With the recent Second Life news stories I decided to experiment with this virtual world, from a journalistic point of view for my blog on Multiply.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of things after 2 days and I recently earned my first batch of in-game currency, starting from a balance of zero.

It reminds me of some the systems I encountered in the 80s, which was a bit of surprise.

In case anyone else is thinking of experimenting with it (or already plays it) my avatar's name is Waldo Huckleberry, which is the equivalent of a phone number in the system I'm lead to believe.

It currently looks like Second Life is going through a recession that mirrors the real world.

Go on, be a devil!

I'm traumatised.

Over the few days I've been exploring Second Life I've managed to raise L$93 without spending a penny of real world cash. I also have a rather striking pair of wings that I acquired for free.

The place is visually quite striking and it has been put together largely by capitalism, which itself has been driven by sex.

The currency Linden Dollars (L$) is bought solely through real-world currency and you can exchange them back into real-world currency if you so desire.

The idea is that people craft virtual things and sell them to people who want themselves or their land to look more interesting. Making things is largely free although importing images into SL costs about L$10 per image. Once you make something you can sell multiple copies.

Of course buying thing to improve your status and your appearance is worthless unless you have a reason to do it, which is where sex comes in.

Another way people have sex in SL is to use something that comes with in-built animations. A bed might allow people to have sex in the same way that a dance floor might allow avatars to do the rumba.

I'm simply not sold entirely by the concept as there is a lot of noise with the signal. People want you to spend L$ because they can mean real-world money and also because they are paying rent on land. A random person might be the scrounge rather being someone who want to chat and socialise.

Also it seems that there is a recession going in the virtual world as there is one going on out here! Lots of land is for sale, for example.

Its not real.
Its pretend.
I will never, ever get my head round the concept of virtual reality such as second life.
This forum is simply a means of communicating with others, an extension of the telephone, letter writing, and of course being in the same room in person.
But Second Life is living a life that simply only exists on someone's computer monitor and inside their heads.
The equivalent would be for you and me to be baron munchausen wannabes chatting on my sofa.
Or talking utter drivel and fabricated lies down the telephone.
I will never understand it.

The only real thing I can see about it is that it is costing people real money.
Somebody has found a way of making real money out of other people's insecurities and misfiring brain cells.
They'd be better off spending that money on seeing a psychiatrist or a counsellor who could help them be content to live in the real world.

People who use it (and other virtual programs) for fun and entertainment, I can totally understand though.

It doesn't appear to be making all that much money, I hasten to add.

I think what I've seen so far is a constant churning of new people (who often won't bring any fresh money into the system) and an infrastructure that was largely built when the economy was more vibrant.

New people scrap up "free" cash (via a number of methods) at very slow rate and then buy a few things - quite a lot is available for free now.

Some communities with bizarre lifestyles seemed to migrated there, such as the Gor fanatics (who are prone to arrest or probes) and the furries (real fake-fur costumes are quite expensive, I believe).

For me, my "lego" recreational building sensibilities have been fired up and I may yet spend some time trying to make sense of the random things I've found. Order out of chaos often appeals to me.

However the sex side is undoubtedly very sad. In a world where sex is just a few dodgy animations restless males still seem to seek it out. Endless empty pole-dancing clubs attest to even this market having some limits.

Over all Second Life is a bit like wading through piles of celebrity magazines ... every now and again you find something of genuine interest!

Well done?
Cant think much more to say.

I think I understand what you are saying u4ric, sadly I seem to see the world as a very black and white picture though.