Setting up a character in any virtual world game can be a really daunting task even when the steps involved in the process are actually pretty simple, and this is even more so when Second Life – one of the largest virtual worlds there is – is involved. After all, your avatar is a representation of you in the in-game world. Thus, this article will take an in-depth look at the character creation aspect of Second Life. Let’s get started, shall we?

During the signing up process in Second Life, you’ll be immediately given a huge range of pre-made avatars, which include both male and female “templates” along with a variety of other characters like werewolves, vampires and even zombies, to choose from via the Avatar Picker. These pre-made avatars are there so that you can get into the game a lot faster, but of course, you will be given the opportunity to change your preset look into something that you’d rather prefer later on.

Once you’re done, it’s time to get right into the most fun and yet complicated part of the game – character customization! There is honestly a whole lot of stuff you can change in Second Life. Via the Appearance menu of your avatar, you can enter into the customization mode to change how your avatar looks in terms of... well, practically every part of the body. You can change your avatar’s body, head, torso, legs, arms, hair and skin as well as all the more intricate stuff such as ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and even chin.

What sets Second Life apart from most of the other virtual world games in terms of character customization aspect is that you simply have a wide – and I do mean WIDE – range of stuff that you can tweak to your liking. For instance, for body shape, you can change the height, the thickness and even the percentage of body fat, while for torso, you can add more, or less, musculature to your body, change the neck thickness and length, narrowing or broadening your avatar’s shoulders, and even adding or reducing love handles. Particularly for females, you can also change your breast size, buoyancy (so the breasts will look more firm or saggy), and cleavage.

In addition to looks, you can even change your avatar’s behavior animation, pose and even facial expressions by putting on animation overriders that you can sometimes get for free from the many in-game shops in Second Life. Of course, let’s not forget about putting on some makeup, and some really awesome-looking clothes.

The amount of customization provided in Second Life boarders on ridiculous levels (in a good way) if you ask me! Thankfully, everything you need can be easily adjusted using the sliders available, so there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t start changing your look from the get-go. However, personally, I would say that the hair, body shape, skin color, animation and outfits are among the most important things that you should customize if you’re new in the game. After all, you’d want your newbie avatar to look unique as soon as you can!

Looking good in the game is a big part of feeling good in Second Life (or any other virtual world game for that matter). So, you should definitely spend a bit more time customizing your avatar so that it is perfect for you. But of course, if you just want to quickly get in-game to start chatting, well, the pre-made character templates work just fine.