What is Digg?123 Comments
- CDoug03, on 05/17/2008, -9/+76Seriously, who plays Second Life? I am sure 90% of their accounts are inactive.
- insanebrain, on 05/17/2008, -1/+40I'm still struggling with my first life. ..
- StevieJanowski, on 04/02/2009, -6/+32I love the internet but I still don't get Second Life - that being said maybe I need to dip in there and try to make a few $
- millertime588, on 05/17/2008, -5/+29I just don't get it. I tired it out one time and it just seemed so boring. The graphics suck, the physics suck, and things were a little buggy. The media and even college professors always act like this game is the future but I don't even know anyone who plays it.
- ronaldhennessy, on 05/17/2008, -1/+24Here is an opinion from a person who has actually spent a few years (I log in from time to time, I don't spend all day in world) in SL. Basically, like the real world, making a lot of money in SL will be hard. There are VERY VERY few people who make a living in the virtual world. I can't bother doing that sort of content creation since my first life is rather busy. I just simply log in and hang out and explore the sites much like a tourist. I don't hang out in the sex regions (J.C. why do people get turned on by virtual sex?) or don't even own any land.
The learning curve is quite steep. That is why so many people don't come back. Even with all of the tutorials available at your disposal, most people are not going to want to bother. On paper, and others like it may become the future of the web, but Linden Lab really has got to get their ***** together if they want to make that happen. Make it easy for n00bs and make it more appealing to the general audience.
I really don't get why Second Life has become such a web 2.0. whipping boy. It seems like virtually every Digg article about this and the comments that follow tend to fall in the pessimistic territory. - inactive, on 05/17/2008, -2/+21............................................________........................
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..................................., - xOKxWhy, on 05/17/2008, -4/+22People who don't have a first life?
- OGla, on 05/17/2008, -2/+14That's gonna be super for you resumé.
- DeadElephant, on 05/17/2008, -2/+11Woah chief, taking a game a bit seriously, aren't you?
- celotil, on 05/17/2008, -3/+11Contrary to a majority of the twelve opinions on this story at the moment, I think that anyone who can use a marketplace, virtual or real, to make a living should do so. In the context of showcasing architectural design, engineering ideas, and urban planning, 3D MUD's like Second Life are a viable tool for communicating ideas.
However, I do have a problem with something done recently to the overall download/upload dynamics. It used to be a case that I couldn't play Second Life simply because my computer couldn't run the graphics well enough. Now it seems, even though my laptop is well capable of displaying the graphics, I still can't participate because the bandwidth requirements are suddenly above my 512Kb SDSL connection, damnit. - atomicrobot, on 05/17/2008, -1/+8My first experience with SL pretty much sums it up:
I logged on, spent 5 minutes creating an avatar and was immediately accosted by a canine furrie with a 10 foot schlong.
Future marketplace my ass. - JettaMan, on 05/17/2008, -0/+7Somehow I doubt Second Life is the ticket to being a millionaire. You *might* make enough money to scrape buy with rent and eating Cheerios all day unless you can think of something truly revolutionary that can't be copied easily.
- buffyangel108, on 05/17/2008, -3/+10Revenge of the Nerds. Now who's gonna be popular in high school?
- sbtbrownis, on 05/17/2008, -0/+6please, please...these comments slating sl remind me of people suggesting that the internet would remain socially irrelevant back in the eighties. sl is just a 3d version of the internet. sure, its slow and buggy, but give it time, and we will all look back at its limitations with a rosy glow of nostalgia. ;)
- pablo0713, on 05/17/2008, -2/+8As with any Second Life article and the comments that follow, people keep missing the point about SL. SL is far from perfect technologically speaking. We users of the world do put up with awful amount of grid and server problems. It takes about 18,000 servers to run Second Life spread out all over the world so most users put up with the problems. SL started out to be just like any other MMORPG with the only difference (and a hugely big difference) in that users are able to create the content. I don't think Linden Labs set out to become web 3.0 and their estimation that one day the Internet will be replaced with a completely 3d environment is, to me, far fetched. SL has grown into something that nobody expected it to be. People are trying to turn it in a platform for everything. Can't blame them for trying. You can look at SL and use simplistic terms to describe it like a 3D chatroom or a perv's heaven - but doing so is choosing to look at only one or two aspects of Second Life and ignoring the rest.
If you want to find a place to talk to people, via text or voice, SL is the place. If you want to build, create, or provide a service, SL is the place. If you want to explore your sexual fantasies (or any fantasy for that matter, SL is the place. If you want to find friends or a mate, SL is the place. If you want culture, SL is the place. You will find, to some degree, a replication of everything that represents our real life human reality. If it can be done in real life, there's probably a facsimile version of it in SL.
I'll be the first to admit, SL won't be for everybody. Most newbies come into the world and the first thing they ask is "how do I play/beat/win this game?" They've already missed the point. But people who want to banter on about how SL is for no-lifers and losers are dinosaurs in their thinking and have no idea about the true demographic of people who use the Internet and online services in general. Just like the real world, you will find the same group of diverse people online (doesn't matter if it is WoW, SL, Myspace or Xbox Live). The diversity of people in Second Life is truly amazing with (I believe) 50% traffic now coming from Europe. I meet more international people than I do Americans (no, I don't find it hard to believe *wink*) and I am thankful to them all for taking the time to learn my language.
