Second Life Blogs | Pixel Scoop | Virtual Worlds News

On Tuesday I blogged on the story of the man from Derby, UK who was in the News of the World (Sunday British tabloid) on Sunday because his wife is divorcing him after catching him having gay pixel sex in Second Life™. You can read that post by clicking here and you can see the story from the News of the World by clicking here. As the article explains, the avatar behind real life John Best, is Troy Hammerthall, a relatively new avie. I IMed Troy after reading the article on the off chance he would speak to me and he agreed to answer some questions via offline from his email.

Now, in the way that happened a few months ago with the last tabloid covered RL divorce ’caused by’ SL™, people have had a bit of a laugh about the story and it’s been discussed by SLers and non SLers alike. But laughter aside for a second and what a lot of people fail to remember is that someone’s real life has been completely thrown into disarray because of some sensationalist tabloid rubbish about Second Life! Here’s what John Best aka Troy Hammerthall, had to say on the matter.

Josue Habana: First up, this is quite a new avatar. Is it your first?
Troy Hammerthall: Yes it is.
Josue Habana The News of the World quotes you as saying the incident was just a bit of a laugh. With that said, it seems to have been blown massively out of proportion. Have you managed to get back any sense of normality since the press covered this on Sunday?
Troy Hammerthall: No, everyone is taking the Mickey out of me and ribbing me about it. I’ve tried to keep a low profile.
Josue Habana: Presumably it was your wife who went to the papers in the first place? Have you had chance to speak to her since?
Troy Hammerthall: I have told her to get out of my life for selling the story. She did it for the cash. I don’t have a clue how much blood money she took off those cockroaches and I don’t want to know. I’m just glad to be shut of her now. To do what she did is despicable.
Josue Habana: How do you answer the implications made by the press and by your wife that this incident in Second Life suggests you might be homosexual in real life?
Troy Hammerthall: I’m not gay. I was just having a laugh amd messing about. It’s ridiculous.
Josue Habana: Will you be playing Second Life again?
Troy Hammerthall: I still do play Second Life. I’m on it all the time. I’m looking for a job at the moment on there.

So, as you see and as is easy to forget when simply reading news stories, these are massive implications on a person’s real life. Is it not absolutely absurd for the news papers to report things this way? Can’t they concentrate instead (if they must get their fix on the pixel gossip) on naming and shaming proven texture thieves? Or on covering someof the amazing education, arts and culture events going on?

Well… then again we are talking about the News of the World.

It was not so long back that the British Tabloids (ever reliable gossip and sensationalism providers) reported on a British couple who were getting divorced because he cheated on her with someone in Second Life™. Well the News of the World have managed to dig up more dirt (shock, horror). This time the gossip is a little jucier though. Basically, Lisa Best from Derby, UK, was lying in bed and her husband, believing her to be asleep, was beside her on his laptop… having pixel sex with a man in game. Well, according to the story, which you can read by clicking here, she of course sat up demanding to know what he was doing and he laughed it off. But now she’s had him move out and demanded a divorce. Now she tells her tale exclusively to the News of the World (whose employees really can only be referred to as ‘journalists’ at a real push) complete with a picture of her standing cross armed with a grimace that says ‘Yes, I am mad’. Let’s face it, she probably got paid a nice little packet and managed to completely humiliate her husband in the process. Hell hath no fury and all that….

Anyway, my point is that the only stories that really hit the headlines in terms of Second Life, are these big sensationalist ones. All the amazing educational stuff going on is crammed into 100 words on page two zillion in the bottom corner. But pixel affairs are top story events! Is it any wonder that nonSL-ers think all Second Life players are sex crazed, gender bending, confused nymphos?

Well, peeps, if you want your 15 minutes of fame all you need to do is get a real life divorce and blame it on Second Life. Send a tabloid newspaper your story and some shocking shots of avies in compromising positions in game and you’re Sunday paper top story material!