Skip to content

Rikomatic

Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff

Menu
  • Follow Me on Instagram
  • My Professional Site RangerRik.com
  • Yehoodi.com Archive
  • Every Roller Rink in California (Map)
Menu

“CSI: New York” proves that virtual worlds can be compelling plot devices

Posted on October 24, 2007 by

Csinewyork

As a Second Life resident, I was both excited and worried about the recent episode of "CSI:New York" that was to include Second Life as a plot device. Other shows, even other CSI episodes, had used virtual worlds and online games to show us as either a bunch of sociopathic killers, weird perverts, or as fat nerds living in our mom’s basement. 

While this show certainly had its flaws, it actually went much further than any other show in depicting what life in the virtual world is like, including:

  • Realistic depictions of what residents really do in Second Life: make friends, shop, play, flirt, create businesses, etc.
  • Use of Second Life terms and references: "TP," notecards, the copybot!
  • A non-pejorative use of a furry character! (Which I think was a reference to the white rabbit in Rainbows End by V. Vinge)
  • Residents shown as integrating their real lives and their virtual ones (i.e. the guy who ran an auto-body shop and a virtual clothing store)

There were a couple of moments in the episode that really rang true for me.  The first was when the character Mac first navigates his avatar around in-world. All around him, strange avatars are walking around him, speaking in other languages and doing weird stuff.  His reaction is along the lines of, "Where the hell am I?"  which was exactly my own reaction when I first logged in.

The second was when Mac discovers the secret kill room of Venus, which genuinely creeped me out.

All-in-all, tremendous work by the Ill Clan machinima team at Electric Sheep Company!

The only annoying part is that we have to wait several months for the next CSI:NY in Second Life.  Of course, in the meantime, I can play with the Virtual CSI:NY that Electric Sheep created.

13 thoughts on ““CSI: New York” proves that virtual worlds can be compelling plot devices”

  1. csven says:
    October 25, 2007 at 8:48 am

    I got a chuckle out of “It isn’t a game!” Nicely done inside joke.

    Reply
  2. Static Schultz says:
    October 25, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    Wait, there’s gonna be another Second Life centered CSI:NY episode in the future? This one ended so abruptly unresolved, it would be nice to finish it out smoothly.

    Reply
  3. rikomatic says:
    October 25, 2007 at 12:51 pm

    That’s correct. My understanding is that there will be at least one other episode in early 2008.

    Reply
  4. Overman says:
    October 26, 2007 at 11:04 am

    I think you and I had nearly identical takes on this, from initial worries to eventual satisfaction. I ended up talking about just that in my most recent podcast:
    http://theovercast.com/overcast-021/

    Reply
  5. nissans says:
    March 22, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Hi! Today
    completely changed system and all links which were in bookmarks were lost. Including the link on
    http://www.rikomatic.typepad.com ! 9 hours searched for a site on the Internet also has just now found through http://google.com/
    X-rum, I can not find your number ICQ write to me please!!!

    Reply
  6. Aminorgast says:
    September 7, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    Hello! Interesting clause. Already for a long time did not see similar on the Internet.
    I shall watch development! All greetings! 🙂

    Reply
  7. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  8. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  9. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  10. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  11. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  12. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply
  13. bodriych says:
    June 20, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    At all I do not know, that, except for your society, would keep me in this city upon termination of work, – it is underlined politely has answered Нистур.
    The person in a black velvet was sharply developed and, having sparkled silvery furnish of a raincoat, has disappeared in a dark corridor.
    The door was closed, Нистур has sighed
    лак с блестками

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A History of the Jazz Split

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlfLr9YmMJU

Recent Posts

  • RIP Rob Reich
  • A Magical Visit to the Snoopy Home Ice Rink and the Charles M. Shultz Museum!
  • Thoughts on Learning and Skating
  • The Voice (poem)
  • Toy Train in a Tin

Categories

  • Books
  • Cats
  • Civil Society
  • Creative Writing
  • Dancing / Music
  • Education
  • Family
  • Film
  • Food and Drink
  • General
  • Health
  • Information Society
  • Machinima
  • Media Reform
  • Music
  • New York
  • Politics
  • quotation
  • Real World Places in SL
  • Science
  • SF Bay Area
  • Television
  • The Spirit
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • United Nations
  • Virtual Worlds
  • Web/Tech

Tags

b-boy (76) breakdance (51) breaking (26) brooklyn (36) charleston (11) competition (11) dance (17) dancing (30) documentary (15) education (21) festival (12) frankie95 (16) frankie manning (52) frim fram (10) fundraiser (10) global kids (70) hip-hop (31) human rights (11) inaug09 (11) jazz (12) ken swift (10) lindy hop (144) lindyhop (23) lowcarb (18) lxd (11) macarthur foundation (12) machinima (22) memorial (14) mermaidparade (22) mtv (13) performance (16) poetry (11) popping (11) quaker (27) recipe (38) rockclimbing (16) second life (81) shim sham (15) skating (70) soul music (14) swing (52) swing dance (45) virtual world (19) virtual worlds (29) yehoodi (46)
© 2025 Rikomatic | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme