Fighting Fire with Lanterns

The online sensation known as Second Life offers beautiful landscapes where players customize their avatars and explore this vast virtual world as well as participate in a variety of activities. This grants users a place to live out their wildest, most creative fantasies or can be a place to relax, and socialize with whomever they please. Though many people would agree that this world is one giant privilege, others are compelled to abuse the system and stomp out any dream they can. With nightmares running wild, virtual crime such as vandalism, unofficial escort services, and player harassment are just a few examples of what can take place in the shadows of SL. With so much to offer, this world has so much potential for evil to takeover.One of Second Life’s well-known peacekeepers, GreenLantern Excelsior, takes matters into his own hands by shining light in the darkest, coldest corners of this massive community. Even when the naughtiest of avatars try to run, they mysteriously trip, and find themselves face down with a mouth full of rulebook. By choosing to devote his second life to preserve virtual peace, GreenLantern is a rare breed among SL residents and a role model who may be the first person to welcome you and show you around SL. Having the opportunity to interview GreenLantern gave me a taste of his role in the world and the delinquencies he has encountered in the past. "My focus is helping people... one of the best ways I know of to help people is to report the griefers who are causing them problems." How can these efforts go unappreciated? With so many ways for griefers to master their evil tactics on good players for hours on end, it is unfortunate that the inventory to retaliate is much smaller. I have learned that when you have a social society, real or virtual, that the people involved will naturally organize themselves into segregated areas. Some spaces may be more crude than others appear and tend to be filled with many self-centered and unattractive characters; just as real cities have their bad neighborhoods. "I had a guy try to sell me drugs in SL once. I just laughed at him, because I couldn't imagine how that would work... I haven't seen any underground gambling although I've heard rumors that it's still around. There are "escorts" to be found in many places. That's not illegal if it's between two consenting adults, and there's all kinds of role play that people enjoy which isn't criminal here. Vandalism happens almost every day when someone fills a sandbox with replicating cubes. I suppose the gambling and the escort services could benefit people in the real world, but I don't think the other two could."Although SL is capable of having its fair share of grim influences, it is known for offering a majority of surreal and positive experiences such as cloths shopping, dining out, attending performances, putting on a show, or simply enjoying the scenery."I know there are people who do things here that they would never dream of doing in RL. People who are afraid of going out of their homes will talk to you in SL. And imagine someone who's bedridden, who comes to SL and can FLY. I can only imagine that must be quite an experience for them." Those who lack heroic experience may refer to GreenLantern Excelsior as a vigilante, but such a negatively viewed term does not fit his battle tactics. Earning the peacekeeper badge is much more than a title; it is a lifestyle.