iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction (CNN)
(CNN) -- Walk into Naughty Auties, a virtual resource center for those with autism, and you'll find palm trees swaying against a striking ocean sunset. Were it not for the pixelated graphics on the computer screen in front of you, you would swear you were looking at a tropical hideaway.
David Savill, 22, lives in Gloucester, England, in real life and created this spot within the virtual world of Second Life. Residents of this digital realm can represent themselves with 3-D images called avatars and connect with each other over the Internet. Savill said he wanted Naughty Auties to serve those with autism spectrum disorders and their friends and family.
Savill, who represents himself in the virtual world using an avatar named Dave Sparrow, said one benefit is that visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition. The graphical representations of real people create a "comfort zone" that can coax users out of their shells and get them communicating with others, he said.
more...I am not very thrill about Second Life. It is nice that autism world have land but they are often empty.
In one land space, there were that one person who a "moderator" and he doesn't have people skill at all. I was asking question not to annoy people and I get banned from an land for doing it. I told the leaders but it is obvious that they were too busy.
So.... when I saw that one land being feutured on the news, I know that the chance are they getting publicity when they are often empty.
28 Mar 2008, 9:27 am
