Ocean Pointe Puts Family Time First- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

There are a variety of communities in Second Life that focus on different activities for family role play. Ocean Pointe is one of them. Established in June of 2012, it is open to any family looking to be part of a welcoming community. There are 8 sims in total with over 50 things to do. Owned and operated by JA Handsome and Cinn Hansome (Aine Highfield) together they have created a charming and peaceful town environment right in the heartland of Canada.  Some of the many features include a friendly town atmosphere with parks, picnic areas and playgrounds. Amenities include a shopping center with familiar names like Tim Horton’s, Peter Cottontail Bargains, Jazzy Footwear, Lickety Splits Ice cream Parlor, Yoga studio and the Hansome Medical Center which provides healthcare to ailing residents as well maternity care for expectant parents .

Handsome Medical Center

For families who enjoy the water and educational adventures, Ocean Pointe has a cove which features a beach, an old lighthouse, Town Hall, a children’s library, War memorial and Ocean Pointe’s Historical Society.

Town Square

For families who love nature, homes and apartment rentals are available at Sugarland. It is an enchanted neighborhood environment surrounded by woods and private beaches. The amenities this location includes Ocean Pointe’s Premiere Radio station, St. Andrew’s Church, Kendall Rayne’s Photography Studio, Legend’s Rock & Roll Museum, and a 50’s Diner.

Neighborhood

Ocean Pointe West is a suburban style neighborhood for families who enjoy the city life. Homes and townhouses are available within a community that includes a beautiful butterfly garden, bowling alley, supermarket, Italian and Chinese restaurants a pizza and sub shops. Security includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and fire department.

For larger families, Ocean Pointe’s Westwood Estates is an exclusive neighborhood that can accommodate. Storybook Garden Playgrounds are scripted for Zooby babies and welcomes child avatars.  The Highfield House offers Zooby Baby Adoptions for families who wish to add to their families.

Tim Horton's

Exclusive Mansion Homes are also available at Ocean Pointe’s Crossroads for those who like to live the lavish lifestyle.

The SL Enquirer sat down with JA and Cinn Hansome to learn more about Ocean Pointe.

Welcome Center

Interview with JA & Cinn Handsome

SLE: Hi JA & Cinn, where are you both from and what brought you together in Second Life?

JA: I’m from Toronto Canada, and Cinn is from south of Boston Mass. We met at Sweethearts Ballroom late one night and found an instant attraction. We talked the night away and only after I left realized we didn't even dance. We saw each other the next day and haven't missed a day since.

SLE: What was your inspiration behind Ocean Pointe?

JA: Well that’s not a simple answer, really, there are three main factors. Before we built Ocean Pointe we had opened our maternity Clinic on a different sim. We strived for realism not only with the information and services but with our builds and attention to details. Our clients kept asking if we had houses because they loved how the clinic looked, so we thought we should try and build a little town. When we started planning it, we agreed to make it Canadian because I had searched all over SL for Canadian content and had found little. The third factor is that Ocean Pointe is not for money but a labor of love by both Cinn and I. One of our residents described it beautifully as our love song to each other.

Cinn: This was something I wanted to do for Jay. I’m on Ocean Pointe everyday to make sure it runs as smooth as possible because I know it is important to him.

SLE: Can you tell me what SL family means to you?

JA and Cinn:

Cinn: People always ask me what the secret to the long lasting, loving relationship that Jay and I have... my answer is simple... there is no 50/50 in a good relationship- its 100/100.  As long as both of you are on the same page- understand what your partner needs and wants... your relationship will thrive

JA: As long as you both have the same goal, the goal you are working towards is a happy healthy relationship... all your decisions are based on what is good for you as a couple. If we are on different sides of an issue, we figure out which is the best path for us as a couple and no one loses.

SLE: How many families call Ocean Pointe home?

Cinn: About 65 right now.

SLE: Who should families contact if they are looking to rent a home at Ocean Pointe?

JA: Cinn or I. We don’t have managers because we want to know everyone and make sure they get the attention they deserve.

SLE: What type of events do you have for families and how often?

Cinn: We have daily events; we have school, and play dates. We have dances that are family friendly. We have bowling night, greedy or game night and are always open to impromptu events. We have an events meeting every week as well and all residents are welcomed to come.

SLE: You have your own premiere radio station, can you tell us more about it?

Cinn: WOPR Radio is Dekadence Radio Network and is owned by Mysti Drake-Vilotta and Izzy. It’s Internet wide stations that has streamed music as well as live DJs. They have events at the station every week.

SLE: What has been the most rewarding and challenging things you have faced operating such a large family based community?

Cinn: The most rewarding thing, I’d say, is the friends we have made. Some caring and loving people have come into our lives through OP. And for me, working with JA everyday has brought us closer together.

JA: nods in agreement. I see how Cinn works, what kind of person she is, how caring and loving and drive to make sure things are right.

Cinn: As for challenges, balancing growth against personal attention. If you don't grow, you go backward, but with each sim we get, time becomes more of a challenge.  

JA: Yes for sure. Cinn and I spend most of the time doing things around OP and rarely have time together anymore. We love doing what we do and wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if OP suddenly vanished, but long gone are the days of dancing all night long at a ballroom.

SLE: What are your hopes for the New Year?

JA: On a personal level we want our relationship to grow. As for Ocean Pointe, it will grow too. We have plans for more sims. We don’t rush into any expansion; we grow only when it’s right so that OP remains stable, we want it to be here for a long time.

