Second Life’s Guantanamo Bay Experience
The swirl of controversy surrounding Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. detection center located in Cuba and used to house suspected terrorist suspects, has spilled into the virtual realm thanks to some students from Seton Hall University’s School of Law and the University of Southern California’s Institute for Media Literacy.
Using Linden Labs’ Second Life as a platform for social commentary and open discussion on the base and its inhabitants, the students have created a Virtual Guantanamo for Constitution Day, September 17th (today!).
Virtual world enthusiast Rik Riel had a chance to experience the program early, and talks about his visit on his own blog. Apparently his avatar endured a long flight to the base on a cargo plane, shackled and hooded (it looks a little frightening), while voices tell you to keep quiet. On arrival, you don the iconic orange jumpsuit of a prisoner while in a detention cage, which you can then leave to explore, coming across videos and displays of events at the real facility.
If you’re interested in learning more about Guantanamo Bay, please log on to Second Life today, starting at 10:30AM PST, and head to “Gone Gitmo” at SLURL http://slurl.com/secondlife/IML/164/186/123 or simply plug in the Second Life coordinates: 164 186 123. Space is limited, to visit early to ensure participation.
Seton Hall plans on offering monthly programming in-game to address the difficult issues facing today’s global society. Professor Mark Denbeaux, who developed the programming series, says that
[as] an Internet-based virtual world, Second Life will allow us to conduct a broad and diverse debate on a wide range of political, legal and international issues.
Rikomatic.com via GamePolitics.com
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