Over the past few years my journey in Second Life has been uneventful to say the least. I took a break from the met averse due to some creative differences with my then friends. Those particular friends and I have since parted ways and I saw fit to return to the realm to explore once again. I’ve been a resident of SL for over 8 years now and, according to records I am part of the 1% oldest citizens still active on the grid.

Having said that, not much really impresses me anymore. SL is full of greed and sex, with very little regard for anything other than the depths of Human depravity. So why do I continue to visit a land of griefers and profiteers? The answer is summed up in two words: New Babbage. The city I often like to refer to as a “Utopia of the mind.”

The city itself uses a steampunk design for a backdrop into a social experiment at creating a community in modern times with old world charm and class. The people inhabiting the city are from all walks of life, both in reality and virtually. All brought together a love of the age of steam and steam-powered devices. Inhabitants are encouraged (but not required) to role-play their cares away and maintain a level of decorum during their visit, but, as long as you don’t shoot at people, a person is pretty much free to do as he/she wishes. There are shops, of course as you would find in any other city. After all, running such a city isn’t cheap.

If you like the sound of living in this industrial utopia, you may want to join us in Second Life. It certainly makes a welcome change from the world outside the window.