30 day free play with free avatars

I understand the lindens principle on allowing free accounts and I accept it but what about limiting their free play to say 30 or 90 days from which they must upgrade to paid membership to continue.

This way everyone can:

1. experience SL for free

2. lindens get their continuing growthrate of membership

3. freeloaders cant exist for ever.

4. ensures servers are dealing with proper members and not freeloaders upon free loader

Failing to upgrade gets their avatar removed after another 30 days.


Seem the most logical method for all parties.

Don't agree. I would like to accounts have verified again, but that is something else.

Apart from that it is good as it is now imho. I pay because I own land... and that is good that way. I think if you let all pay, you take something unique away from SL... meaning it is open to all, even those that cannot afford a monthly payment...

Morwen.

Sounds good to me. The only drawback that I can see for LL is that their 'explosive' growth rate (should hit the 2 million mark before the end of the year at current rates) will prolly drop back significantly as all the dead accounts are culled. However that would give a more realistic appraisal of the membership numbers, something that will benefit LL in the long run as they'll be able to point out in all honesty that the membership numbers aren't inflated with legions of dead accounts.

At which point they make another free acount, if they even stayed around in SL for this long in the first place (reported retention rate is what, 10%?)

Seems to "solve" nothing.

Morwen, if someone's had a free ride for 1-3 months, then US$10 isn't that big an expense to ask. An enterprising player could have easily learned how to build or script in that time and earned enough L$ which they could convert to US$. It costs real money to run the servers and bandwidth that SL runs on. Why should the paying members subsidise the free accounts forever? Sure, have a limited time of totally free play. After all, new players are what helps SL grow, so let's get 'em in the door. However I feel that LL is entitled to pass the hat around once someone's been in SL for a while.

I have a free account and don't have any intentions of paying for this game. Reason being is that it pretty much feels like an advanced chatroom. Sure you can have houses and things to show off to your friends but I can accomplish that in most MMO's anyway and have more options then just meeting with people for a talk. What this game does offer over the other games out there (Hope the word game isn't offensive to anyone who feels this is not a game) is that it provides more socializing. Thats something that lacks in a great deal of MMO's out there as many players focus their attention too far on leveling up, getting the best loot, and killing the huge beasts for bragging rights. But once in a while its nice to just sit down, have a grand talk with someone and take a break from the loot gathering and the blood sheding. Sadly most players just see this as a waste of time. So when I feel like taking a break from all of that, I jump over to Second Life and fill in that social need.

Being that I pay for other games out there, limiting this to a set time till your account is no longer free will just cause others to either find a way to create another free account, or just not bother to keep coming back. I'm sure that would make some Second Life residents happy being as some I am sure would rather the freebies were gone, but that does not eliminate the free account issue. During my attempt at trying this game I was able to create two accounts easily. The first I made a mistake and because I was not able to delete my avatar and correct the name issue I just created a new account.

well most other " games " require a monthly fee of about $9

i would call SL a virtual environment as a game implies an objective.

a one off payment of $10 to keep your free avatar isnt much at all.

Yes people could create another avatar and start again but if your spending 3 months with your free aatar you would of built up an inventory, look event rent some private land etc and $10 is far better than the hassle of moving your stuff over.

*moves to feature suggestions*

SL would loose a lot of customers if they required people to pay, especially those who rent land in privately owned sims.

If you don't like basic free accounts then forbid them to go on your land. Now why wouldn't people do that? Because either they don't mind (personnally I don't) or because they add to traffic.

Soooo ask Linden to remove basic free accounts from traffic and popularity evaluation and you might get rid of camp chairs at the same time, no?