The Kill Floor

Second Skin is a Pure West Film that examines the lives of several people who have been sucked into the digital gaming world. Games like World of Warcraft, Second Life and Everquest are the most immersive gaming experiences yet, and there are a lot of other games out there that capture the livelihoods of people from all walks of life.

I guess addictinon is no longer limited to things like drugs, sex and gambling. I think this all really got started in the early 90’s when online chat came into widespread use. That leap in communication allowed lots of people to find those with similar interests. It didn’t take long for people to get together, and one of the best examples would be the online roleplay community. America Online made it possible for huge games in worlds of Dungeons & Dragons as well as the wide assortment of White Wolf Games.

I spent sometime with the White Wolf subculture in the mid 90’s and while it was purely text-based, it was just as gripping as the newest games today. I couldn’t tell you how many people i’ve known who have left everything in their lives to go be with the person their character was in love with. Somany people blur that line between reality and make-believe, and i can’t imagine that aspect will ever change much. I’m sure there are many more people falling victim to these time-sapping hobbies now only because technology has made it so much easier.

The film looks really interesting and it gives a lot of insight into the worlds of these people. Check out SecondSkinFilm.com for more information about the documentary and the growing subculture of people who live their lives vicariously through an imaginary persona in an imaginary world.