story by Cassandra Adamson and Stephanie Hamilton
photos by Cassandra Adamson and Jeremy Trusty

Not only are Spanish classes taking on Second Life, but other groups and organizations are catching on to this technology as well. Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry will be using Second Life to help them make a mixed-world play.

Melinda Messineo, Associate Professor for the Department of Sociology, was one of the four teachers chosen to lead a group of fifteen students in a project.

“Second Life is a virtual community. It is an opportunity for people to engage with others in an alternative format. They are given a chance to explore different aspects of their personality,” said Melinda Messineo.

In Second Life you can create a character and interact with other people’s characters. You have the opportunity to make virtual money, build things, and do anything you can do in real life.

Messineo’s project will be a mixed-play that shows how people act differently between a virtual world and real life situations. They will use Second Life to help them in their research.

“I believe we will learn more about the nature of community and self in virtual as well as face to face environments. We are going to learn about ourselves as well and explore our connections to those around us,” Messineo.

The group will be working with the Muncie Civic Theater to help complete their project.