The economy is false....

Different perspectives to the contrary, Darren's point is still valid - how can Lindens leave so much money on the table for land resellers without calling them partners or otherwise disclosing unequal customer status?

Sure, everyone pays the same tier but not everyone pays the same for land/prims up front, and of course not all land is created equal (older sims, islands. etc.).

First Land might offer the same one-time cost/discount entry point to every player, but the markups from auctions or private island plot sales are similar in magnitude if not fully 450%...

Lets be honest, anyone who buys at auction is not (was not) interested in personal consumption - and auction prices were far below (in most cases) the cost of Land in-world when they were priced in $Lindens.

Whether SL is a game or not - any veteran Monopoly player knows a racket when he/she sees one. So the real question is do you play or not, but pointing out the obvious in a user forum is more than just jousting with windmills - he's making an honest contribution.

Second Life is as little or as much one game as what you call "real life" is. In RL you have people who are busy working hard and making one living to feed themselves and their loved ones. At same time you have people in RL who go to party and play. Some people consider their whole existance just one "game". Only because some play while others work that does not make RL into one "game".

In Second Life it is not different. The only difference is that maybe there are fewer people who do serious things here and work as compared to people who play. Maybe it is like Ibiza or Daytona Beach. But still in Ibiza and Daytona Beach you have people who work. Or would you expect every real estate broker in Daytona Beach work for free because it is such one "game" and "fun" place?

You should be thankful that you can afford come to Second Life and spend your time playing, that you make enough money in RL (I hope it really is your *own* money) that you can come here as tourist and consumer. But you should still respect those who work here and provide services, may it be content creation or may it be as business person bringing liquidity to land market. Just like you probably do in RL some people pursue opportunities, create value for others in order to earn the money that allows them to stand up to their responsibilities.

Today the value of the Linden$ earned in SL is more real than Chinese RMB value of my parents' pension that eroded and vaporized and became marginalized by inflation. The "game" I "play" here directly translates into better healthcare for them and better education for my children. Now you could become jealous of my opportunity here and I could become jealous of your RL job. Or you could ask if my work here is useful or ethical and I could ask back the same about your job. SL is just another place and it is up to everybody what to use it for.

Try 8-12. LL usually follows a 4-month development cycle, 3 months coding + 1 month testing
Throw in another 4 since LL has a history of not actually getting things done on time for the major release date and postponing things to another major release

i'll give you a 50% off back to school special

I have read that over and over. Exactly what is your point again?

I create items as well. And know many people that do. Again read my original post. It says nothing about someone selling creations. Cause a creation is "Their" product. Which is understand able and anyone Vet or newbie has the chance to make whatever they want and the fees are the same for each. But when it comes to land sales this is not the case.

Yes I can affod to play the game but does that make it right for me to charge astronomical fees for items? No it does not.

Land in this game would move and sell much faster if it were reasonable. Simple to figure out really.. Lower prices more sales. and more happy people.
Currently I live on a sim which is plagued with Lag issues. I am told to move. Well sure move cause profit has been made from my current land. So I sell this land for considerably less than what I purchased it for and pay some outragous fees for new land.

First land is 1L per M, I see land 1024 for sale for 9999L Anyone care to do the math on the mark up?

That is my point. someone new to the game will look at it and say screw this I am not paying a mortage here and in RL I will go back to There, COH or whereever they may have came from. If we are fair our community will grow. Is that really such a bad thing?

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First, before you make a comments like you have, actually look at the numbers that have been given to you: https://secondlife.com/community/economy.php

I know this is not up to date to this current week, but it shows a trend of auction land being sold for more than second hand land (land In-World). That by definition is not mark up. Every time someone buys a sim to resell, prices drop. The supply of land has gone up, and there is more competition in the land market. Even if someone big buys the land, all the other land sellers have more land to compete against. The numbers reflect this trend, they do not reflect a trend of huge price mark up.

The other thing you are forgeting is that you have not said what land is for sale at 9999L for 1024 meter2. There are some types of land that are very hard to find, and they should cost more. Do you think anyone would be smart selling a peice of land right next to a telehub for $L1/meter2.

If the land is not worth $L9999, it will then never sell and the person that owns it will just continue to pay Linden Labs for the right to own land that they think is worth more than it is. Owning land is not a free thing to do. They could be paying dearly for their mistake.

The numbers do not suggest people are marking up land from auction. You can't use $L1/meter2 as your measuring stick, because that is an exception to the rule. That is land with a price cap that does not sit on the free market. First land is like giving you US$7 in exchange for your US$1.70. Use the numbers of what land is selling for on the auction and grid sales. Those are the numbers that actually reflect the REAL MONEY value of the land. Yes, Land in this game is worth a real life value. That play money can be exchanged for real life money, so that land in turn can be sold for real life money.

I've been reading through this conversation and I can no longer wait until the end of the topic to post my reply:


Games, you really are a moron. I'm sorry to break it to you in such a publicly-humiliating manner, but it is true... and here is why:

What Greene was saying about SL popularity is 100% correct. SL is not a popular MMORPG in any way, shape, or form. Lets use your screenshot for example. Sure, the "population" is over 34,263 users. That is simply a count of everyone who has paid for a membership, including those who do not play (remember, a basic account is only a one-time $10 fee for life. That's easy to walk away from). The important number here (and in any other game) is the total "In-world" users. How many people are playing the game consectutively at one time?? At the time of your screenshot? Only 1,516 users. That is a far cry from popular. Now let me show you what a "popular" MMORPG looks like... (see attachment)

Runescape 2 is a popular MMORPG by any standards. Right now there are 105,437 users actually "in-game" playing at the same time. Their total population to my knowledge tops 3 MILLION registered users. A VERY far cry from Second Life's 1,516 in-game / 34,263 total.





*file attachment "slp.jpg" origionally posted by Games Prototype.