Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Virtually Me

When I joined facebook...I was a little afraid it might eat my life. I set up my profile and kind of left it for a while. I collected a few friends and went in there every so often to accept things, and add new applications, it was all pretty manageable. I even started a "green patch" to help save the rain forest. That is a worthwhile use of my time while I drink my coffee in the morning.

Recently, someone, I won't mention any names here, sent me an invitation to YoVille. A virtual town where you create your virtual you, and wander around interacting with others, trying to make some money so you can fix up your apartment.

Okay, this seems kind of fun. I have an apartment, very plain and boring with a living room, bedroom and kitchen. No one pees in YoVille. There's a coffee shop, and when you buy coffee you move faster. There's a diner, where you get your energy, a clothing store so you can look hip. They have a furniture store for all the stuff you need to make your place cool, and a flower shop. The night club where you can go buy a drink and things get blurry and your character is harder to control, and a widget factory where you work. You can only report to work and get paid every six hours (real time). It takes a long time to get enough coin to buy what you want, but you can also earn money by playing tic-tac-toe, or rock paper scissors with the other cartoon people.

When I went to make my virtual me, I had issues with the choices they offered for a female virtual person. My AOL weemee is a girl, and it looks pretty much like me...

Click to view my Home
Note the short hair, the well hidden breasts, but they are there, and of course the ever-present coffee cup letting people know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is me! I even change clothes to suit the time of year.

In YoVille, none of the girl's hair choices looked anything like my hair! None of the clothing options were clothing I'd wear, and even the super curvy body shape (the same for all the girls) did not resemble my body at all. I decided to use the male character, so it would at least be close to what I really look like. I named my character "tom-boi". Boi is the gay way to say, boyish girl. Not in the bull-dyke, I want to be a guy, kind of way, but in the, I'm a girl who does stuff boys do, kind of way. Anyway...this is what I ended up with.
So, I'm confusing some people in the game. Some of the young girls come throwing themselves at me, so I tell them I'm a gay woman, and they scatter like roaches. It's actually funny to watch. I went to the nightclub, and said, "Hi, I'm a lesbian. Did anyone notice a gay bar in town, because I can't find it?" Little virtual people actually ran away from me! Some left the bar completely. I had this large empty radius around me, so I made my character dance.

Despite the cold reception I've gotten in YoVille, I am addicted to the game. Why? Because it's about fixing up your place. That's right down my alley. Here's what I mean. When you start, your bedroom looks like this:


Now, my bedroom looks like this:




So, Obviously I have been working hard at playing my virtual life. Of course, sacrifices must be made, so my real life is in a hopeless downward spiral. The virtual me is just as obsessive-compulsive as the actual me. Why would I do that? Tic-tac-toe anyone?

16 comments:

TheWeyrd1 said...

I was beginning to think you were in such a love haze it would be months before we saw you again. But NO, you've been playing in a silly virtual world...omg! If you want to do the same thing as in Yo Ville, but find other gay buddies, you might try Second Life...not that I actually know if you can decorate your bedroom, but I heard the avatars are rather life like...

RED MOJO said...

theweyrd1, omg is right! It's crazy! help me....

tsduff said...

What an interesting game. I like it. I'm sorry you had such trouble with folks regarding gender issues - (that line about scattering like roaches about did me in because those things FREAK ME OUT). I like the way you arranged your place - nice taste.

PS: I suck at brain battle.

RED MOJO said...

tsduff, you're so funny! Challenge me at brain battle. I need some more wins! LOL

Baino said...

Gawd. I have a blog, Skype, MSN, Facebook, where do you find the time for YoVille! Dont you wish redecorating was as easy as moving your mouse! (I do . . .as I wipe paint from my brow!)

comfortandjoy said...

You need a new drug. I know one.

RED MOJO said...

baino, if redecorating were that easy, I'd be out of work! I don't have time for it, that's the problem.

cj, whatever do you mean?!

comfortandjoy said...

RM: I mean hearts and flowers and all things innocent. Really.

RED MOJO said...

cj, Of course it's innocent, what else could it be?

sparringK9 said...

this is interesting. i have a friend who says her husband is very into second life -so much so its disrupting their real life! she thinks its hilarious the avatar he created for himself - being MUCH slimmer and younger and hipper.

here by way of VE

RED MOJO said...

she, I get caught up in stuff when it's new, but i get over it pretty quickly too. The first 3 or four days were a little crazy! LOL
Thanks for popping in!

heartinsanfrancisco said...

This is too funny! I was thinking that I wouldn't like Yo'ville because I prefer antiques and the furniture store you describe sounds a lot like generic K-Mart. I can only imagine the clothes.

And guess what? I'm a boi, too.
I definitely look female, but I liked to climb trees and do active things when I was a child. Dolls bored me. I built stuff like forts and carts I could ride in, and still use my body for something other than a coat hanger.

But I've kept you from your virtual life too long. So very sorry.

Anonymous said...

"the well hidden breasts, but they are there" - I laughed hard at this! But it a little odd for them to assume all women would want a super curvy representation.

On a more serious note, this looks like it may get to the point where you need an interevention. I'm on stand-by.

RED MOJO said...

heartinsanfrancisco, How dare you disturb me from my game!
I prefer antiques too. It would be great if they had an auction here! Ohmigod...that would be awesome!

cit, yeah...well, I'll let you know if I think I need that intersomething...gotta go.

yenbar said...

I have heard that Second Life is much better for lesbians to play around in.It seems too time consuming for me to try right now tho. If you go there maybe you can say hi to a buddy of Weyrd's and mine since she seems to spend all of her time there now...I am starting to feel jealous of that site now...lol

RED MOJO said...

yenbar, yeah, no. That's the last thing I need. I prefer to stay mostly in the real world, but knowing how I get sucked into things, I'm going to steer clear of second life.