Originally published Oct. 13, 2007.

Imagine yourself lying on a beach on your own private island, holding an iced beverage in your hand, your dream house off in the distance amongst the green rolling hills behind you. Suddenly you realize it’s three o’clock. You’re late for class. With seconds to spare, you teleport and land directly in the classroom, all this done from the comfort of your desk chair.

All sound too good to be true? It’s very true and easily doable. All you need is a computer, a high-speed internet connection and downloadable software. The online virtual world, Second Life, has made this all possible.

Second Life is a 3D online downloadable program that is, simply put, a virtual second world. Nearly anything you can do in real life is made possible in Second Life and more.

Developed by Linden Research, Inc., Second Life was launched in 2003 but didn’t grab international attention or news media until late 2006. The program is especially popular in Europe and is growing in popularity in the United States. Second Life gives users the opportunity to meet people all over the world and talk to them, avatar to avatar. They are able to make friends, join groups and virtually attend events.

Residents in Second Life can create their own dream world in which they can fly, teleport to any destination or change their appearance to that ideal body they have always wanted by creating an avatar. An avatar is a virtual 3D image of the user and can be changed as often as desired. The program is very similar to the computer game “The Sims,” but instead of make-believe characters created by the user, the Second Life avatars are owned and operated by real people.

Most residents get jobs in Second Life to be able to buy more stuff within the program, in which the currency is in Linden dollars that is later exchanged to real dollars and placed onto the user’s credit card. In Second Life, buying land, material possessions and body parts, are all the rage. If you don’t have new clothes and a different appearance than the one you first were essentially virtually born into, you are labeled immediately as a “newbie.”

Pros and cons are as obvious in Second Life as they are in real life. Second Life has become a “tool for the dark side,” according to professor James Hirsen, an avid Second Life resident.

There are many evil temptations engulfing Second Life. Just as in the real world, sex is taking over the virtual world of Second Life. With the avatars able to purchase fully functioning body parts, residents are able to have virtual sex in the program.

After logging on and creating an avatar for myself, I experienced within the first five minutes a male avatar dancing nude around my avatar and minutes later I came across a female avatar lying on the ground masturbating. Because of these features there have been lawsuits regarding virtual child abuse/pornography and sexual assaults on Second Life already, and the number of lawsuits are increasing.

The majority of first-timers “use it as an escape hatch” to leave the difficulties of reality, as Hirsen described. The atmosphere in Second Life is far from glorifying. Hirsen later explained that he is a resident of Second Life to be a light to the dark virtual world. His avatar wears a large cross around his neck, which he said has sparked conversations about his faith with other avatars. He described his way of using Second Life as a form of evangelism.

“Second Life is a tool — like a saw, you can use it to construct a house or you can use it to create a chainsaw massacre,” he said.

Hirsen, legal analyst and professor of mass media at Biola, not only informs his students about Second Life but also has them meet for one class session on Second Life at his own personal virtual classroom to gain experience.

The program “is very addicting” according to Hirsen and should only be used with caution. Therefore, if you are to attempt this program, be aware of all the evils that follow it. It is not advisable for people who already suffer with sexual sin. Again, be warned that this program can be highly addicting and filled with temptation, even though some may think that owning their own personal island and having the ability to fly is pretty awesome.