Second Life Hype
Not too long ago I admitted to being far from the leading edge when it came to using or even trying out Second Life. While some people have found success with it, the reportedly wildly success "game" may not actually be all the impressive.
And now I've come across an article from The Register that pokes holes in what has otherwise been positive press coverage.
- Although Second Life reports that it has 3.1 million residents, there is on average only 15,000 users logged in at the same time.
- A mere 15% of those who registered last October ever logged in again after their first 30 days.
- Less than 50,000 of the residents are premium accounts i.e. able to start businesses. All of them rely on new users entering Second Life for their income.
- While it is true that 21,000 of these premium accounts had a positive cash flow last month, only 10,000 of them made more than $10. And that was before the owners, Linden Labs, applied their charges.
Another example of technology hype?
The Second Life bubble is about to burst, very soon !
Ryan,
I already play too many "games". Between blogging, SEO, and trying monetize web sites, I've got enough on my hands to keep me busy!
A little bit of all of the above. It took quite a bit of time in game to get settled in. Like a lot of others, I started playing to possibly build/sell items inside the game for Lindens (game currency which can be converted to Dollars) but I found that you have to be very established with connections to actually get anywhere.
I'm sure it's possible with time, but I don't have the time and dedication it takes to succeed in game.
Overall it was fun...but if you start, be prepared to invest time, money, and more time..lol
Ryan,
I can see it being addictive as many online activities are. Did you leave because there was no potential, too time consuming, or because you found something more lucrative?
Funny that you mention SL.
I used to be a resident last year, played pretty much every night. Started a few small real estate businesses inside the game...did okay, but nothing outstanding.
I eventually got burned out...cashed in what I had left, and left. Never went back.
It can become very, very addictive.