Social Aspects of YoHoHo! Puzzle Pirates

YoHoHo! Puzzle Pirates (often referred to as YPP for short) has a particularly different sort of gaming dynamic than that described by Mark Stephen Meadows in Second Life. Some of the main differences are the lack of corporate presence, almost no social interaction based upon sex, and the lack of in game player status based on experience or levels.
Second Life is a game known for its corporate presence. W Hotels and American Apparel are two major companies which have created an in game presence. W Hotels tests out architectural prototypes in the virtual world. American Apparel sells virtual versions of their real-life clothing for people to use and outfit their avatars with. YPP is completely devoid of any major corporate entities (with the exception of Three Rings Design, its parent company). One possibility for this is due to the in game setting – pirates tend not to partake of much consumerist culture, and their role in society is that of an anarchist. Pirating is a form of theft and therefore pirates are fairly impervious to a majority of material desires influenced by corporations.
The various forms of player sexual interaction, domination, and submission which Meadows describes in I, Avatar are notably absent in YPP as well. The avatars which players are provided with are unable to be nude (even if a player has no clothing, “rags” are issued to them to prevent any form of exposure). The control of an avatar’s actions is fairly limited as well (most actions are indicated by a representative symbol appearing above the avatar’s head, such as a sword for players who may be swordfighting), and used mostly for transportation from place to place than visual cues to one’s actions.
One of the most notable features of YPP is the range of player abilities and experience. Player “levels” are not used in game, and a brand new player has the ability to perform just as well on any given puzzle or task as a player who has been around for years. There are very few items in game which can’t be bought with a very accessible amount of PoE (with the exception of familiars, which are rare), and a fair number of PoE “sinks” (all clothing and weapons eventually wear out and turn to dust, those who are ship captains earn a higher percentage of booty but also have to keep a ship stocked with Rum and cannonballs, etc) which keep even very wealthy players from having an unfair advantage over those with little money. While dubloons can be purchased with money, PoE that a player has earned can also be converted into dubloons, allowing it to be a free gaming experience if a player chooses. However, there is virtually no exchange of PoE or dubloons for “real life” money due to its relative availability.
Most puzzles being played can be stopped at any time without penalty, which helps add to the immersive “feel” of the game – you can stop and start playing at any time you like. Also, the relative familiarity with pirate culture and customs helps players pick up lingo quickly. The line between the real and virtual is likely to blur less, I think, because the interaction is very much limited to casual puzzle games for enjoyment.
I can only hope that some day virtual worlds will become an all encompassing thing. Since 1999 I have been a part of the usenet group Alt.Gothic – it has become very much a “real life” experience to me now because of a variety of events (such as Convergence, a weekend con that revolves around clubbing) and connections with people in real life that have lasted regardless of where I’m living.