Anyway, if you're not afraid to try new things, give Second Life a try. Maybe instead of wasting time killing pixelated Orcs, you might find yourself creating avatars of pixelated Orcs or build your very own castle. Whatever's your pleasure, SL can (mostly) provide. And no, SL will never ever ever ever take the place of real life. Speaking to someone in person or feeling water, smelling the air will always be far superior to any virtual environment. But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy both. Duh. - azurechaos, on 05/17/2008, -0/+6Soon they'll be going to school through Second Life.
- rationalist, on 05/17/2008, -2/+8The only thing Linden Lab excels at is hype and dazzling the media and the occasional eager academic with their phony numbers.
It is a barren place using bleating tech with bleak scalability offering baffling buildability for boring boors.
Time, tech and tourmaline* have passed Second Life by like a kidney stone. They are the Hillary Clinton of virtual worlds.
*ok, you try alliterating about alimentary angst re: Soporific Second Life. - o6uoq, on 05/17/2008, -4/+10http://getafirstlife.com/
- ZenMojo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+6Welcome to the WORLD of TOMORROW!!!!
- diptheria, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5"seriously, this is pretty ***** stupid... why not just do everything face to face, you will learn some social skills, seriously.. it seems like people are getting lazier and lazier."
Funny you should say this on an online social exchange site like digg.... - gridbread, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5Yes, you can basically do everything you would do in a physical classroom, in second life.
This can be a way to overcome the lack of feedback in long distance learning, and reduce cost with an alternate form of education. - RMDTech, on 05/17/2008, -5/+10Wow! So many complaints from people who have never been on Second Life. Personally I say until you've tried it you shouldn't anything bad about it. Besides there are just some things you can do on Second Life that you can't do anywhere else, that have nothing to do with sex.
Anyway I think if you can find a way to make money, even on Second Life, you should take advantage of it. - Jexie, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5I reckon people should do what they want to do, not what you think they should do.
- inactive, on 05/17/2008, -1/+550K - 60K? that's it? that's the size of an American suburb, not a virtual 'world'.
let me know when there's a billion people online simultaneously and the 'world' has full sensory immersion and I'll check it out then. - KayinAngel, on 05/17/2008, -4/+8second life is still around ? Isn't it still mostly populated by porn addicts and furries ?
- sheep1220, on 05/17/2008, -6/+10Second Life - for people who don't have a first.
- SmellyGeekBoy, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4And emos!
- Liability, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3
The main problem I found with SL is that it runs like crap. It is very slow and the interface is very clunky. Having said that, there is HUGE potential for this concept in the future, but I think Linden Labs' implementation is a very primitive exploration of the potential. - DeathJux, on 05/17/2008, -3/+6The only Second Lifer I've known in real-life was my co-worker's wife, who was apparently cheating on him with someone in game... or something.
My opinion of it is low. - ronintetsuro, on 05/17/2008, -2/+5I got curious. I tried it. I lasted 30 minutes. The tutorial was well done for how to move about the playing space (despite the fact that far more visually intensive games run a lot better on my system, wth?).
Then I got into the 'rest' of the SL world. Holy god.
There are three places you can go in this game.
-Open space with random objects on the ground
-Casino, where the real world equivalent would be waiting in line for a half hour for free slots that you win a nickle at every hour.
-Porn, not the good kind
Once I came across the 32,000 sq foot Casino/Porn Convention, I uninstalled and reformatted my drive. If the conversion to a real life replacement means being depressed about being at a porn convention in a giant casino, ***** shoot me. I hate Second Life for showing me that was ever possible. - GorfTron, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3If I play half-life and second life, do I still have just one life?
- kidd3ckz, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Well at least I'm not the only person who realizes that.
Virtua.edu - Niightwitch, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3If the site gets shut down, then you have to start your Third Life.
- sodoh, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3SL is a joke. Before I get buried I did spend my time on out (just under a year). I had the same visions of coding in SL and making money.
Here is how money is made in SL.
0. SL make money on every transaction in/out of the system. They will take your money off your credit card straight away but you could be waiting a while to get your money back when you change it.
1. Selling Land. However you have money to make money on this part.
2. Porn. Escort agencies abound. From in game SL sex to webcams to real meet ups. All paid with SL cash.
3. Casinos.. No wait scratch that one they banned Gambling. You can tell when they did that because the cash flow into SL took a serious dive.
4. Ponzi Scams. Last one I heard some guy walked off with around $700k of various peoples cash pretending to be an ingame bank.
After that graphics and coding design will make you money if your good at it until someone steals it.
For anything else that isn't game playing or yiffing, it is a waste of time. Classroom? meh, you would be better with a webcam and microphone. Anyone tells you it is replacement for that or IM is full of it. - hauntedchippy, on 05/17/2008, -4/+7Despite hearing so much about this game, I've yet to meet anyone who actually plays it.
- bronxelf, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4Considering the reaction it appears to get, why would anyone talk about it?
