Lost Boys of Second Life…

by: Lucy Halberd

I recently interviewed a 12 year old boy(avatar) by the name of Donnie Menges and we chatted about his center for boys here in Second Life. The Overlook Boys Center, better known as OBC, is over 40,000m² and has several activities for its members to get involved in. These activities include, but are not limited to a dance club, game room, pool house, shopping mall, and classes in the art of building, scripting, and clothing making. For boys with no place to call home, there are rental cabins as well as free dorm rooms.

What made you want to create a place for boys to spend their time in SL?
I found there were few places for boys to go to enjoy themselves and make new friends. I wanted to make a nice place that was safe from griefers and people that don't like kid AVs. I kind of made it like the RL Boys Town, helping kids get started in SL, giving them a place to live, and sort of providing a shoulder to cry on.

How did you choose the name?
The name was Boys Town at first. I changed it to Overlook Boys Center to keep the confusion down, because there was another Boys Town in SL, only it wasn’t for kids. The Overlook came from a movie I like. Also, I don't care for people overlooking child AVs in SL.

How many members do you have at this time?
We currently have 190 active members and 65 alumni. We seemingly have an endless list of interested people, but we screen all members and don't allow people to join that have a history of causing problems.

Do you charge the boys anything to join?
OBC membership is free, however an application is required. With membership, you receive a place to live in our dorms.

How is it run?
The OBC is run by me and a staff consisting of a club manager, property manager, building engineer and member services. The operating expenses of the OBC are funded primarily by donations from our members, alumni, businesses around SL and the general public. In addition to money donations there have been donations of land.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about the OBC?
In keeping with our commitment to a fun and safe environment for the boys, we do not allow adult membership in our center. We do, however, allow visitor passes for parents and family of members.