On not getting Second Life

by on July 16, 2006

Lots of people have been talking to me about Second Life. And how they don’t get it.

I tell them that you don’t need to get it today but that the business model of Second Life will keep pulling you in. Why?

Well, look at the new BlogHUD. Notice what happens there. If you see something that interests you you click on a link and it drags you back into Second Life. Even if you don’t get it.

Now, what happens if your favorite musician does that? Or your favorite baseball team?

Or your favorite store? Or your favorite coffee shop? Or your favorite art museum?

Why would they do that? Ever hear of Lindens? You will. And you’ll pay them up for interesting experiences that keep drawing you in. Even if you don’t get it.

  • The problem is, Second Life is not terribly useful. It's a fun toy, and some people make much moolah building things for others, but I but I can't see it getting much past a toy.

    That said, I enjoy this toy a lot. ^_^
    I haven't paid a dime, btw.
  • It's never going to happen. It's always going to be optional. The real internet has its own commerce and everything it needs, why add more layers onto that model unless you are just bored spitless?

    Only uber geeks think the whole world thinks like they do when it comes to this stuff. The reality is second life is not the next email, it's not the next web. It's a game.
  • BlogHUD didn't drag me in, it just confused me. Just a bunch of "look at me" links that scroll a cryptic map. I'm sure it would make sense if I had Second Life, but I don't and I have no plans to try it.

    I'm afraid us non-gamers aren't going to be dragged into it at all. And I think we'll do just fine with our First Life.
  • Aaron
    radaronpaws is right, this is what I told you before. Second Life has no future. It's just another layer on top of the internet. Like I said, when will they create the internet in Second Life? Then someone can create Third Life and so on.

    People will get bored with it soon enough, I was bored after an hour or so.

    Not that I don't think it's cool, it just doesn't give you anything you don't already get when surfing the internet, it's just more graphics and takes longer to do things.

    Aaron
  • Recently it seems like I've commented on Second Life a lot.

    Virtual Worlds like Second Life suffer from one thing: lack of focus for the casual player.

    After you get over the "teleport-itis," if you don't become part of the economy there is nothing to do.

    Sure there are places to explore, but they don't have the purpose that other online games (like World of Warcraft or EveryQuest) offer to the player. No focus, no reward, no challenge, no suspense, no... excitement.

    Of course, these online games don't offer much of a creative outlet to the players as they live in the world that was created for them.

    The world needs a merger of the toolset that is Second Life with a game system. Sags of Ryzom has taken a step in this direction, giving away their toolset to allow players to create missions and quests within the game world.
  • Hint: Second Life isn't a game. Unless you look at your first life that way.
  • I tried it a while back and was bored out of my mind. And I didn't have very high expectations either. Still trying to figure out this first life.
  • I remember all these same comments back when the first browser came out. "oh it's cute, but what's the point...." and "why would I ever want to use that? I can't figure it out."

    Virtual worlds such as Second Life should be thought of as a 3D web browser, chat client, social network and commerce engine all rolled into one. It's not any of them on their own and yet it is all at the same time.

    It will be a major factor in the future, but more people need to break out of the box thinking that it's a game (which it can be sometimes) and realize it's so much more then that.
  • Omie
    I didn't get Second Life either...but now an organization that I'm a part of is holding meetings in there. SL allows them to include and reach out to people who aren't able to attend these frequent meetings physically. Yes, you could have a phone or web conference but SL provides a richer experience. Just like in real life, there's no real purpose other than the one you define for yourself (or allow others or society to define for you). In SL, if you don't have a purpose, it's pointless. When you open up your browser but don't have a purpose (research, send email etc), it's pointless. SL is not a game, but if you wish to play games, you surely can do so in there. Now, I'm getting it. But when I tell most people about it, I get the feeling that they're thinking I'm nuts.
  • I don't know, it's just another way of spending time in front of the computer instead of living your life.
  • I didn't get Second Life for awhile and I think it means different things to different people. For me, I like it as a social thing. I have met some people and enjoy going in and hanging out with them. And we get to do it in a 3D immersive environment. It's not a game because there is no goal and no point system.

    Doing business is more murky because they software is, I think, hard to use for a non-geek. It's got to get much easier for mass adoption.
  • An entire second life to play with.
    What is there not to get? :)

    Like I wrote on my blog a little while ago:

    "I remember beeing a young kid dreaming that someday all the cool stuff I watched in movies would be available. Amongs it virtual worlds, where you could live another life, just like you wanted it. We have that now. We even have a virtual economy, creating value from something that physically isn’t there. We are gods, creating entire new worlds."

    Personally I think it's really cool.
    WOW!
    And yeah, we are only seeing the beginning of it.

    André Hedetoft
    Movie-geek
    Blogging geek porn over at http://www.andrehedetoft.com/geekporn
  • Tony Amato
    Issues surounding Second Life go well beyond the ability to use (from a savvy point of view) and the need to attract a formidable customer base. Second Life is not ready for prime time because the main hurdles that Linden Lab will need to clear are:

    1. First and foremost - system stability; it's not nearly there yet and as participation has dramatically increased of late - the performance has continued to decline. Imminent grid failure is pretty much predictable to eye of the more casual user.

    2. Internal mayhem - or Chaos as one well entrenched Avatar puts it - is unregulated and distracting at best. Linden Lab needs to pull in the reigns of the BS that permeates the landscape.

    3. Conflict between respectable paying and non-paying participants versus paying and non-paying grief agents upsets the capitalistic bottomline strategy of the goal - for the Lab.

    This is just a first attempt of a very intriguing idea that will fade like a fad - yet to return on the next swing of the pendulum.


    Zito
  • Cali Rockwell
    3. Conflict between respectable paying and non-paying participants versus paying and non-paying grief agents upsets the capitalistic bottomline strategy of the goal - for the Lab. Comment by Tony Amato

    What we need is a non-greed head version. Preferabaly without all the scripting crap and therefore a whole lot more sophisticated and easy to use.
    In other words, I get it, but you'll waste all your time programming how to bend over and take it up the ass.
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