Ways to make money?

so you'll spend $1100 us to buy a computer to play SL, but then not the $3-4 US to actually get what you want to enjoy it? i mean im no economist... but thats kinda bent... seriously... its like buying a $3000 dvd player an then not having enough money left to buy anything but $2 used copies of spice world and monkeybone to watch on it...

i guess what im sayin is that if you can afford the $1100 pc upgrade... you probably can technically afford a few avatars as well.. and if you can't afford a few avatars, then chances are you prolly shouldn't have spent $1100 on a computer upgrade... worst case, try an refer a friend... that ones essentially a no brainer

What a vivid illustration.

Flashfire, I feel your pain. I, too, am a basic member. And I, too, am sick of hearing people say "learn to make something" or "buy money on GOM."

Not to mention hearing, "I did it, so you can, too." (Which overlooks the hoards of people who never did do it, never could do it, and probably came and went from this game in droves unnoticed by the folks on this forum.) Or "make friends." I mean, who doesn't make friends? That doesn't really solve the problem.

We're screwed, and there's no other way to put it. However, I saw this immediately and decided I was gonna get what I wanted without buying any money with rl money. (I notice people on these forums are very quick to spend our rl money, or to start making judgments about the way we spend our rl money, such as eating lunch, or buying a computer.)

In the two months I have been playing, I have managed to make money and get what I want (in my case, land I "bought" from a residential community, and pay $750 "tier" on each week to them) by a number of means:

1. Money trees. Best picked in the mornings. (I could pick them mostly only at night.) Tedious, and not much money, but it's money. Only good during, basically, your first 30 days on the game.

2. Bingo, bingo, bingo, bingo, slingo, bingo, slingo, bingo, slingo, bingo, slingo. My policy is not to put any money in the pot, no matter HOW much I want to. (The hosts can REALLY make you want to, too, lol.) What I do is put in 10% of my winnings if and when I win a round; rounded up to the nearest $10, and with a minimum of $10. If I didn't do it this way, I would have a lot less to spend than my $50 a week stipend. I figure I also contribute dwell to the place.

3. Word and trivia contests with money prizes.

4. Anything anywhere and everywhere that will pay a buck. (Outside of hosting things or working at clubs, etc. - I like my time to be my own.) Filling out a questionnaire once, for $75, for instance; things like that. Not best booty contests or that sort of thing, though.

5. Gathering all the freebies I can. Get them at Stillman's Bazaar and Yadni's Junkyard ($1 a box), to name just two of the places. I have an extensive freebie wardrobe, plenty of vehicles, and avatars (well, Snoopy and a Dinosaur and such), and lots of furniture. Plenty to have fun with.

In addition to all that, I have also started making things, and just set up my first shop. Now, that's fine for me, cause I like making things. I like the decorative aspect of it, and the textures, anyway, if not the frustrations. However, I don't expect to get rich quick on this, or even make a living off it, so if you don't care to learn this stuff, I don't blame you. I'm not a techy person at all, and believe me, it is difficult to get the basics of how to do things in this game, much less conquer them.

I play this game because I spent only $9.95 to play it for the rest of my life for free. And it's kind of a fun challenge to do it that way, isn't it! Just think - you and I aren't spending ANY rl money. Half the others on this forum are spending a fortune.

But I do get sick of people saying that the new player is just lazy, just doesn't get it, or is too cheap to buy their money, or any number of other things that can be awfully discouraging to hear. You have to get used to the fact that in this game, the rich get richer and the poor get screwed, lol. It's the only game I know of that is this way, and the only environment where a hard-working and diligent person really does have a hard time making money unless they just so happen to be VERY good at scripting or making things, or they're whizzes at buying and selling land (which automatically assumes a fair expenditure on tier).

But - I would like to beat them at their own game, and manage somehow to have everything I want without ever spending a real life dime, apart from my original $9.95 investment. So far, I've managed to get a lot of what I want, and enjoy doing it, too. Maybe you could take the same attitude. I also enjoy various types of entertainment offered, and enjoy my own hobby of making things.

Another thing that irks me - a lot of the players "made it" when the game was different, and - I think - easier to "make it." They overlook this fact, though.

I am of the opinion that the game is not nearly newby-friendly enough, and caters entirely too much to computer-whiz types, and/or those who don't mind spending oodles of real life cash buying money to buy what they want. There isn't enough to keep new players busy and productive. Especially the ones who don't want to script or build. When I say these things, though, I get a lot of flack for it.

coco

Basic Players Unite! Power to the Basic Players!

