Deutschlandkonstruktionen in der Weltsimulation „Second Life“

The interactivity and 3D-visualisation techniques of the simulation Second Life allow users to create a virtual geography that consists of wide-stretched digital landscapes and urban areas. Compared to different world simulations, e.g. World of Warcraft, Second Life is related closely to reality by a real money trade. Thus, many economical processes can be initiated, moulding landscape structures massively. Despite the globalisation process and the successive generation of postmodern city structures in Second Life’s urban areas, various symbols of genuine cultural elements of nationalities (e.g. from Germany or France) can be found either. Apparently, these symbols reflect common ideas of landscapes and help to meet the user´s need for identity in a virtual world. At the same time national symbols are used for advertising strategies in Second Life, inducing and manipulating the spatio-economic development of the simulation.