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When Philip Rosedale put forward the idea of creating a virtual world for humans to interact, socialise and carry out their business dealings in, critics told him nobody would want to spend real money on any virtual stuff. Today, Second Life is inhabited by around half a million people from around the globe and, on average, has those inhabitants spending over 300,000 dollars on virtual trading every 24 hours.

Second Life is a virtual world that is built and owned by its residents. By signing up to Second Life, users become part of a three-dimensional (3D) online community where they can wander about the world, chat with other users, buy and sell land, hold business meetings, and learn how to fly. What started off as a socialising station has grown exponentially into a world where business opportunities, real estate, and entertainment industry has propelled itself to unimaginable heights.

Of the inhabitants in Second Life, 60 per cent are men and 40 per cent women. After signing up, new users create an avatar for themselves that represents them in Second Life. This avatar, its clothes and accessories can be changed at a later time according to the user’s attributes, personality and choices. The new user is given tips and tutorials on how to go about living in Second Life including activities such as map-reading, teleporting and flying, as well as an event guide.

Entry into Second Life by obtaining a first basic account is done free of charge. Residents can buy and sell in-world currency from the LindeX Currency Exchange or from other third party websites. Exchange rates fluctuate based on supply and demand but over the last few years they have remained fairly stable at approximately 250 Linden dollars to the US dollar. The user can choose to own a land to live, work or build on by paying a monthly lease fee based on the amount of land he or she owns. Residents also own anything and everything they create by retaining intellectual property (IP) rights over their in-world creations.

The Second Life client comes with a list of public events, including games, parties, and contests. There are events taking place round the clock catering to different culture and mood requirements. In the event of extreme boredom, there are dozens of first-person shooters, strategy games, puzzle and adventure games in Second Life that residents can make use of. Shopping is a big part of the Second Life experience for many residents. Residents can buy and sell clothes, jewellery, furniture, buildings, weapons, vehicles, games, and more.

Away from the socialising and entertainment, there are users making a living in the virtual world. Countless in-world business occupations have been founded and currently run in Second Life including tattooist, nightclub owner, fashion designer, aerospace engineer, architect, dancer and writer.

Following the unparalleled interest in Second Life, there are some buying virtual islands to rent out for major events such as exhibitions, conferences and even music concerts taking place. In August 2006, Suzanne Vega became the first major recording artist to perform live in Second Life avatar form. British band Duran Duran are planning to create a virtual island on which they will perform live concerts. Earlier this year, BBC Radio 1 rented a virtual island where it held music festivals and BBC Two’s Newsnight hosted an interview. A group of Amazon engineers is looking at ways to use Amazon web services to bridge itself with Second Life. Sun Microsystems held an ‘in-world’ press conference in Second Life to show off its new pavilion thus enabling over 50 journalists from around the globe to attend. To speed things up, car maker Toyota is planning to offer a virtual version of its Scion xB van to the residents. Even Reuters has opened a virtual news agency in the Second Life online world. The bureau will be staffed by a Reuters media correspondent and will report on the lives and business dealings of Second Life's residents, a trend first set by the Second Life Herald, the virtual world’s own newspaper. The Herald was founded over three years ago and covers happenings not only in Second Life but other online worlds as well.

Second Life had its first security breach in September when Linden Labs, the company that owns the game, was hit with a database hack affecting the entire member community. The hackers made off with members’ names, addresses, contact information, and encrypted payment information, according to a statement posted on Linden Labs’ blog.

Second Life allows ideas and creativity to be implemented like never before. Instant results and feedback aid the implementation process and thus bad ideas can be ditched instantly while promoting creative thinking along the virtual horizon. The Second Life craze is sweeping across the globe at a rapid pace. It is a smart investment of time and money into a world that, judging by its exponential growth in recent months, could very well be the preferred world of business and interaction by millions in the coming years.

© Faras Ghani 2009. Published in Spider October 2006

© 2009 Faras Ghani. Page template courtesy of ELATED.com. Last updated 12th May, 2009.