So...what is there to do in this game?

New player to Second Life. I played in the open beta a long time ago and came back after reading the whole 'free basic account' thing going on.

And I've been exploring around for a few hours but it seems there is no goal or real activites going on. The casinos are filled with AFK players who want that 10 dollar moneyball (I'm doing this now), and the casinos themselves are rigged with blackjack deals that seem to get 20 or 21 almost everytime. I always put down insurance, since I know that they got a 21.

No real way to make money unless you happen to be a full-time programmer, modeler, or skinner. I'm none of those. I just came here just to explore, so what people come up, and see all the crazy creative things people put. That, and I am hoping that one day I'll own a big gun, go to the furry areas, and yell "it's wabbit season!"

In all seriousness, I can see why Linden Labs made this free for basic accounts. There seems to be nothing to do in this game whatsoever. I'm not interested in 80s dance emotes or the awful music, but playing a few games with other people and exploring. I can't do that since I have no money or clout.

Darklife? 500 credits to play the game.

I don't want to get a job that requires me to be online 24/7, since I have to work in real life. I can't even get the good features of Second Life (like a motorcycle) without forking REAL cash in the game, despite Linden Labs saying the game is free.

So can someone please tell me ...what is there to do in this game besides being AFK for hours for the freaking money ball?

Come visit us at the Roadhouse in Bowness sim tonite and I'll gift you a motorcycle.

Access to the world is free. L$ are not. You need to either earn them or buy them (or win them).

I actually went there today. Really nice setup. Too bad no one was around.

Really? I thought it was just my horrible luck

That is because most of the people that hang out at the Roadhouse (myself included) are on eastern time zone. That's why Leck mentioned *tonight*.

And, you are right. There are no goals in SL. Hense why it is not a game. However, you can make your own goals. I usually advise going to as many *different* types of events as possible. Including games, discussions, classes, etc. Every event you go to increases the number of people that you will meet, as well as can help you think of ideas for what you would like to do. Sometimes you can win money at events, other times you can learn things. You can build and create for fun or money. Whatever your heart desires. Just check the events calendar when you are in world. It will help you know what is going on. And of course you can fly around and explore and you may stumble across something that you really like.

SL is still more an enviroment for the content creators right now. Those creators are working to make this world a fun enviornment for those who want to come and just hang out and socialize and play around. But just as if you were to go to another country to hang out for a while, you would still need to take a bit of cash with you if you didn't want to just sit on the sidewalk and twiddle your thumbs. hehe.. At least in SL you get a bit of money to play around with, and there are always small bits of money to be made here and there just by going to events and such.

Welcome to Second Life!

Granted, on a basic stipend of only $50 per week you'll be a bit limited at first, but...

1. There are a ton of very cool builds to explore. Even if you methodically cover every sim, it will take you months to see everything, and the landscape changes all the time.

2. There are many different clubs with different themes and music. Explore - you'll find a club or two where you like the atmosphere, the music, and the people there.

3. If you are more action-oriented, there is aerial dog-fighting in a variety of mouse-steered craft or keyboard-steered craft. Most dogfighting craft are 500 lindens or less.

4. There are weapon-combat-oriented sims, but the action is hit and miss.

5. There's an item called a Frag-Foo that lets you have gun-based combat with any other players wearing a Frag-Foo anywhere on the grid. You're not stuck in a damage-enabled sim to have fun shooting at each other with a Frag-Foo. So a find on Crystalshard Foo to find her shop where the Frag Foo is sold.

6. Speaking of guns, there are guns aplenty. My current favorite for performance and aiming is the Seburo Compact Xploder, but there are many good guns and new ones being created all the time.

7. Like poker? Like Texas Hold'em? There are several holdem games running every day, many at regular time slots like 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 9pm SL time. Feel broke? Good at poker? Buy 1000 lindens from somewhere as a stake and make money playing holdem to fund your other SL purchases. There are also some good single-player gambling machines that offer decent odds. There's a blackjack table that is fast and good, a street craps game that is fast and good, and a bingo machine that is fast and good.

8. There are many other social-based multi-player games like the various *ingo games or Blood 21 or a "wheel of fortune" game called "Second Life". You can make money at these games too.

9. There are many board-based games: Chess, Greedy Greedy, Nuke the *hit out of Europe/Africa/USA, Settlers of Second Life (an excellent port of Settlers of Catan), and others. Some of these, like Greedy Greedy and Settlers, allow players to contribute to a pot and the winner takes the whole pot. Or you can play for no money.

10. Like escorts or phonesex or camsex? There are several escort-based agencies and clubs that offer pixelsex for a relative pittance. Are escorts only for "losers who have to pay for sex"? Not! You pay an escort to GO AWAY after sex. That's a *big* difference. Think about it. RL escorts I've known all tell the same story: *most* of their clients were good-looking, cultured, interesting, good in bed, and had money. Definitely not losers.