Late to the thread, but that's ok because my story runs counter to all the "sympathy" coming from the class envious who seem to be looking for one more to march in their pity parade.

My 'birthday' in SL is March 13, 2005. Since I've been here I have seen what is possible, and I have seen how much things cost, and I have been a truly slap broke n00b. I can definitely agree with you that it stinks like a hooker on Sunday morning.

But what stinks more is giving up before you've even gotten a good start.

No, there are very few (if any) people who are going to walk up to you and hand you things here. Primarily because most anyone who actually HAS anything GOT IT by building it themselves and were all 'stupid, unskilled n00bs' who had to learn the painstakingly hard, slow, long, and ugly way to do this stuff.

Hearing you give up is a big ol' slap in the face to them. So don't expect them to hand you money or items for it.

With that said, in my real world, I am not an artist. I am not a scripter. I am not a builder. I am a WRITER.

Guess what I decided to do here?

Over this last month, I have managed to slowly work up not only my appearance, wardrobe, and animations (avatar grooming "essentials", I've also secured work doing what *I* am good at... but I did not manage it by giving up. You can keep trying it, but I'm pretty sure that you won't manage it by giving up, either.

So instead of talking about all the things you can't do, and moaning about how expensive things are (hoping someone will cough up the money?), why not take stock of what you can do in the real world and contemplate a way to put it to work for you here, in the virtual one?

I promise you, there is a market for it. And when you find that market, you'll be making money, too.

Now you can either take my words at face value, or you can let your pride get you all pissed off and bent out of shape because someone is laying some truth on you. Your choice... I promise you that whatever you choose won't hurt me in the least. Why?

Because I'm not posting this to tell you that you're dumb for feeling this way... and I'm not posting this to tell you that you're 'not trying hard enough'... and I'm not posting this to rub your face in it.

I'm posting this because, just like in your First Life, there's no such thing as a free lunch and if you are truly interested in enjoying this virtual world, you're going to have to trash that 'I'm screwed' attitude. It is not going to get you anywhere and that's a fact.

If you just can't do that, then you may as well cancel now and save yourself the headache.

In closing, I'll tell you that I'm hiring right now for a fashion magazine. If you'd like to earn money in-world, aren't afraid to work for it, have some patience, and can take direction, hit this link, read it closely, and follow the directions:

/invalid_link.html

If not, best of luck with whatever you decide.

What a lame excuse. I made it last month.

You're my new favorite newbie.

Back off, buster. I'm over 30 days old now!

(grin)

It's funny you say that. I've been here since August and it just now dawned on me that I'm no longer a newbie. Which brought me back to this:



That's it exactly. Have you any idea how many hours I spent in the Ivory Tower of Primitives, learning the basics of prims, building and object manipulation? My first month in SL, Ivory Tower of Prims was basically my *home*. I wandered around a lot, but I always ended up back there fiddling with prims and trying to make things. My first non-sucky build I made right there. It was a detailed, if huge, book of the Myst style. Custom textures too. Spent a huge chunk of my stipend fooling with those uploads.

Later, I came up with projects and ideas. I ripped apart Juro Kothari's beautiful and simple tubular house, several of which I bought for one dollar. I added textures and really bent it to my needs. I positioned it 600m in the sky, so I needed an elevator. I paid scripters to come and show me things, to give me tips and to write me solutions. Made some friends that way who I know to this day this very way.

Conquering the skillset that I needed to start a business was a very, very long process for me. For others, it's much quicker. I had no idea I was moving toward one day selling things here in Second Life. But that's how it turned out. And I worked for every last bit of it. Do I have friends? Absolutely. Did they teach me a lot? Heh, I actually owe most of what I know about building complex shapes to a quick tutorial Spider Mandala once gave me. Even with all of this, the heavy lifting was mine.

If you don't want to bother with taking personal responsibility, I don't want to bother with you.

I have a genuine affection for the self-starting, creative newbies I meet every week here. I can learn so much from the new generations of each month. My robot business is going to have some fierce competition, too, from what I see of the fresh ideas coming around.

For those who want to declare that it's too hard, that a select few already have all the advantages and it's not worth it even to try: fine by me! Less people to get in the way of those who don't mind taking the time to produce results.

Man, such a lot of tough love here!

