the library. Get directions.
2. Becoming a member.
3. Understanding library lending policies.
4. Finding a particular section in the library.
5. Issuing a book.
6. Late fine on returning a book late.
7. Damage to the book due to usage.
Office and Social Gatherings are the last of the situations that are mentioned here. These are very general topics and the situations that arise can be myriad. So it's not possible to give a highly comprehensive list of questions. Here are a few basic ones that you will surely need.
1. Introducing yourself to others present.
2. Gathering information of the basic work required of you.
3. Dealing with clients.
4. Understanding Standard Operating Procedures.
5. Making Small Talk with others.
If you can get comfortable making these basic conversations your Spoken English Skills will get a major boost. So lets get Speaking.