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45 Comments
- w0lfh0und, on 09/18/2009, -0/+21Maybe Real Life could be set for a comeback.
- yeeaauuh, on 09/18/2009, -0/+21I kind of want to play this game now because all I would do would be running around smaking people with dildos.
- inactive, on 09/18/2009, -3/+19Second life? how about Zero life.
- spiffywilco, on 09/18/2009, -0/+13You being old has nothing to do with it. It's the fact that second life represents what a sexual repressed shut-in computer nerd in the 80s imagined the internet would be like in the 90s.
Come to think of it, kudos to linden labs, they nailed it. - uptown, on 09/18/2009, -0/+13I think I'm officially "old". I just don't get the whole 'second life' *****.
- willowhaus, on 09/18/2009, -0/+10I think that SexGen is barking up the wrong tree. A lot of people try to make the argument that so-and-so is "facilitating" illegal behavior by providing a platform where it is possible, but that's still a big leap to actively supporting said illegal behavior. By nature, SL is very open - without the world being set up the way they did, everything you created would have to be blessed by LL to even exist - and thus it would be far less creative (and less interesting) that it is today.
Not to mention that the existence of SexGen's entire business depends on the existence of SL in the first place, and also the tools that LL put in the software - it's akin to building a business on selling .bat files, and then suing Microsoft because they aren't stopping others from stealing your scripts. At the end of the day, they're attacking the goose that laid their golden egg, so to speak. Not smart. - Greengoo, on 09/18/2009, -0/+9Say what you want about it... but the guy has made over $200,000 / year for the last five years programming animated sex toys for an online game in his spare time. That's more than you did today.
- erkokite, on 09/18/2009, -0/+8I put on my robe and wizard hat...
- kylere, on 09/18/2009, -2/+9There has to be something out there to make WoW look semi-normal!
- doctorgrim, on 09/18/2009, -1/+7SL is the first online "game" that I've made money from rather than sinking money into it. Many people actually make a living at it. For my wife and I it's been a lifesaver during this recession. Also, I can afford to stay home and raise my kids rather than paying someone else.
- qaelith2112, on 09/18/2009, -0/+6Who would have ever predicted that patent and other IP issues would have become an issue INSIDE a virtual world? Someone designs a line of virtual clothing, sells it within the MMO, and then sues someone else for stealing their design much like a real-life fashion designer would? Amazing. I guess the existence of a very real exchange rate between virtual currency and real-life currency was just the start of all this.
- nelson8403, on 09/18/2009, -1/+6and they're all dudes.
- Shakermaker, on 09/18/2009, -1/+5...and it's a pretty dull game most of the time.
- BradReason, on 09/18/2009, -0/+4been there, done that
- youngdb, on 09/18/2009, -1/+5I was in Second Life for several years. The problem is it costs REAL $$$$$$$. The "Virtual Real Estate" is $15+ a month, plus the cost of buying it which is normally over $30. LL should have put a handle on the cost of things. Then the virtual clothing and everything else costs LL which is the virtual currency that takes real life currency to buy unless you can make it in-world some how (design and create content).
- inactive, on 09/18/2009, -0/+4The add ons are too expensive.
- decker12, on 09/18/2009, -0/+4Does everyone who "plays" Second Life simply use it as a virtual sex room?
- ortucis, on 09/18/2009, -0/+4So it's just like every other "free" MMO?
*shocked* - trafficlight, on 09/18/2009, -1/+5I put on my robe and wizard hat...
- termerjur, on 09/18/2009, -0/+3I had an amazing time in Second Life met a lot of talented people and spent no money whatsoever. I plan to go back when the Star Wars and Star Trek intersects get up to speed and you can experiment with an avatar that can cross dimensional realities. This would be a good way to experiment with the sociological effects of time travel (as Star Trek is set in the future and Star Wars is set in the past whereas Second Life is set in the present).
I know full well that this sounds absurd but you have to keep in mind that Second Life began as an underground exchange of graphics technology between industry leaders and is directly related to Maya (the basis of most high end CGI Tech.). It is also used by many Universities for various experiments and you can even visit an authentic/actual running U.S. Congress. (some members have avatars and SL has been brought up in Congress a number of times). So this technology has extraordinary technological, psychological and sociological implications and in my opinion represents a significant portion of the future of the WWW.
Also more concerts are being produced in SL which has great implications for real time rendezvous with actual people at an actual concert right on your wide screen living room T.V. That is just plain fascinating...and entertaining. If you have talent you can be very productive in SL and make money in many ways - still takes significant work though.
Crime also happens in SL. My avatar was mugged once and I had to file a report and there was an actual investigation which led to the perp getting banned from some islands the authorities could control. I didn't get physically hurt of course but it was ugly and kind of a drag (also fascinating).