I wasn't posting "excuses" - I figure I'm making it just fine! Maybe better than you are. I am posting because I'm a basic player, too, and even premium players have a hard time figuring out what to do with themselves in this game - especially if they can't script or build.

No matter how many times I hear these tough love responses, I still maintain that if newbies had something to do - SOME productive goal - the game would be better for it. Maybe they would choose to stay at that level forever - doing something reliable that would earn them SOME Lindens, and make them feel productive - or maybe they would go on to do something more creative and innovative, if they can.

Maybe - just maybe - I have a point. And if something like this did exist, maybe we wouldn't have to see so many tough love responses to threads like this, which don't pop up out of nowhere. I think they pop up due more to a failing of the game than to a failure of individual players' moral fiber or work ethic.

Of course I'm always for bigger games and more players in any game I play, rather than exclusive conclaves. But I gather the Lindens don't particularly want this game to grow very fast, so maybe they aren't going to address this problem any time soon.

coco

They do. It is called 'learn and assimilate' and it is the foundation of every successful society, in-world or out in the real one.

All due respect, I am not responsible for how someone else playing this game FEELS unless I CHOOSE TO BE SO. No one, not you, not the Lindens, are going to tell me that being part of this virtual world means I have to do a bloody thing more than I wake up deciding to do.

This is not my JOB. This is not the REAL WORLD. It is a fucking GAME, where I go to RELAX, UNWIND, and have FUN. Not YOUR idea of fun, MY idea of fun.

If YOUR idea of fun doesn't coincide with mine, that's no worries at all, you can have your fun as you like and do not have to involve me at all. I promise, I won't cry.

If you're trying to tell me I'm obligated simply by virtue of being here to meet your definition of what is 'acceptable', I've only got one thing to say to you, and I'm betting you can guess it.



NOW you say this. Well. Ahem. Ok. You can forget all the previous. -grin-



You do not seem to consider the reality that (1) If they thought they were moving/growing too slowly, they could do a lot to change that before ever having to revise the fundamental 'and harm ye none, do as ye will' philosphy of this place, (2) That any and all disinterest in 'helping others' is automatically indicative of 'exclusiveness', (3) That, all things being equal, a new player is better off being handed something than having to work for it, and (4) That if you think it is 'a problem', anyone who thinks it is not just isn't 'thinking right'.

We're back to 'learning and assimilating' again, you know.... either you do or you don't. Regardless the ideology, that's the method. I deal with the reality as it is and leave the 'how it ought to be' stuff to folks who like ivory towers (that aren't prims).

edit: Meh, on second thought, nevermind. I grow weary of this conversation.

Suffice it to say, I'm quite happy. Plenty of others are too. If the original poster isn't, he can go join a treadmill MMO for $50+ $15 a month.

Don't know why my making one simple criticism of this game causes so much carrying on, to say nothing of haughty superiority.

The Lindens give us stipends, do they not?

If they decided to institute some simple program for players to earn money, that would be similar. It wouldn't be the total end of the virtual world.

coco

I think part of the problem for some people is that they come in to SL with expectations formed in other places... namely, TSO. SL is an entirely different beast and it really isn't (nor was it ever intended to be) a game. A place like TSO provides players with artificial game mechanisms and goals to keep them busy and reward them, like skilling, pizza making, potty breaks, and so on. People who enjoy that sort of thing (and there are many) who are looking for a way to fill their time with predetermined goals can tend to see SL as bewildering and bereft of any "game." They're right on both counts, but it's a feature, not a design flaw. SL was never intended to be TSO. It's a big giant sandbox where all you're given is a pale and a plastic shovel and lots of sand. For some people that's a wondeful glorious thing to have so much freedom and no set goals and be given tools instead of toys. For others it's not what they're looking for. There's nothing wrong with either type of person, but to expect SL to equally cater to both is asking a bit too much in my opinion. What SL has that TSO will never have is freedom. TSO gives you a lot of freedom to roleplay and to create your own narrative and that appeals to a lot of people, no doubt about it. SL on the other hand, gives you the freedom to do both of those things but also gives you the freedom to create and to build a narrative that can go beyond a predefined structure... something TSO simply can't offer. Different strokes for different folks. One thing that SL absolutely requires is a "can do" attitude and a genuine desire to learn things. If what appeals to you is something with defined goals that don't tax your intellect much, then SL simply might not be for you... that is if you expect to make L$ to spend without having to work hard and develop real world skills or have them handed to you for free.

