Exploring Second Life: Virtual Hallucinations

The Sedig Schizophrenia Education area is a clinic building where players can experience a simulation of the kinds of hallucinations that come with schizophrenia. The simulation was developed through interviews with two schizophrenia patients. As you move through the building, the game attempts to replicate the auditory and visual hallucinations the two patients experienced.

Some of the visual simulations were more difficult than others. For example, the laptops in the font office had flapping lids and the floor of the main hallway disappeared when I entered. These hallucinations were distracting, but easy for me to dismiss. More troubling were the relatively subtle hallucinations, such as a poster whose text shifted from the kind of benign slogan common in hospitals to a profane insult. The small shifts in my perception required a double-take, absorbing my attention, while the more dramatic hallucinations were something I could take in and dismiss much more easily.

The most troubling part, however, were the voices meant to simulate auditory hallucinations. As I walked through the clinic, there was a constant barrage of insults, questioning the very value of my existence. It was difficult to listen to them for the short period of time I walked through the clinic, knowing that I had the option to mute my speakers or leave the area. It must cause incredible psychological damage to listen to those voices endlessly over the course of years.

Most of us, thankfully, will never truly understand what it is to live with schizophrenia. This certainly contributes to the stigma surrounding mental illness and the challenges in treating it, especially severe disorders. Virtual worlds have impressive potential to simulate, in at least partial ways, the experience of living with an array of illnesses, both mental and physical. Perhaps these kinds of experiences can contribute to greater understanding and empathy for those who struggle with difficult illnesses.