Looking Toward the Future

Certain production areas, like machinima, have not attracted many women. Some major in-world companies include Ariella Languish that has produced a variety of features for SL that can be accessed on the Web [http://www.machinima.com]. The identity of the owner and creative crew is not revealed online. Perhaps some women are experimenting and their works have yet to surface to the Web or mainstream attention. Many women artists work on projects that stay hidden within educational sims, and some of their work never rises beyond the eyes and eyes of their local groups. Partly, this might be attributed to a lack of self promotion. A number of educators, like Angela Thomas, are involved in creative sophisticated builds, such as her virtual reenactments based on literature. She has been interviewed by Paisley Beebe. Thomas is a prominent RL lecturer, author, and conference speaker on virtual worlds.

Overall, women content providers appear to gravitate toward fashion and entertainment content, yet increasingly women appear interested in making media that addresses SL business and finance sectors, as well as ways to bring RL education into alternate worlds. Educators are experimenting with media technologies in Second Life, even if they have not readily done so in their real classrooms. In fact, women owners are major contributors to its virtual economy and education. SL runs on a virtual economy that can connect highly educated women with each other (in RL and SL) and mentor those females who would like an opportunity to have careers in SL (when it is not possible in RL due to family obligations or physical disabilities). Second Life allows women to fly beyond the glass ceiling of RL, and these moments are increasingly and dramatically captured by women making media in Second Life.