The moment had come. This was my chance to enter the specific area my teacher Iggy Onomatopoeia had talked about all semester. I had arrived, truly arrived, at the House of Usher. My excitement was palpable as I finally had my turn to tour this amazing piece of virtual architecture, which my teacher had spent countless hours designing and creating.
When I first walked in to the visitor’s center, I attempted to put on my Victorian-Style clothes, but for some reason my avatar stubbornly refused to wear the clothes. I tried multiple times, but I was unsuccessful in getting on the Victorian clothes. Luckily, I was given a pass on the Victorian- style garments and was allowed to enter the house with the suit I was wearing.
Arriving at the house, I was instantly immersed into the world of Roderick and Madeline Usher. I instantaneously felt like I was a part of Poe’s story. With each step, tentative at first, and then becoming more and more bold, I was engrossed by every single element that had been included in the house. From the big details, such as the ornate pattern of the Victorian- style wallpaper to the intricate details in the green moss growing in the stone walls, I felt I had left 2009 and time-traveled back a few hundred years. How ironic! I was transported back more than one hundred years by the latest, lightweight, glossy-white Mac laptop, a computer brand not developed until late 1980's. My computer is as far removed from the Victorian era as the inkwell is to today
Roderick warmly greeted me when I entered the house. I was excited to have been greeted by Roderick because Roderick and I previously worked together on my “secret task” assignment, which was to discover what type of books Roderick liked and also what type of books Roderick had been reading. What I determined struck me as odd. Roderick said that he had been reading a significant number of books, but the reading had become more and more morbid. In the story, Roderick kills his sister, Madeline. As Roderick read more and more, he descended into mentally illness.
Roderick’s mental illness had a personal effect on me that I was not expecting. When I shadowed Roderick in the beginning, he kept on telling me to go check on the guests, as we always want them to feel welcome and comfortable. At this point, I was the one feeling uncomfortable. I was slightly offended because I thought that I was, indeed, a guest. As I continued to shadow Roderick, I realized he had misread my name. In Second Life, my name is Jennings. In his madness, Roderick misread my name and called me Jenkins. Jenkins is the servant. It all made sense why I was being told to walk down to the kitchen and get some tea for Madeline and Roderick or constantly being told to check on the guests.
My beta test goal was to discover different improvements to enhance the House of Usher Simulation. The test goal was probably harder than my secret goal. The simulation of the House of Usher is truly spectacular. From the booming sound effects to the intricate details in the walls, everything felt so real. If I had to make some suggestions, my first improvement would be to add more Victorian furniture, as a hallmark of the Victorian Era is the very beautiful, lush, and ornate furniture. The existing furniture made certain rooms, such as the dining room, come alive with their realistic and interesting niceties.
Secondly, I would suggest the inclusion of more functional maps, as some I was given proved useless. Because this was my first time in the house, I could not wait to explore its rooms and hoped to return. If the students were required to revisit to the house and work with the actors twice, enhanced maps would definitely be invaluable.
