Do you ever wish/ you could be somebody else? Now you can, within the growing online community/ of Second Life.

Second Life/ is a three-dimensional, online world/ in which computer users/ can create a new self/ and live a different life. Second Life/ is one of the most popular new online games/ called "massively multiplayer online role playing games." These games/ are also called/ MMOs, for short.

But/ unlike the other MMOs, Second Life/ is not about winning or losing. Second Life/ is technically a computer game. But people/ involved in it/ do not consider it/ a game/ because the players/ create everything. Second Life/ is more for socializing/ and creating communities.

Users of Second Life/ are called residents. To take part, they must create an avatar, or an electronic image/ of themselves. Some avatars/ look like humans, while others/ look like animals/ or imaginary creatures.

Inside the Second Life world, residents/ live different versions/ of themselves. They build homes, run businesses, buy and sell things, work, play, and attend school. They even have relationships/ and get married.

Second Life/ was created/ in two thousand three/ by Linden Lab/ in San Francisco, California. Linden Lab/ controls the Web site/ where the ever-changing world/ is being created. There are now/ about one million people/ around the world/ who are active/ in Second Life. The number/ has grown quickly/ since the beginning of the year/ when there were/ about one hundred thousand users.

The average age of people/ involved with Second Life/ is about thirty. However, Linden Lab/ recently created Teen Second Life/ for younger users. Second Life/ has its own economy/ and its own money, called Linden dollars.

Millions of dollars/ are made and spent/ each month/ in Second Life. Users/ can enter Second Life/ for free. But they must pay for a membership/ if they want to own land/ or buy and sell goods and services.

Recently, several major companies/ have become involved/ with Second Life. They wanted to be part of the growing business world/ that exists/ within the made-up reality. The car maker Toyota, music producer Sony BMG, and even Reuters news agency/ are among businesses/ now existing/ within Second Life.