SLE: Do you have anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Cinn: Just a personal philosophy I’d like to share, if I may, at the end of the day, no matter what your avi is, no matter what your role play is, the person behind the monitor is a real person with real feelings and real thoughts and real needs. Therefore, it is very important to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

JA: I agree, it has been one of the guiding principles to how we serve Ocean Pointe residents.

Now it is time for you to see for yourself what makes Ocean Pointe one of the best family communities on the grid.

Begin your tour now

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Delmars/26/214/22

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SL Family Role Play- What makes it so popular?- Debby Sharma Reporting...

“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving laughing, defending and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together”

~ Erma Bombeck

It took me a while to write this particular article. I thought it was my first writers block. Until now I never thought I could be speechless too. My profound love for my family, my free will to sacrifice for them, my over possessiveness to be protective all the time could never be measured in words.  Well, we all have a family and we all know what it means to be one of the members. Like Robert Brault in his blog said, ‘Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie, not perfect but who is complaining.”

So, why family life is so important even in virtual life? I packed my bags to look for an answer role playing as a 12 year old kid. There are various adoption agencies like NGI, Olrich, Heritage. I stopped by Heritage Adoption Agency.

 The landmark is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Miracle%20Love/133/14/33

There were 100s of panels each seeking child, parent, god child, sibling, god parent and adults, all looking for a family. Kimi Ayakashi says to child she might adopt someday soon, “I am a single mom. You do have a dad but I would parent as a single parent. I can't wait to find my little one. I will be there for you. I do want a child who understands parent's also need a break and do business as well. I really want to have family life and be as interactive and hands on as possible. Together I want to create a cosy home that is a safe haven for my children to be themselves and be loved. I think children should be free to create and explore but with boundaries created by a loving parent.”

There was another family looking for a child, Jaiden and Brynne. where Jaiden Abbey Lennox is the mom, Brynne Isabelle Sinclaire is the daughter,  Starleigh Reese Sinclaire is Brynne's little one. Jaiden says her idea of fun, “Anything as long as we are having fun as a family! I enjoy games such as greedy or parcheesi, movie nights and just spending time together in general. It doesn't matter to me as long as you are spending time with those you care about. Greedy, drawing on mom’ walls, twerking everywhere or even stealing food is allowed.” She continues, “I do want to stress that I am looking for forever family. I want someone that is going to want to be there next week, next month and a year from now. The perfect fit is a must. ♥ I do the SL Facebook and Plurk stuff. I love skype and voice! I am also alright with communication outside of SL. And I am a huuuuge gaming nerd. So if you would like to play other games I am all for that too! I play LoL, WoW and lots of L4D2. Zombies!” Laughs. “Forever's a big deal for us.  I play League with mom sometimes, and we'd love you to join!  I'm a bit of a goofball, it's just my personality.  We need someone who can offset my crazy but still be crazy!” LilyChu, is about 12 years old, says “I'd like a family who is active. Not just online, but I'd love to have moments where we can all come together and hand out as a family. Though, I do understand some parents are busy, and that's fine too, as long as I am not forgotten.”

Virtual families are not bound by blood but trust, love and faith. Britney von Prague says, “It’s the connection and the closeness that virtual families are famous. I am into SL families because for me it is something I have lost in the real world. I consider my SL family as my RL family. My mom is awesome, she is someone that never quits working on something. My dad is someone who makes sure you laugh. My siblings are a blend of everything. Most of all my family is nuts.” She laughs and continues, “It’s been a year, a first for me. If I count right, this is my 7^th. Ever since we became a family, we say it was fate that brought us together.” When asked what she likes to do, she says, “I like to eat sugar and color on people. I have tried school in SL, nothing ever fit for me. There was one school I loved, but it shutdown. It was Cloverdale. I know a lot of people hated it, but I loved it. I was the President for the Elementary and on the cheer team. Now days, most of the time we stand around and chat or we play board games. At one year celebrations we are going to Disney in Second Life.”

It is amazing to see people from different parts of the world come together to look for someone to love and be loved. There can be two logical answers for virtual family’s existence, one is the absence of a proper one in real life and the second is to share the experiences of virtual reality together.  If some do not have a family in Virtual Reality, they have friends. Few residents role play with real people as their children and others sort for prim babies. Even though many sellers are selling prim babies to care for; it still gets boring after some time. Taking care of new born prim babies could be considered for the initial role play stage of parenthood. To see ones child growing up is a great happiness in real life. Like in real life, Second Life provides so many other activities which aid well with family role plays.

There are many schools for school role play, amusement parks etc. One of the school, I visited is the Sunstrider Valley Elementary and High School. The Landmark is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunstrider%20Valley/126/77/21. It is helping kids excel in the community and in education. There is a new sports centre, a grand school building with amazing features and lots of fun. The school has great features like football, soccer, swimming pool, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, ballet studio, library & computer lab, auditorium theatre and gymnasium and fully working bathrooms with Life-Hud options.

To enhance the family role play imitating it like a real life community, few Estate owners are taking extra steps to provide a community for all. One such is the Misthaven Estates, with 11 connected sims. A PG community with family homes, school, mall, clubs. A train system connecting all the places, drivable streets, starlight cinema theatre, bowling alley, mini golf, arcade games and camping ground right on the Kid Grid. There are others like the Olrich City, Downtown Shopping District, Pleasant Hope Estates, Masoma County Residential Living Community, Almsteadt Estates and others.

Photograph Credit: Dilego Lavane, formed to a collage by Debby Sharma

If there is a perfect fit, then why not opt for the choice of having a family virtually. It is said, bigger the better. It is better to be one of the loving members and go through the ordeal every day than to explore the lands and deserted towns alone in a virtual kingdom. Like Lisa Weeden said, “Being a family means you are part of something wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life”.

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