Second Life should be considered a community rather than a game. While it may have some things in common with MMORPGs, allowing large numbers of players to interact with each other online, what Second Life lacks is an end game. There is no level 70 to reach. Competition certainly exists within the Second Life virtual community, however, just like here in the 3-D world and like our own reality, that competition tends to revolve around money and the things that money translates into. money, in particular, property.
Once you create your own Second Life avatar and start exploring, you’ll soon realize that all the cities, the coffee shops, the clothes people wear, the houses their characters inhabit, were made by other residents just like you. The stores that the items are displayed in may be owned by the creator of the items or they could be owned by an owner, but someone has definitely bought the land where any store is built. The same goes for nightclubs and houses. Some Second Life residents own entire islands.
Second Life’s currency is the linden. They work like dollars and you exchange them for goods and services within Second Life. Linden dollars can be purchased online or earned within the community. There are many different ways to earn money in Second Life and some people participate in Second Life mainly because they want to exchange virtual dollars for real dollars. All of this is also perfectly legal and seems to be encouraged by the creators, Linden Labs.
There are many different opportunities to earn money in Second Life, depending on what your skills are. Many designers who are great with graphics design the clothing and accessories that the avatars wear. Someone else might decide to run a nightclub and collect admission fees. Another person might just be a bartender at that nightclub, working for a salary. The opportunities are endless and resemble how things work in the real world, but all of this is now done virtually.
The best way to get to know Second Life is to go ahead and sign up, create an avatar, and start exploring. The Second Life website at secondlife.com actually has a lot of great information on how the economy works and they even have an economics blog and keep statistics on their economy, just like economists develop statistics for the US government. about our economic health. Once you get to know the virtual world a little better, you will likely find your own niche and money making ideas and can start exploring the best way to find opportunities, whether you just want to have fun and build your own niche. in-game bets, or want to start exchanging virtual money for real money.
