My avatar—a lanky, bald, black man in a professional grey suit and tie—stands upon a remote island next to Riley Triggs, a University of Texas Lecturer. He’s just teleported me here to meet with a Professor of Marine Science, Tracy Villareal, who is currently holding lectures and class projects on this plot of Second Life land.

A short, fat orange man walks onto my screen. His green hair juts out like handle bars on either side of his balding head. He wears a poofy, hot-pink-on-black shirt and bulbous-blue bellbottoms.

Well, I think to myself, at least Villareal has a good sense of fashion.