Second Life has a new function - providing a place for online classes to teach real-life skills
An internet fantasy universe full of pretend worlds devoted to video games and socialising is expanding to include virtual classrooms and universities.
A new trend in online education involves students acting through animated characters called 'avatars' mingling in simulated school settings.
San Jose State University in Silicon Valley has built a campus at Second Life, the popular virtual world created by Linden Lab in San Francisco.
The virtual university spans 16 digital acres dotted with school buildings that Library Sciences Department students use for classes and experiments.
'When I teach with Second Life, I think of it as an experience generator,' Professor Jeremy Kemp said.
'I can send a student in to have an experience in an unstructured environment, and then come out and have a conversation about it.'