Second Life started in 2003 with just 64 "acres;" it now measures 20,000 acres in size and is growing rapidly. The SecondLife.com website presents a virtual world that is similar to those found in computer games. In this game, however, you can participate in person. People join the site and create an avatar, a digital representation - a picture - of themselves; an avatar doesn't necessarily look like the real person.

(Welcome to Second Life)

If you need help, businesses exist in Second Life that will help you with clothing or other unique looks. These businesses, which are run by other participants in the game, can provide you with whatever you need in the metaverse - Second Life has a fully functional economy based on Linden dollars. How much is that in real money? The Second Life economy supports millions of US dollars in transactions every month.

Once you've created your look, you can enter the Second Life metaverse and mingle with the rest of the natives. You can attend concert events at Second Life's venue Muse Isle. Check out this explanatory video

The Second Life virtual world is old hat to science fiction readers. In his 1992 novel Snow Crash, writer Neal Stephenson laid out the entire idea:

As Hiro approaches the Street, he sees two young couples, probably using their parents' computers for a double date in the Metaverse, climbing down out of Port Zero, which is the local port of entry and monorail stop. He is not seeing real people, of course. This is all a part of the moving illustration drawn by his computer according to specifications coming down the fiber-optic cable. The people are pieces of software called avatars. They are the audiovisual bodies that people use to communicate with each other in the Metaverse. Hiro's avatar is now on the Street, too...
(Read more about Neal Stephenson's Metaverse)

Fans of Vernor Vinge will remember his earlier story True Names, which also lays out the basic idea of entering a virtual world using a Portal.

There have been other appearances of avatars and virtual worlds; check out these news stories:

• Church of Fools - Pews Made Of Pixels
  The Church of Fools, an experiment in online, interactive worship, will open its virtual doors. The service will be lead by real priests or pastors who appear as "avatars."
• The Rapture Of The Avatar
  The Church of Fools' Reverend Jem Clines turned to face the sanctuary wall and disappeared, leaving virtual parishioners thinking about The Rapture.
• Google Earth and Snow Crash CIC Virtual Earth
  Products provide functionality similar to the CIC Earth software in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.