Abstract
In the context of the complex forms of kinship existing within a mature social world like Second Life, this chapter argues that the lives lived within Second Life are themselves meaningful and grievable, even as separate from the embodied life required for their operation. Although a second life is dependent on the physical existence and consciousness behind the computer screen, a second life is not reducible to an extension of a “real life.” Avatars within Second Life form relationships, develop hobbies, and engage in the everyday minutiae of living. This, we argue, makes possible the existence of virtual lives that are real, fulfilling, and grievable on their own terms.
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Notes
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Gibson, M., Carden, C. (2018). Grievable Lives. In: Living and Dying in a Virtual World. Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76099-5_3
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