Amusement Parks, Part Two...and Racing

Second Life has its share of amusement parks. Overall, I guess I have been a bit disappointed with them. It’s hard to get the same kind of thrill on an SL amusement park ride as you can in real life. 

Cotton candy in the forehead
is one of the dangers of
SL amusement parks.

There used to be a really great replication of a portion of Disneyland in Second Life. It was called Mouse World. The two rides that I really enjoyed were Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Before going on the rides, you had to download the sound first…which took quite a long time. But once you completed that the rides were nearly like the real thing! Even the sounds were exactly like Disneyland. It was quite amazing and I enjoyed those rides because they brought my mind back to childhood memories. Sadly, the Mouse World sims closed last year.



Spinning teacup fun
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bracket/185/133/27

The other day I went to Magic Land in SL. It is another Disneyland like location. It is also quite well done, although I find it a bit laggy. They have a tea cup ride that is a lot like the real thing. I rode on “It’s a Small World” ride there. I never cared for the real life Small World ride and this one is very faithful to that….translating to my not being so fond of this ride either. I do appreciate the care that went into recreating this ride and find it interesting that I have the same reaction I would expect from the real deal…lukewarm to the experience.

I guess I like things to be a bit more exciting and fast paced. Which might explain why I have mostly given up on Amusement Parks in SL and now enjoy racetracks instead!

Yes, you read right. I am turning into a zoom-zoomer! I don’t consider myself to be especially competitive...until I get on a racetrack. Whether it is a bumper car, race car, or motorcycle….I strive to master the twists and turns on the road and then build up speed so that I can leave my competition in the dust. I never knew about this speed demon side of me until I tried my hand at racing in SL. Under the right circumstances and the right amount of concentration…I can be quite fast and several times have come out on top on the leaderboard.

One of my favorite racing spots is on the Damania sim. At this location, they have a race track for racing bumper cars. These cars can be a lot of fun.




Bumper car fun!!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Damania/28/157/30

 You can race around the track, and if you get bumped by someone…it is quite possible to bumped right off the track and onto the ground or under the water surrounding the track. You have to be creative to figure out how to get the car back on the track…but believe me it is quite possible if you are persistent. Ask me how I know…



Look who is in 1st place!

All this talk about racing has got me thinking about whizzing down the track with my SL hair waving in the breeze behind me. Anyone up for a race? Bet I can beat you!