August 29, 2010
Spending In Second Life
The content within the renowned virtual world of Second Life is all designed and created from start to finish by the users of the platform, usually referred to as ‘residents.’ However, this alone is not what sets Second Life apart from other virtual worlds. One of the biggest draws is in fact its booming and successful economy. Even as the real world struggled against a recession that reaches all corners of the globe, the residents of Second Life kept spending. 2009 saw the Second Life economy reach 567 million US dollars.
The currency of Second Life is Linden Dollars. They are bought through the exchange, better known as the Lindex. These Linden dollars can then be spent on a variety of goods and services made or offered by other users or residents. The residents earning Linden dollars in Second Life can cash them out into a very real currency! This means that Second Life is actually a means of real income for many people.
But what do the users of Second Life actually buy with their Linden dollars in Second Life? One of the biggest expenses for those who choose to buy it is Second Life land. People often pay a fee in advance and an ongoing monthly fee for the duration that they ‘own’ their land. Many then use this land to set up stores of their own from which to sell their goods, clubs or homes. Significant amounts of money are also spent on avatar appearance items such as Second Life fashion items, skins, virtual hairstyles and all things to make our pixels look good!
There’s also no shortage of cash spent on services in world. These services might include marketing services to enlist the help of specialists in marketing your own products or even on a live musician or comedian to perform at an event at one of the many clubs or live performance venues within Second Life.
For many people who have never been involved in Second Life, to hear of people spending such copious amounts of money on items and services that simply do not physically exists is often difficult to understand. However, the economy within this booming virtual world is a real income for many talented designers. And for anyone who still can’t get their head around it… you pay for your internet connection right? Can you touch it? Thought not.
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