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Even in a game as well organised as WoW things can catch players out.

The first few seconds of WoW involve a framing narrative that provides a back-story, motivation and a sense of the space/environment. You automatically want to get outside (which you have seen) when the game starts. This involves learning how to move. I good example of providing a contextual motivation.

Compare with the first few seconds in Second Life: http://blip.tv/file/852505

If someone had said that hitting a rat with a stick was part of the game they might not be too impressed but once it is framed as part of a larger goal it seems like legitamate behavour. Rat > Zombie > Ogre > Dragon can be imagined. In this clip the notion of activity being part of 'the game' legitamises it. How did these players come to understand what the game was? How much does getting a 'task' help?

These people know how they want to look. Their motivation to change their appearance came from feeling inappropriately dressed for a night club. They seem to be creating an an image of themselves rather than an fantasy character here. The ability to control your appearance is a powerful aspect of Second Life but it can become all consuming.

There is nothing like a common bond to drive a conversation. Oddly this first attempt at communication is done via IM not the normal text chat.

So here we see the core of the challenge with Second Life, discovering or constructing a 'point'. Second Life is a platform not a game. Unless a goal is provided (by the individual or by the educator) users feel lost and unmotivated. Real life is full of structures and goals which provide motivation, many of which are totally banal. Maybe Second Life brings this to the fore?

The context acts as a mirror for the self? We are all very good at identifying when we don't quite fit in. Is the need to belong what drives most activity in Seocnd Life?

If the orientation process does not seem relevant or useful then users will simply make their own way. Is it the case that most of us are happy to experiment in low risk environments?

Second Life throws a lot at you in one go. Especially in terms of user interface. What I like about this clip is you can spot other avatars making the same mistakes. While these ladies are quite surprised by what happens, they do know that they are amongst if not friends then 'fellow sufferers' which must be comforting?

Yes, it is legitamate to use the manual! Old fashoned but handy bits of paper. The equivalent for Second Life would be a help/basiscs book bought from Amazon.