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Second Life is an odd one. Its not really a game it's basically a chat room but all the rooms are in virtual buildings. You get an infinately customisable avatar. You can earn or win money, there are shops run by real peple(mostly american),bars, you can build and script your own objects and animations etc etc. You can teleport, walk or fly your way round the virtual world in which you will meet a series of colourfull charachters.

They are pretty strict about behaviour in the PG zones but in the Mature zones anything goes, sex, violence etc.

It's a really weird place and i am hovering between bored of it or addicted. If you like chat rooms you will love it, If you like action games you'l get bored pretty quick.

Best of all It's free.

You can setup a basic free account at http://www.secondlife.com and download the software for free. The downside is if you ain't got broadband you ain't got a chance. Everything in the world is streamed there are no textures models etc stored locally so keep that bandwidth flowing!

I must confess I'm both intrigued and disturbed by it, mostly because the only stuff I know about it is through Something Awful. Looks like it has a bit of a "somewhat dubious" side in places, which pretty much makes it a reflection of real life.

What is impressive is that people make a living out of running businesses/advertising on it. That's pretty immense.

I've decided i'm bored with it.

I got too much going on in rl (real life) to get anywhere in sl (second life) plus i don't like people stick to pooning bots from now on i think.

Probably a good decision. On a sidenote, Second Life now has made its first (real-life) millionaire, through property development, no less. Who would've guessed that?

I was just going to post the same story! Doh! :D

I've got no link, so post away if you like. From memory, her SL name's Anshe Chung, she now has ten helpers/designers working with her, and she's made the money by building housing on vacant plots of virtual land. Speculative development at it's best.

I am sort of curious why people would want to exchange virtual dollars to real ones. I think she would be in trouble if they suddenly stopped the transfer!

The real question is why people want to exchange real dollars for virtual ones, surely? I must admit, I doubt Linden Labs would have enough assets to cover people if they went bankrupt. In terms of responsibility, they're in there pretty deep, as I doubt a lot of servers would even cover a fraction of the capital involved.

Well Second Life has had an interesting turn here at this Wal l Street Journal Article where a man is so involved with his Second Life that he plays over 10 hours a day and is married to a virtual girlfriend. He does not even talk to his real wife and has never met or talked to his virtual one!

OMG what sort of freak does this?!

Finds someone in Second Life, they virtually date, then they actually date and then he dumps her. So she goes to his workplace with a gun and tries to kidnap him. She fails. So therefore logically, she poses as a post-woman, searches for four days to find his apartment with, and I quote:

Police wrote:Jernigan broke into the unnamed victim's apartment with a Taser, a pair of handcuffs, a BB gun, her dog, and a roll of duct tape. He wasn't there, so she waited. When the virtual ex arrived home he saw what looked like a laser beam projecting on his chest. He immediately fled the apartment and contacted the Newcastle County Police.

When police arrived they said they found Jernigan's dog, Gogi, bound with duct tape in the bathtub of the victim's bathroom. Jernigan's reason for gagging her pooch--"he was making too much noise." The dog was said to be uninjured, but the ASPCA is looking into possible charges of animal cruelty.

FREAK!

I'm off to Second Life to find me a woman...