Why a house?

Milla's recent house hunting thread got me thinking: Why do we need houses in SL?

I noticed that after some months in-world I dumped my house and just kept on living on landscaped parcels with lots of water and plants. I could never live that way in RL, of course, but this is SL after all. The climate is always tempered. No danger of freezing.

So, a curious question: Why do you own a house in SL? Why don't you just live outdoors or dwell in some phantastic, otherworldly place? Is it just the habit of being indoors between four square walls?

PS: If you *do* dwell in a phantastic, otherworldly place, please send me a LM. I'm always curious to discover new wonders in SL.

We've got to put it in our pantries with our cupcakes, or be deported to Pornopolis.

I own a land, not just a house.

Which means I can build, and design without interference of people asking me dumbass questions twice a minute. Or attacking me, or whatever people like to do to annoy the shit out of others.

SL public land is filled with people who don't have a real life. They enjoy making others suffer. So I got my own land which is guarded by an angry rabid droid that shoots missiles at you if it doesn't recognize you.

And I put a house on it. why? because I can.

i built a house overlooking one of the great lakes on the old mainland. yet still haven't "filled" it, and, though i "can't" tear it down, i wonder at times why i built it. it's the one place i spend the least amount of time.

I like to have a nice, private place I can go when I'm done for the night, and a private place as my "last location" when I log back in.

No, I have little use for my house. I sometimes talk to friends there, that's about all.

I like building them though, playing around with a few styles. I maybe keep each one for a month then start again.

I often wonder the same thing. I sell houses, have sold thousands of them but I still don’t really get why people want to buy them. I've been here for years and have never built a house on my recreational land. Just don’t see the point. I try to make my prefabs funky and arty and something more than just a structure to live in; I want it to be nice to look at and a place of interest to encourage people to spend time there.

I've actually been working on a new project this year and that will include some kind of prefab environments rather than buildings, the environments are designed to be personal and social hang out areas but generally trying to break the conventions of what prefabs tend to be in SL right now. I am also trying to disconnect from most forms of reality in an effort to create spaces that truly embrace unorthodox virtual living. I'm not sure how commercially viable they will be, hopefully I can appeal to my existing customer base and draw them away from their 4 walls into something completely different.

I had a beautiful big house but got rid of it and bought huge yacht,much more room on the yacht.
But we do tend to use the island garden and roads i built to race our cars,
We actually spend very little time indoors

I use to own houses, but have chosen to live as you have. I don't like being indoors when friends come over, etc because it just seems too claustrophobic to me. I now build gardens where I hang out and entertain. Rarely ever use to go into the houses.

I like having a deck and a railing and maybe walls for privacy but I do wonder why people need a house with a roof. I remember when I was a newbie on my first land and the nice Italian neighbor lady I think felt sorry for me because I didn't have a house. She volunteered info on here I could get a freebie house. I had some freebie houses in my inventory already, was not interested.

Only reason I can think of is for cybering. I had as brief fling long ago. We usually played around at his place but one day we were at my parcel and when I rezzed a house so we could have some privacy, I dropped it on my friend and he was trapped under it. "That really put you in the mood, didn't it?" Heh.

The neighbors would complain if I had the dungeon furniture on the lawn.

It's difficult to break old habits, and embrace new paradigms. "Your World, Your Imagination" only goes so far without some practice. It takes a while to break a lifetime of conformity in a world that as often punishes you for being imaginative.

That, and you can enjoy in SL that which many cannot possibly afford in RL. That's nice.

If I was your neighbour, I wouldn't complain. I'd film it.

I dont own a house or land in SL anymore... but I am a SL child so I do live with my parents when Im not at my dorm room at HKE

I must admit, back when I owned land, having a house and furnishing and decorating it was fun. It was creative in it's own way. he shopping for the one table to match a sofa, or the right carpet or plant. Finding artwork for the walls, etc.

I'l bring the popcorn.

actually, at least for myself, that one's easier. i have a good handful of houses in inventory (not sure if i have any of yours, but i'm thinking i SHOULD) that i've picked up mainly for the artistic value. if i like something, i'll buy it, thus it's always there to rez and look at for a minute, an hour, days, whatever. it's also a nice way to show appreciation for someone's efforts. much like a tip/donation jar, but you TP away with a product in hand.

You are getting quite the reputation, my heart

As Ama - I have a house I tp over to meet Steely when he comes in-world, but mostly I am to be found in my workshop where I build.

Hera however is truly a home-body. Hera will not leave the castle grounds with out Damien and really will not leave the castle proper unless he is there and has me (Hera) come out to find him.

A home, house castle SkyBox- whatever - is our cocoon - our safety zone. Even if I we are seldom there- Home is where 'they' have to takes us in if we have to go there. I want a place I know I can call mine. I have owned land since I first rezzed - it would take seriously bad times to make me give up my land.

You know, as I read this I realized I NEVER bring anyone into my house. I also, don't engage in SLex anymore (my BF and I live together in RL, it's completely redundant for us personally considering we're 10' from each other in the Living Room and the real thing is so much better ) so, I don't need a typical home per se for privacy in that respect.

A huge fantastical outdoor space is sounding more appealing. I have 12,000 square meters to play around with, on Linden water, in a very quiet sim. Nearly nobody drops in unannounced. I have all the privacy I care for anyway. I enjoy landscaping far more than doing the interior decoration, so perhaps I'll just get rid of the prim heavy house and concentrate on turning the land into a haven of small intimate spaces like you have. I always wanted to do an outdoor dining space - sort of a nutty Alice in Wonderland kind of thing; large table laden with food and drink where I'd entertain friends. May as well be where I most enjoy being - outdoors, watching the sky, moon and stars.

I have a giant cookie jar in the middle of a park filled with giant strawberries and teddy bears. =^-^=

I've had many houses... really, it's just a place for me to hang out and wait for people to log in, or be un-busy, and so on. Most of my time there is just sitting, or building/testing sculpts, really. I'm often multitasking and have SL open while I'm mainly focusing on other things, and usually I'm at my Home in SL at those times.

As to why I usually have a house, rather than anything else, it's really just a matter of taste. I feel better if my av has something cushy and soft to sit on, and I find most (Though certainly not all) cushy furniture looks odd outdoors. I do usually also have some sort of garden, or more, though, as I love my trees and plants quite a lot.

I've got 10km to work with, so I can usually have just about all I want ^-^

I have a fully furnished spaceship that I built myself. Sometimes I fly it across the sim to see what 23rdDjinn is up to.

I always wanted a spaceship to live in. . .

I have had several houses, a couple of which I've built. I'm like Brenda in that I only found them fun to decorate and then I get bored and want a new one.

Now I don't "live" in a house at all. I have a 10 x 20 plain box 1400 meters over my garden that I use as a home base and to tweak my avatar or change outifts. I'm thinking of making it 10 x10 to gain a few extra prims.

I have an only slightly more plush skybox that I have opened as a public dressng room. I think it is basically occupied by a stranger and sometimes her partner, but that's okay. That's why it is there.

So - no houses for me. No phantastic otherworldly place either. I put all the eye candy into the garden.

I once had a house or two, then realized all i do is spend time at other peoples bars (which are like homes to many of us) so I packed up the "house" and built a bar thinking that would solve everything. to tell you the truth, it did.

anywho, you realize its more of what makes you happy and comfortable less then just a "structure". i tossed a sleeping bag behind the bar at my "house" and now i never leave.

We live in our garden

I do have a skybox near my shop which serves as a workshop/photobooth, with a 'tv' so I can watch SLCN while I'm working