Life 2.0

Documentary, Festival Favorites
D: Jason Spingarn-Koff

Using the research methods of a trained journalist and the storytelling skills of a filmmaker, first-time documentary filmmaker Jason Spingarn-Koff creates a thoroughly engrossing film about something that has engrossed others: Second Life. Much more than a video game, players navigate an alternate reality world they either seek or make, using avatars – re-visioned, animated versions of themselves. It’s estimated that 75,000 participants are logged on to Second Life at any given time. Why do they come? The answers are as varied as the participants themselves. While it’s easy for nonusers to wave off Second Lifers as off their nut, by the time Life 2.0 ends, you realize that while alternate reality games are not entirely harmless, their existence offers a thought-provoking examination of the narratives we tell and believe about ourselves and completely upends the notion of meaningful human interaction.

Wednesday, March 17, 2:30pm, Ritz 1

This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

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