second life, whats that all about then?

[Andy Hamilton]

Yep, the heading of this topic says it all. So whats 2nd life all about then?

[Millymollymandy]

I don't even understand the topic title!

[revdode]

A world where we can make the earth big enough to keep us all in the conditions to which we have become accustomed, just a shame you can;t feed the starving masses with virtual food. More crudely a place for technophiles to live fantasy lifes while ignoring the world going to heck around them.

Thankfully the technology is still pretty pants, there will be no hope for us if they ever get these places looking better than a nineteen nineties adventure game. I can already see us burning whats left of the planet to keep the servers running although perhaps I read too much doomy SF.

[wulf]

I am intrigued by the fact this kind of thing has moved from the pages of science fiction books (particularly Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson) into some kind of reality.

Arguably, it is no less "real" than playing with stocks and shares and does have some points of interest, especially sociological (given the freedom of the environment, what type of society is created?) and social (the chance to interact with people in discussions on common interests without long distance travel).

However, it still has a lot of limitations - in particular, it can't give you more than 24 hours in a day so every moment playing in Second Life has to be taken from living in your first life. And, the point that has stopped me taking it further, it won't run on any of the computers in my house...

For those wanting to read more: http://www.secondlife.com/

Wulf

[chadspad]

Wasnt there something on the News about this? People arent having enuf hours to play it or to be able to get the upgrades so other people are playing it all day then selling the hours on for fat profits.

[Millymollymandy]

Oh! I read a murder novel with all this going on as part of the plot. I thought it was just part of the story created by the author.

[wulf]

I don't know if there is much going on with people being paid to play Second Life on other people's behalf (although there are businesses that allow you to get a job in-game) but that kind of thing does happen with some of the other online worlds. In Second Life, there are no "levels" but in games where there are (and more levels = more power) in game time starts to have a greater economic value.

Wulf

[catalyst]

apparently there are factories in china, with 20,000 or so pcs, all manned by teenagers, making 2nd life cash, to be sold to other second lifers (sounds like a double murderer!) for dollars...
they are making big bucks.

i think its sad when people are spending their time in a virtual world, while the real world is being consumed for corporate profits...

[Cheezy]

I've got a second life.....it's called the allotment

If all the players on second life had a lottie as well, they'd have no time and be too knackered to bother!.

[catalyst]

hey, my garden is my first life!!! :)

i signed up for 2nd life ages ago, but there aint enough hours in the day to do all the real things i want to do! let alone take part in a virtual world dedicated to profit, and with all the normal heirarchies.

now, if i designed a second life virtual world, it would do away with nasty things like money, government, cars, over population etc
it could end up being more fun than most people's real lives in this messed up world - but that in itself would be scary (paste: I can already see us burning whats left of the planet to keep the servers running), so i won't bother. :)

[Cornelian]

I was listening to BBC World last night through hours of insomnia *sigh* and there was a long discussion about Second Life and a ring of pedophiles now using it for virtual child abuse. Apparently it is now being investigated by the police, and being treated very very seriously.

[revdode]

In the end for some Secondlife like anything else is an opportunity to do what they do no matter how objectionably the rest of us find their activities. I'm sure policing will come along the way soon and it's easier than most users suspect to track them back home with applications like this.

Less objectionable perhaps but a lot of businesses including my employer are also expressing an interest in or moving into Secondlife. Perhaps they realise that exponential growth will only ever work in a practically infinite virtual world. Or maybe they relaise that the users tend to be early adopters (marketing code for mugs) and see it as a great way to access that particular group.

I guess Secondlifers should be ready for the enclosure and carving up of their brave new world.

[Wombat]

early adopters (marketing code for mugs) .