11. Hmm, what else? Pretty soon there will be a good FPS game that you can play for $20 linden, and every person you score a kill on before you're killed yourself will net you 10 linden per kill. Have FPS fun for cheap *and* make some money! The longer you stay alive and kill the other players, the more money you make.

12. Are you kinky? You wouldn't believe the size of the bdsm community in SL. There are entire chains of island sims that roleplay the Gorean theme quite heavily, for example.

In short, there's a ton of stuff to do even if you're "just a player" and you don't want to buy lots of clothing and poses and such.

Also, I seriously doubt that the blackjack tables you played are "rigged". No casino owner, especially, will risk getting a reputation for having rigged tables. Blackjack offers the best odds to the player on any one hand, over any other game besides maybe Hold'em. But the house doesn't have to "rig" a blackjack table because over time, the odds are that the house will make a certain percentage anyway, in quite honest fashion.

If you mistrust a single-player game, then play Hold'em. There its just your skill against the other player's skill and the luck of the draw.

Okay, let's say I have a project in my head, but I cannot script, create models, or skin.

How would I pull this off?

One word, networking.
Make friends, meet lots of people. Sound your ideas off of folks with like minds. Use the forums, employment/help wanted is a good place to start etc.

Well, you could invest the time to learn how to do some of these things.

We all started here like you did. One year ago I didn't know the scripting language, I didn't know what a prim was, and I wouldn't have dreamed of creating my own skin. I had some real-life skills, and I am sure you do too. The trick is in investing the time it takes to find a way to apply those skills here, in Second Life. Now, having invested that time, I can do all of these things ... and more.

You can also build relationships here will help you accomplish your goals. But as in real-life, your worth here is directly proportional to the value you bring to others. There is no free ride.

Find a way to provide value - whether that means being the best scripter, becoming a famous clothing designer .... or just being the person that always finds a way to make your friends smile or laugh.

As other's have suggested, Second Life isn't really a game. It's much more challenging and rewarding

Make friends that do.

Learn. Everybody was new at one point; lots of residents teach scripting classes. Building, go to the Ivory Tower of Primitives. (There's also a darn handy directory called the "Helping HAND" - I personally have a dispensor and free-to-play games set up in Eldora sim, and the Shelter club is a good newbie place as well to get it.)

Sl isn't a game in so far that you don't do actions to improve a character; everything you might learn is stuff you learn.

you learn. i didn't even know the basics of photoshop a few months ago. it was something i've always wanted to learn, and sl gave me the perfect excuse to do it. i can now make all kinds of clothing, and am starting to experiment with skins.

there are tons of resources to help you get started. these forums, the wiki (althought the scripting one didn't do much for me), in-world classes, other residents, etc. in real life, you would have to take the time to learn new skills to create a new project, and you have to do the same here.

Well I say quit complaining and Leave if you don't like it.

GOOD DAY TO YOU MARKY!

Welcome to Second Life as a new Resi!

SL is really a land of possibilities. I can say this I am not a full-time programmer, modeler, or skinner! Like yourself, I CAME HERE TO EXPLORE! I don't make schtuff. But I'm also a fur so please be gentle with the firearms... hehehe.

Second Life is like, the best 10 bucks I ever spent (back in September 2004) when Basic accounts were not yet free. There's so many opportunities for goodies here, even money, but a longterm view wins things out and you gotta be patient sometime and nod your head like Kitaro's "Dance of Sarasvati" (you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've heard it).

Already you have some helpful suggestions here... a big part of SL is getting lost and finding yourself. That sounds deep, but it's shallow at the same time too.

How much of the world have you already seen? And you haven't been here for yet a month! Let me tellya, there's a YUGE amount of joy that awaits you, so keep on going. How about starting at a telehub on one end of the mainland and then walking to the other side, and keep a journal of what you come across and what it means to you.

I wouldn't say this if it didn't work for me. Infact, I've collected my personal experiences in a blog (WWW.TORLEY.COM) of some of what I've done in SL since my first day here. It includes, yes, the money part, but is more about the experiential happiness that comes with discovering great people, places, and things in Second Life. (Money gets thrown at me after!) LOLEX.

Don't feel any pressure to earn L$$$. You don't have to pay for necessities to keep you alive here. Walk around... talk to a lot of Residents... really believe for yourself things will happen naturally-'n'-easily in time.

A lot of it just can't be explained in words. But when you smile, that is the truth.

You could stage an event!

Maybe, like, a whine festival or something ...

When I started, I had the same observation as you. So I decided to see how far I could get on my a basic $50 a week account, and whatever I could make from money trees, bingo, etc.

I did that for a few months, and got a pretty far ways! At the same time, I was learning how to make stuff. Now I make things. I found some very enjoyable events, though, and still enjoy going to those.

coco

Not at all! I knew nothing about any of those disciplines, but that didn't stop me from learning what I could and buying the time of those whose talents I needed. The result was pretty lucrative for me and I've grown creatively in the process. Just explore and have fun. That's what I did my first few months here. I also bought L$ from time to time so I could score goodies from quality shops. It's really a treat to to see what awesome products people have put together in SL.

