Abstract
The value of physical place has become easily transmittable via digital means, creating virtual space and place. A primary example of this phenomenon is the popularization of massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) such as Second Life – a parallel universe comprised of real time interactions occurring within a ‘3D online persistent space totally created and evolved by its users.’ The collective global construction of Second Life is simultaneously navigated by an estimated 88,200 avatars, the virtual alter ego personalized and created by MMORPG users. The real world anonymity of the virtual representation of the self, combined with the virtual dimensions of fantasy, position the avatar as an obvious medium of identity exploration via fashion choices and personas. The avatar’s capability to engage in an extreme exploration of identity at a cost below real world prices has provided important market research data to physical world fashion designers as they attempt to answer the emerging needs of the ‘technosexual’ masses within the physical world. This relationship between physical and virtual space and fashion has been blatantly apparent in the synchronization of first and Second Life fashion shows as displayed by the coordination of parallel locations, schedules, and fashion trends. To date, Second Life users have spent millions of first life dollars on digital makeovers and clothing for their avatars. This perhaps hints of a parallel positioning of Second Life to the film industry during the Great Depression, as Second Life has become the 21st century’s affordable avenue of glamour, fantasy, and escapism. This chapter will analyse the relation and interaction between Second Life’s virtual space and the power of virtual world fashion construction based on the discourses of geography, psychology, economics, history, and philosophy.