I’ve been role-playing in some form or fashion for as long as I can remember. One of my fondest memories of play time with my brother was when we would lay on our backs and hang over the front of the couch and pretend like the ceiling was the floor. We concocted adventures where the vaulted ceiling turned into a canyon, and the hallway was a road to another realm. I don’t know how long we laid upside-down like that … I guess until we got light-headed and needed to turn right-side-up!

Those were good times. I played with dolls, too, of course, and I also had one stuffed animal (still have her, actually!) who was my confidante; she listened to all of my frustrations and let me hold her paw when I needed a friend. The time came, though, when I must have thought I was too cool to role-play, and I just turned to my diary to share my imagination, instead. I began putting my thoughts into words on the page instead of acting them out.

Fast-forward to 2007 when I was introduced to Second Life, and I discovered a fascinating blended outlet for my imagination. I learned about schools and companies that were using the virtual platform as a cutting-edge service delivery tool and met people from around the world through the facade of their avatars. I learned to create virtual objects in this amazing synthetic world, and I tested my role-playing skills in Old West and medieval themed adventures. Role-playing in Second Life involves both writing and acting, since you have to describe what your avatar is doing.

Second Life continues to be a fun venue for me, though I have lost touch with so many people (like we do in “real” life). Role-play sims (that’s the name for a designated area of the “world”) popped up in some places and closed in others; people lost interest and went elsewhere. Just like in “real” life, though, I try to stay in touch with folks. That’s how I ended up chatting with someone tonight who shared some sad news: a mutual friend of ours in Second Life died in real life.

I never met her in real life; I couldn’t even tell you what state she was from. (I seldom share personal information about myself inworld and don’t press others for info, either.) I do remember her as a shy but funny “noob” (new person) to the medieval role-playing sim, and we had fun trying out story lines together. My character was a fairy, and we used to sit on top of the village well together and tease people as they walked by. We caused mischief and acted goofy. It was fun “teaching” someone else how to role-play and trying to build it into the story line, as you go. She was a sweet gal. In an oddly familiar way, grief crept up on me, and I miss her. Maybe it sounds odd that I miss someone I never met — someone whose real name I don’t even know — yet, we had developed a friendship, nonetheless.

The “world” of Second Life may be virtual, but the relationships formed in that synthetic environment can be quite real. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel sad for losing her.