From jokaydia: Exploring Virtual Worlds and Games in Education

Second Life: Challenges, Issues and Cautions

There are a range of challenges, issues and cautions which need to be considered when using Second Life, particularly in educational settings, including:

Adoption Issues

• High-end technology requirements - requires a relatively fast computer with a good graphics card and broadband internet access.
• Not all graphics cards are supported and Windows Vista is not fully supported (yet).
• The user interface is complex
• Steep learning curve - there is a lot to learn to use the platform proficiently (although not as steep for gamers and the Net Gen).
• Poor introductory experience - problems with Orientation Island, Welcome Areas and a lack of effective and obvious search tools make it difficult to find places, experiences and people of interest.
• Cost - although basic accounts are free, the cost of paying for land - which is required for permanent structures - and 'rent' may be prohibitive for some.
• Accessibility - as yet no technology to allow vision impaired people to enter.

Platform Limitations

• Second Life is a "walled garden" as opposed to an open platform like the Web, and does not currently run on open standards (although there is talk of moving to open standards).
• It is not possible to host your own worlds on your own servers (like you can with the web).
• "Prim economy" - there is a limit to the number of prims - the basic building blocks of Second Life - provided per parcel of land.
• There is a limit to the number of avatars that can cohabit an area at one time - around 50 - 70.
• Assets aren't portable - they can't be exported or taken into other virtual worlds.
• No backup - you can lose everything - either as a result of technical issues or conflict with Linden Lab - with very little legal recourse.
• Limited tools for importing from other 3D software programs.
• Last names have to be chosen from a list of provided names.
  

Technological & Performance Issues

• Downtime is required every 2-3 weeks for grid updates.
• Updated client software needs to be downloaded and installed every 2-3 weeks.
• Problems with scaling as the population increases rapidly - infrastructure has difficulty handling influx.
• Grid stability, reliability and performance problems, including lag (sluggish performance) and downtime.
• Other performance issues resulting in inventory loss, problems logging in, difficulty teleporting, search not working etc.

Social and Legal Issues

• Although Linden Labs allow a lot of creative freedom and take a hands-off approach to governance, residents must still abide by the Linden Lab Terms of Service and Community Standards. Residents cannot make up their own rules.
• Linden Labs can cancel accounts - and any money in those accounts - at any time without reason or legal recourse.
• Residents have few legal rights and very little legal recourse if things go wrong (money lost, inventory lost, locked out of accounts).
• Griefers - the flexibility and freedoms that Second Life affords also allows residents to disrupt the experience of other residents.

Educational Issues

• Institutional barriers - administrative (e.g. seen as a game and not suitable for teaching) and technological (network security).
• Legal issues for institutions - indemnity, intellectual property rights.
• Second Life is a proprietary service - this is an issue for some educators, but it's worth noting that platforms like Blackboard and Janisons are proprietary too.
• Authenticity concerns - how do we know it's the student behind the avatar? (although same issues can apply to any type of online learning).
• Students can be exposed to inappropriate content, although no different from the web.
• Child protection and duty of care (for younger students).
• Privacy and safety issues.
• Since 13-17 year olds are confined to the Teen Grid it can be a challenge for classes that bridge the 18 year old barrier.