The Jedi avatars can be artistically extraordinary and realistic. I guess some people get paid to run things there and act parts. - Suricou, on 09/18/2009, -2/+5If you want a virtual world, MUCKs are far superior. Ancient technology, all text based, but once you get used to having to properly imagine things it's just better. Not for what it has, but for what it doesn't: No commercialisation of content seeking to deliberatly create a scarcity in order to allow items to be sold. No need to go and buy clothing. No searching for the right animations. No clunky, unresponsive interface.
One thing in common is that both have a lot of sex... but even there the mucks are better, with far higher expected standards of writing skill. You lose the two-second loop of two avatars grinding at each other on screen, and gain access to people who consider roleplay a form of art and put real effort into writing the most arousing descriptions they can. - Koushiro, on 09/18/2009, -0/+3MUCKs, MUDs, MUSHes, MOOs and Talkers are all still about and doing pretty well.
Get your text on! Whooo! - onClipEvent, on 09/18/2009, -2/+5Most people on Second Life are not young whipper-snappers. They're mostly socially awkward adults that only appear normal through an avatar.
- orville1151, on 09/18/2009, -0/+3I thought they were called "muds".
Multi user dungeon simulators, or something like that.
For their time, they were fun. - Solkre, on 09/18/2009, -0/+2/me writes down: sue MS for .bat files.
- Joxterthemighty, on 09/18/2009, -0/+2SexGen is also old technology, a lot of new companies are making better products these days and that is part of what this is about. The drop in profits for the old school companies is mainly because of newer designers making better products like Luna Animations and the Jazz(tm) Engine.
- doctorgrim, on 09/18/2009, -0/+2We sell skins, hair, furniture, seasonal stuff amongst other things. SL is a reflection of real life. Everything in real life you'll see in SL and maybe a few things you may not have seen.
Think of it as kind of a multi-player "The Sims" but everyone (mostly) is a real person. - orville1151, on 09/18/2009, -0/+2The lawsuit is about money. Lots of it.
- linuxdog, on 09/18/2009, -0/+2*Internet Hi-five *
- xptoast, on 09/18/2009, -1/+3Wow...do you sell kids in SL? Or wives? What do you make money doing in that game?
- BALLSCLINTON, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1you too!!!
- BradReason, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1I'm guessing by 2012 Real Life will be the new black
- zephc, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1Pretty much - some people make some serious bank in SL, and being copybotted (the term for getting textures etc. ripped off) can kill that within days.
An analogy: imagine you ran a department store, someone walked in, stole some of your clothes, set up shop next door and sold your things for next to nothing. If you went to the police and asked to do something, if they ever bothered to talk to you, they'd just say "LOL whatever" or "we'll have a look" (if you're lucky) and go back to doing coke in the confiscated narcotics room.
That is pretty much the 'justice system' in SL - RocketGib, on 09/18/2009, -1/+2"It's hard to know whether you're getting the right bang for your buck." <-- lol
- Suricou, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1Very nearly the same thing. The difference is that MUDs include some form of combat mechanic, while MUCKs rely purely on roleplay skills. The underlying technology is exactly the same.
- termerjur, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1These links should help clarify Second Life a little more for you:
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Secon ...
http://slfix.com/?p=3270
http://freshtakes.typepad.com/sl_communicators/200 ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FxlGNA5Q-I - termerjur, on 09/18/2009, -1/+2xptoast it depends on your personal psychology. If you happen to be an ass in real life chances are it will come out just as bad or even worse in Second Life.
There is just no escaping the character you actually invest in while living in the real world - your brain must follow you everywhere, even in or sometimes especially in reality simulations.
Second Life is an artistic community reliant on your creative abilities. If you have not worked on any creative talents then Second Life will be a profound dud or perhaps even a nightmare. - mt4055, on 09/18/2009, -1/+2Do I care?
- termerjur, on 09/18/2009, -0/+1It's called being a griefer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griefer
The Digg equivalent I guess would be troll. - anonymousmedic, on 09/18/2009, -1/+1Second Life is srs business.
- WoollyMittens, on 09/18/2009, -2/+2How can something this stupid get this far. A lawsuit over virtual sex toys? I think both parties should be convicted to getting a life.
- StrokerSerp, on 09/20/2009, -1/+0I suppose the same "Get a first Life" chortle could be applied to World of Warcraft, XBox Live, Microsoft Home and any other platform. Obviously, those with little insight nor foresight are sitting behind their PC's right now..Digging this and Digging that. Google, Flickr, YouTube and a plethora of other "virtual asset" organizations take this VERY seriously. Second Life is estimated to do 600 million in transactions this year. I would call that the "Phat Life".
- falafelkiosken, on 09/18/2009, -5/+4who gives a ***** about second life anyway?
- annoi, on 09/18/2009, -4/+1tl:dr
- BradReason, on 09/18/2009, -10/+1I wonder if Wired will get sued for using the picture of the SexGen cuddle rug in this article?
for more accurate news on this story, go here: http://digg.com/users/BradReason/history/submissio ...
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