All of that said... anyone who pays $9.95 for the ability to log in and explore for as long as SL lives and then complains that they have to spend money to get L$ has balls the size of planets.

reading this makes me sad bro, cause it explains why people call me Acorn...sniff.

Shadow

Don't worry Shadow. The balls slider only goes down to a healthy size and no lower

The problem with your theory chip is that the sl economy would not exist without consumers - people who just want to buy things and hang out.

If everyone bought into the wiki ideal of SL, then the economy would quickly grind to a halt.

However, I think we may be finding out that trying to be a techie wiki and a TSO style game world (prok, you got to give me a good catch phrase for that) might be too much for LL to handle.

"If what appeals to you is something with defined goals that don't tax your intellect much, then SL simply might not be for you... that is if you expect to make L$ to spend without having to work hard and develop real world skills or have them handed to you for free. "

I am certain you mean the general "you" here and not me specifically.

I agree with your entire analysis, and I understand that this game isn't really supposed to be a game.

But what would be so wrong for it to have one or two defined goals that don't tax your intellect much? And yet supply a small amount of Lindens that you know you can get, if you just do the work?

I don't think that would threaten the concept of SL very much, and I think just having that little way to exist without being a master mind would benefit the game a lot. My guess is it would keep more players in the game, which would provide more consumers for the products of those who do make them, or to buy the land of those who sell land.

As it is, there are way more products than there are people to buy them.

Plus then we'd have the added bonus of not having so many threads which bemoan the lack of ways to make money, which ultimately degenerate to responses such as, "Well, then I don't want to have anything to do with you," or "You have balls the size of planets," which don't do much toward keeping new players/posters posting/playing.

coco

Yes, I mean the figurative "you."

I agree with your entire analysis, and I understand that this game isn't really supposed to be a game.



It wouldn't be a bad thing at all, but I think LL is counting on us to develop and provide that experience for those who want it. There's definitely a market for it. The problem is that if the goal of the people who want to participate in it is to earn money there's no way for it to be profitable or even self sustaining for those who try to provide it.

The SL economy would not exist if everyone in SL expected to get everything for free. Where's the incentive? TSO players get their play money for "free" but it's not really free is it? They're paying $14.95 a month (or whatever it is. I'm guessing). So they're getting a portion of their real money handed back to them as simoleans... but they've already paid for them. SL offers a lifetime subscription for a one time fee of $9.95. To expect free L$ on top of that is asking to have your cake and eat it too.

I was zeroing in on that. That's what I meant by the the problem with your theory.

We need people who'd rather spend money than 'can do' or 'learn things'.

I think the can do / learn things is a wiki culture thing which if it becomes a requirement will mess with the economy.

The rest of what you said was perfectly sound.

A "can do" attitude can be as simple as a willingness to pay for what you want, rather than having a sense of entitlement beyond the ability to log in.

I think the key here is cooperation. For example, I am exceedingly shy, and would not be a good host. Someone else may be just chock full of charisma, but have no land or building and scripting skills. We could get together.

Also, just face it, this is not the game for everyone. I love it because I like to make things, and I like to listen to other people quip and chat, even if I'm not much good at that myself.

Come up with an idea yourself to make the money, and then look for people to help you with it.

Of course, I know that that is not easy. The most successful players are already in their solid cliques--so look for the unknowns who are looking for you!

Heh, well, you had to pay for things in TSO as well, didn't you?

I am pretty sure I saw people sell simoleans.

Yep, people paid for simoleans on top of their monthly subscription fees (if they wanted to), making TSO waaaaayyyyyy more expensive than SL... and yet people still have the balls to complain that they don't get free L$ on top of their lifetime access for a one time fee of $9.95, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

In my previous post I stated that it is difficult for a person with no computer skills to make money in Second Life. I should have added that it is not impossible and I am living proof. When I started I didn't try for the big kill by gambling, or playing whatever ingo game was around at the time, but went to many events and won enough of them to get started. I also got a job which utilized the meager skills I did have and in a few months I had enough money to buy land and start a business. Now I have enough money to pretty much do anything I want. For me, making money in Second Life was a step by step process, wich eventually paid off.

I'm not saying that anyone can start a successful business but it can be done by a computer dummy like me. It helps to have a talented Second Life partner who is a good builder and scripter too