When graphic artist Mary Engelbreit first came out with "The Queen of Everything" I applied for the title. Turns out I wasn't the only one that felt she was perfectly suited for the position as my older cousin (and part-time babysitter) quickly informed me. Seems she thought her credentials were a tad better than mine. She may have been bigger but I was determined. In the end we decided that there was nothing wrong with having more than one QoE. After all, good things are often made better when they are shared and there's a lot to be said for inclusiveness and equality.
The QoE adventure has stood me in good stead throughout my life including my arrival in Second Life and my introduction to role-play there. Good thing I already had some life experience because otherwise it would have been a disaster. Yes, I had the misfortune in my very first month to come up against a group that had blurred the line between role-play and reality enough to think that they could actually control my actions. They proceeded to tell me what I could and could not create in this (new to me) virtual world and attempted to bully me into agreeing. They were delusional; I was gobsmacked.
The QoE adventure has stood me in good stead throughout my life including my arrival in Second Life and my introduction to role-play there. Good thing I already had some life experience because otherwise it would have been a disaster. Yes, I had the misfortune in my very first month to come up against a group that had blurred the line between role-play and reality enough to think that they could actually control my actions. They proceeded to tell me what I could and could not create in this (new to me) virtual world and attempted to bully me into agreeing. They were delusional; I was gobsmacked.
Fortunately I was also the QoE and so we parted company post-haste.
Their role-play community flamed out soon after while the one that I helped establish is still thriving. Some may think of this as karma but I think of it as just common sense. Let's face it, a bully does not a good community leader make.
Why am I bringing this up now, almost six years after the actually event? Well, I was reminded of it recently by the SLU thread Is there something fundamentally wrong with RP in SL? (Yes). It's an excellent discussion and well worth following if you have an interest in Second Life role-play though I personally don't agree with the original poster that there is something fundamentally wrong and I would venture that many of my fellow role-players would agree.
Building and maintaining a healthy community (role-play or otherwise) is a challenging endeavour that requires the common sense, skills and kindness of all the community members. Factions definitely add spice to a role-play but when those cliques and their inevitable drama cross the line into real interpersonal relationships, i.e. the community itself, there's going to be trouble.
IMHO Second Life and particularly its role-play communities should be fun and light hearted. It should be the perfect escape from the sometimes difficult realities that we face every day in "real life".
This should be obvious but apparently is not. Go figure.
So I invite you all to take up your own Queen (or King) of Everything crowns and sally forth with gladness in your hearts to help make your role-play communities better ones!
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Find Tatiana Dokuchic on Google+
Image: Mary Engelbreit
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