Catheryn Cheal describes student reactions to a course she and Vagner Whitehead taught in Second Life. The course required students to research a topic about virtual worlds, write a paper, and illustrate their findings by building an environment in Second Life. Negative student responses to the course coupled with the observation that students tended to dismiss work in Second Life as "play" led Cheal to consider why and how student perceptions influence learning in virtual worlds. Cheal discusses how Second Life's resemblance to a game may shape student perceptions and explores how the course could be better designed to help students see the educational value of Second Life. (Contains 6 exhibits.)