Second Life: game, simulator, or serious game?

Ten years after being launched in 2003, it is still a matter of discussion if Second Life (SL) is a virtual world, a computer game, a shopping site or a talker (communication software based on a MUD). This article reports on an exploratory case study conducted to analyze the Second Life (SL) environment and determine into which of training simulators, games, simulation games, or serious games categories SL fits best, by using Narayanasamy et al. and Johnston and Whitehead criteria. We also examine the viability of SL as an environment for physical simulations and microworlds. It begins by discussing specific features of the SL environment relevant to its use as a support for microworlds and simulations, as well as a few differences found between SL and traditional simulators such as Modellus, along with their implications to simulations, as a support for subsequent analysis. We conclude that SL shows itself as a huge and sophisticated simulator of an entire Earthlike world used to simulate real life in some sense and a viable and flexible platform for microworlds and simulations.