To think that Second Life is turning ten this weekend is pretty mind-boggling. It’s quite astonishing when you look back at your avatar to see how much your virtual identity has changed.  It’s a continual process, and something you really don’t consider until you’re flicking through photographs and have a ‘Holy Shitballs is that really me?!’ moment.

In a virtual world you can be different every single day, but I choose to remain pretty much the same.  I have a core look, an image that I like to work with, but this year I think I’ve really looked my best. Why is this?

I think it’s the fact that we’re seeing mesh implemented heavily on the grid now. There’s no denying that clothes are (on the whole) better when made in mesh. The materials viewer will add depth to the textures we wear and that’s going to be a HUGE improvement, although a lot of clothing makers already deploy the very best textures in their work so it will be like adding a final polish to something that’s already beautiful. A satisfying thought if you ask me.

Skins have never been better, hair is just divine and details like eyes, make-up and accessories in general are just adding to the allure that our avatars inherently possess.  I really do think Kitty, and Jez for that matter, have never looked better.  And I have proof.

The picture at the top of this article was taken a few days ago. Both Jez and I were testing the Bazar Cutout chairs for a previous post. We’re dressed casually, but despite that there’s a certain polish to us. Compare that with the picture below.

For the time I think we looked great, and I still see avatars with similar appearance on the grid today, so we must have been doing something right.  But we’ve certainly come a long way since then, which make me wonder how we’ll look in a few more years.

Tantalising prospect isn’t it?

This is a worthwhile exercise: Root around on your PC and see if you can find some old SL pictures of yourself, and compare them to how you look now.  What has changed? What has stayed the same? How does it make you feel looking at them? What memories do they bring back? Like real life photographs these images bring back a flood of memories, some happy, some sad, but all just as valid as real life.  And if you ask me, these memories further enhance the validity of Second Life.

 Happy Birthday indeed to our beautiful, strange, crazy virtual world!