Ah, what a brilliant and controversial idea!

1. Get a safari Jeep, hunting rifles, and nifty hats.
2. Register a copy of FRAPS.
3. Start filming footage of avatars sneaking around Luskwood in full camo.
4. Get more footage out in the combat sims.
5. Release "Furry Hunter -- Second Life Safari" a week later.

Mos Def.

Anshe Chung built her empire up from a basic account.

WWBNA

Who Will Be the Next Anshe?

I don't think that "being the next Anshe" is a good goal for anyone just coming into the game - partly because it depends on either

a) another market emerging which is as lucrative as land (highly unlikely, since the prices charged for land already outstrip anything else on the grid largely as a result of the US$ prices charged by Linden for its maintenance)

or b) somebody out-Anshe'ing Anshe by beating her in the landscaping/rental market. Since SL is Anshe's full-time job, that somebody would need to be a student, unemployed, or very rich person capable of supporting themselves while they devoted themselves to SL but were not yet successful.

The best bet I've found is to build stuff you like building, chat to people at other times, and don't sweat it. Thing is, as a newbie it's a frantic clamour to earn L$, but once you've gotten your avatar to something you like and got hold of any gadgets you really really want, you realise that you don't actually need much more unless you want to go into rentals and listings. If you don't enjoy either graphical chat, building for its own sake, or business, then probably SL won't be your game, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Marky;

Philip Linden has been quoted as saying that Second Life is not a game. I spent the majority of my time in SL since beta trying to show that it was. Or that just casual gamers were needed. After Philips announcement I decided it would be best to be straight with ppl who post questions about game play as you have.

SL is not a game but you try to make it interesting for yourself by digging deep inside yourself to come up with something fun and creative in SL. I say that because on the surface there really is becoming less and less geared towards those that wish to use SL as a virtual fun arena.

For example, Sign up for a free blog and review places you have visited. Who is to say your role playing as a reporter or being a real reporters. No one would know the difference in a virtual world unless you told them.

Everyone has something that interests them you mentioned a big gun. Why not start contests in combat areas. No one says you have to be serious in SL. Make the prize “Winner has to give the host the winning weapon” LOL.

I think it’s a fallacy to think that there is no place in SL for those who choose not to be productive, free or paying accounts are irreverent in that opinion. I also believe it’s a mistake on the part of LL and other players to disregard the casual fun loving player. Unfortunately SL and a majority of players believe SL can only be one thing; a virtual market place.

These thoughts of course are just my opinion, if you disagree then toss them out like yesterdays trash. I’m just trying to help others not waste their time on a pipe dream, that never was.

Mar

Well, as a new player to SL I would say "Welcome" but obviously you don't feel welcome here at all. That and, based on the attitude you convey in your post I personally thnk the environment would be better off with out you.

If you want to make levels and get "PHAT LEWT!" then I strongly suggest you go play another game. If you came "back" to SL cause it was free because you don't have the money to afford the kind of game you want to play in, then I strongly suggest you stop snivveling over what you got/can't get out of a free game cause beggars can't be choosers can they?

There's A LOT of stuff to do in this "Game" if you have the patience and perseverance to find it, try it, do it. But I get the impression you are one of "those" who is looking for the quick fix, the fast cash, the easy method, the free ride and the ever famous "phat lewt".

Go play WoW, go play EQ, go play something else. But don't come here, on a free ticket bitching about the fact that you can't get your rocks off with yir new, flashy, Flaming +17 Broadsword of Pwning cause it isn't here...unless you MAKE one of course.

SL is two things first and foremost: a social world and development platform.

So if you don't enjoy going around and chatting with people or putting some creativity in the world via development (and don't say you don't know how too, because most people who come into SL didn't know how too until they bothered to learn, it's not that tough), then you might need to reconsider SL as a game for you.

SL really isn't about the money, you don't try to get the most money, then some magical fairy rezzes in front of you and tells you that you've beaten Second Life, it'd be the same thing as beating the internet. But the idea is to find what you do enjoy in SL that you can't do in RL, like talking to a bunch of people in the room whom are all distributed across the world in RL, or building a giant mansion, or being a clothing designer. It's all possible in SL, but the trick is that you have to put the time and investment (and you say 24/7 but it's not, just practice bit by bit little by little when you're on and you'll get better) in to doing what you want. Really the way it should be there, is that you build and make this stuff for fun, and money is a side effect.

Altenatively you can skip all that development and go to the social aspects of it, find a hang out spot you like, make some friends, go exploring together or play some of the games scattered around the grid. Going purely social will make it a bit tougher to get money but not impossible, there's places that hire people to do little jobs for them like clubs, and there's games besides gambling that can get you money with better odds.

In the end, SL is quite literally what you make of it. So go make something of it.

I personally think SL would be a LOT better off without people telling new players the environment would be better off without them.

Either directly, as in the post above, or more subtly.

To paraphrase an old saying, if you can't say something nice to a new player, don't say anything at all.

coco