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What is Second Life?
Second Life is a virtual environment in which avatars -- visual representations of users or "residents" -- can interact. If you're familiar with The Sims, it's superficially similar, since it's less a game with goals than a venue for socializing. However, Second Life is radically different in one important way: The entire world -- attractions, objects, events -- is created and owned by the residents.
Haven't I heard this thing also called Linden? What is Linden?
You may have seen Second Life referred to as SL or, occasionally, Linden. The company developing and hosting SL is Linden Lab -- God, nature and government to Second Life, as its residents note (some with dismay, about which more in a minute).
Why should I care?
Because where there's ownership, there's potential for commerce. For starters.
Why would anyone spend time in Second Life?
Why does anyone have hobbies? World of Warcraft has been compared to golf as a work-bonding event, and plenty of Net users over the years have participated in newsgroups, chats and discussion boards. In that context, Second Life is something of a diversion (since avatars, belongings and real estate can be endlessly upgraded, adorned and personalized), as well as a venue for cultural events such as talks and concerts.
And don't underestimate the pull for many people of simply gathering. As we mentioned, SL is a bit like The Sims, in that the point of the exercise is simply to create and interact; there's no game and no goal. The Sims titles are, of course, some of the most successful of all time.
Irony alert: Second Life launched in 2003, not long after the release of The Sims Online -- a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) version of the popular title. Most observers perceived SL to be at a competitive disadvantage, as The Sims had a remarkable lead in name recognition. So what happened? Three things: barrier to entry (though there is a free trial version of The Sims Online; monthly membership is CDN$12), open-ended play and (again) ownership of virtual creations.
And so Linden Dollars are the play money in this play world?
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