Week 2 Activities: Virtual World

I think the biggest difference between LBSU and Zoom University apart from the physicality is the difference in vibes each version has. When I was physically on campus, going to class and studying at the library, I felt more studious and productive. Now I’m back at home. My home and my room are places meant to relax and suddenly it has become both my university and workplace. It’s become hard for me to concentrate when my desk space is a couple feet away from the living room and the tv. Also with all my family back at home, its hard to get some quiet sometimes. I think the only similarity between both versions of universities is the classes. Even though we cannot meet in person, I still have all my classes at their scheduled times.

I don’t really play virtual world games like Animal Crossing or Minecraft so this assignment was a bit awkward for me. I didn’t know which game to choose and I remember someone talking about Club Penguin so that was the game I chose. I had played it for a bit when I was younger and it’s basically a place where you can visit different worlds and chat with other players. The game is different because on Instagram you comment on peoples pictures of them at places while on club penguin you talk to people at the virtual places. I think they are similar because they are both immediate forms of communications. If you comment on someones photo on Instagram then they get a notification instantly and can respond minutes later. On club penguin if you make a comment, other players see it and can respond instantly.

Club penguin is different from LBSU because it is snowier and there’s different places to visit like igloos and skiing resorts. It’s similar to campus because there’s a gift shop and a coffee shop. There are lots of places to socialize and people invite you to their igloos for parties much like how people invite you to house parties in real life. I think in both places you get a sense of hanging out and interacting with other people. Even though I was seeing club penguin through a screen, I was still having fun almost as much as I would in an actual physical place.

I think it is possible to to find a “place experience” during this pandemic and using these virtual games gives us that experience to a certain degree. Yes it isn’t physical and it doesn’t feel the same but it is something we can do during this time. Playing club penguin took my mind off of the work I was stressing over and it also helped me take my mind off of how hot it was today. Playing ended up being unexpectedly fun.