More than a handful of video games and anime set within a modern-day school-life setting imply there are many schools with an “Anime Society” or “Otaku Club” for students to join. There are more than a few tropes associated with both these clubs and their members, although they tend to be a bit more over-the-top than anything else. But I’ve got to say, I am jealous of anyone in real life who got to meet like-minded anime fans outside of university. Heck, back in my day, the only school clubs were those run by Grade 12 students clamouring for “Prefect” positions, and once those were locked in, I could count on one hand how many went ahead and recruited.
But enough of my rambling of jealousy and reflection. This is my attempt at creating my version of a High School Otaku Club president in Second Life, taking into consideration a video game setting and the tropes associated with such a character. I can imagine this character being a charming if not eccentric personality by day, but then taking a katana and battling all sorts of evil spirits at nights.
This photo was taken in Second Life. Second Life does have a reputation for more adult content (there is no shortage of that if you explicitly look for it). However, those interested in using it to build custom avatars and take great photographs will find a lot on offer from the user-created worlds, purchasable content for your avatars, a high level of customisation and clients dedicated to taking fantastic photos.
Take That (In-Game) Snap Daily Photo is an off-shoot of the Take That (In-Game) Snap article series, in which the first article focusing on Final Fantasy XIV was recently published. This looks at, celebrates and critiques how video game developers have implemented professional photography-like systems into their games. It will cover how the systems handle, just how accessible they are and, where applicable, how a modding community might be making these tools even better. With this Daily Photo spin-off series, I will be sharing individual photos from the games either covered or soon-to-be-covered in the series.