I recently got an SL account and find it to be very enjoyable. I find the 3d building tools to be clunky and not as good as the programs I use otherwise (3ds max, formZ, sketchup, etc.), but they are still valuable tools and the interface allows for excellent community involvement and interaction that you don't get in most other traditional settings. So far, people have been nice enough, and there's a strong architectural community there. Does this mean that I'm boring? Probably, but I can live with that. Does it mean my first life sucks? Sure, but I didn't need SL to tell me that- I knew that _long_ before I got an account. Does it mean I'm anti-social? Hell, I knew that YEARS ago, long before SL was a twinkle in the eye of Linden Labs.
In the meantime, I'm learning a new way to build 3d models and interact with other people with similar interests, and that's good enough for me. - Oea420, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Dude... you so can't rain dildos in real life...
Well, I take that back, you can with the right amount of money!
30,000 dildos wholesale: $10,000
Renting aircraft for the day: $10,000
Raining dildos on NON-virtual people? Priceless - Jashobeam5, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Some malls have freebie sections. You can get whole outfits at no cost. I've been wandering around SL for 2 or 3 days and I have yet to see a crowd of people who are social. Mostly it's newbies or land owners. The words "money making scheme" seem to come to mind when I see the price lists and the multitude of "for rent" signs.
- DarkoKun, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2So is digg whats your point?
- KirbyMeister, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3Obligatory: getafirstlife.com
- Loonacy, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Well I'm so anti-conformist that I'm going to do it since you won't. Yeah! That'll show you.
- pablo0713, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3Yes, Second Life has problems. Your first paragraph was spot on. But the rest of your diatribe simply sounds like you lacked the mental goods to appreciate and thrive in SL. SL was never initially designed to be an education tool. However, educators are exploring ways of providing education through a virtual world platform. Nobody said it was perfect or could be done easily (but then again how hard is it to gather some people in any space be it virtual or reality and start teaching?) but there are plenty of people trying to make SL be a one size fits all kinda shoe. Don't berate them because they are trying whereas you decided to give up. Second Life is a challenge to one's own intellect. Yes, you have to learn to code, design, texture, make 3D models if you want to get the most out of SL. Thankfully the steep learning curve keeps most dumb asses out.
- azAZ09, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Your basic premise is critically flawed.
Wow is a Game. SL is not. It is not a MMORPG. There are no rules, and anyone can write the scripts that make objects work with the context world. SL is more like a Chat Client with bells and whistles. It's like criticizing IRC in comparison to games. And I'm not so sure I would call the source "mainstream". - wejmahtin, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Sometimes face to face isn't that easy... The group I work in, we have one guy in Australia, one guy in London, one guy in New Zealand...
- pablo0713, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4Second Life is not a "site." It will never be shut down as long as there are people supporting it. You must not be from a developed country if you still believe you can "lose your Internet connection." The only way someone loses their connection is if they don't pay for it. I would think some employers would find it different and or unique to meet someone who was actually able to construct something or provide a service and profit from it in a virtual environment. Your attitude reminds me of people's attitude towards real life painters. "Painting won't make you money. Go find a real job." People get obsessed with a variety of things. Second Life can easily become an obsession but so can work, sex, games, whatever. But most ignorant people don't realize that SL is filled with so many different types of people that you have (along side of the addicted types) many successful people from real life. They have businesses, families, good lives - but they, for whatever reason, enjoy using SL. Anyway, Second Life is not a game.
- azAZ09, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3"Who plays Second Life?" -- depends on your concept of "play".
Don't start by thinking about second life as a game--a common mistake for people who play MMORPG's.
Instead think of something like the web with mIRC back in '93-95 --a chat client with free-form graphics some anonymous social interaction for introverted geeks.
It may not be your thing.
Yeah, the number of participants seems somewhat exaggerated, considering the number of alts, and inactive accounts but its growth does not rely on storylines, genre's, or current technology. - Pigeon, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2I love you.
- FearFactory, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2EU is more like an online casino. No matter how much money you put into the game the globals and hall of fames are totally random. No matter what level you are.
- enjourni, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Also I don't think people have talked about the major reason why these online economies are bad. And that is: because one single company controls the whole thing (the company that made the game.) No impartial 3rd party controls or regulates these online worlds... no FTC, no SEC, etc. There is no guarantee of security, or of reliability (Second Life's servers can go down, what do you do then?) As such, I think investing in Second Life's economy is probably an extremely risky thing to do.
When online "companies" get listed along with regular real life companies on the NYSE, then maybe they will be worth trusting. - invinciblechunk, on 05/18/2008, -0/+2Before Second Life becomes the world of tomorrow, it will have to become the even remotely-viable MMO of today. Ask anyone who's spent any length of time in SL, or even look at Linden's own "The Grid" stats - currently about 25% of SL login sessions end in a client crash. The servers are riddled with bugs and race conditions that, among other things, have lost people money. And there's very little in the way of accountability on the Linden side, unless you're a major company like Nissan. Philip Rosedale talks big, but I don't think his company has ever had the technical means to carry out his vision, and after the loud departure of their CTO, it's increasingly seeming like Linden will eat itself from the inside out.
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