Why do you build?

A) Is it to model things you want to do in RL
B) Is it to model things you would find interesting in RL
C) Is it to build things you find interesting in SL
D) Is it to express something trying to bust out of your mind?
E) Is it to communicate ideas that you think would be helpful to other people
F) Is it a good substitute for TV
G) Is it just a way to exercise your brain and keep your intellect sharp
H) Are you trying to investigate ways to make money at something you find new and exciting
J) Is it a way of connecting with other people and making new friends
I) Other

What reasons do you have for building in SL?

Other: I build to try to provide structures that the owners would be proud of. Builds that are visually stunning, proportional in scale, and something you want to come home to time and time again.

Hm, a lot of the above for me. I build for kicks sometimes to see what wacky stuff from my dreams I can sculpt in SL. I hope in the future, 3D printers are more commonplace so we can have miniature scale models of our creations. There's a certain transience and "pixels-only" attitude to what is made in SL, but if we had "hard copy", it'd change the perception of that. Plus, it'd be heckuva trip to see your creations from SL as toys on your desk.

I think I build to advocate, express, encourage and to make clear that reality is purely relative.

I too would say all of the above. I like to make people happy, and I love to build. Building has been a LONG running biz for me in many games (been doing it publically since 2000).
Design is another major deal to me, the posibilities for the diffrent types of builds are endless in RL and SL, I like to produce something closest to thoes limits that still remains practical and visually appealing.

- Sam

I've considered the irony that I spend X dollars a month (for tier and membership) so that I can build stuff for a virtual world. It's still an amazing thing to me.

I build stuff for the fun of it and so that other people can go "wow"... Lots of those listed reasons apply to me, but the "wow" factor is the main one. What I LOVE more than anything though is that I can sneak a little knowledge into my creations so that every now and again, someone learns some weirdo trivia.

B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I

D is definitely the biggest motivator for me to build, though. I build because I'm compelled to do so. I get ideas, and if they don't get out of my head somehow, they sit in there and fester. SL keeps me from scribbling on every level surface I can find.

One of the biggest draws for me about SL is that it is a medium completely unlike paper or canvas or clay. Not only can I make things that are visually appealing, but I can also add behavior to them with script. SL is an environment that keeps the left-brain loony artist in me happy, while still appealing to my right-brain codeslinging half.

I model things that I've seen in RL, as well as things I wish I could see (or BE) in RL. I like to model nature and fantasy enmeshed, so I create my birds, statues of griffons and dragons. I also like to be unique, so I create the most unusual or unconventional avatars I can think up. When I first arrived in SL, I built for fun. Now that I've gotten some recognition I build because I feel I need to keep nudging at the envelope of what you can accomplish in SL. I don't have a lot of RL folks to call friends outside from my workplace, so I do what I can here to pass the time while here and make an impression.

-Psyra-

I build because I cannot dance.

I build for a variety of reasons.
Self-expression.
To help out others who aren't inclined to build.
Because I can.
And mostly because I'm very picky and I want things done to my tastes, so who better to do it than me? I'm far from a great builder, but I happen to have exactly the same tastes as me, so it works.

It's true.. I've seen him dance.

I build because I'm here! Actually that works the other way too... Guess I just always liked to draw and make things.

What am I doing NOW in SL? Well I'm making a house for a friend 'cause I like her. I'm working on my house 'cause I want a place to sell some things and to have people over and to build in private. I'm working on a character for another friend to make some money. I've got a line of products out that are Anime and Japanese inspired that I made because I wanted to play with them, but also hope to make money off of. I'm working on more of thoose and some other, totally different fashion things, also to make money. I wanna make enough money per year to have two slots of land, build fun stuff, buy a few things, and advertize my land but not have to pay any money into the game! (/me crosses fingers and toes, so far so good!)

After that... well I got a little tiny idea that woudl be fun! =^.^=

LOL I thought the opposite is why lots of people dance, because they cannot build.

I guess I build because it's fun -- none of the other reasons really explain it better than that...

WHAT I build depends on some of the other points.. but ultimately I build for me because I enjoy it.

Siggy.

me too, building is just for fun.

I build because I need to. I'd venture to say I'm compelled to build things. I design at work all day, and come home and design at night in SL. If I'm not designing stuff in virtual worlds, I'm painting or fusing or lampworking glass or some sort of artsy fartsy type thing.

Thus far, I build to see what i can do, and to learn how to use the tools in SL more effectivly.

Though, my project is coming along well... just need to find some more textures, and...

I used to build things for fun. Now it's no fun because things don't stay the size you mouse them to or at the place where you mouse them to, and the rotations alter themselves by .01 degrees from what I type, and the numbers change by an amount of 180, -180, 360, or -360 from what I would want them to be, so I don't build anything anymore.

I build for fun, to be able to get out something that I normally wouldn't be able to, to express myself, and because it's a good release. Building in a virtual world allows you to create something that you wouldn't have the resources to do in the RW, and it's sedates our appetites to create. Plus, it's really a rewarding experience to see your build come to life, and to see someone say that they love your build.

Heheh Chandra, you rock! Personally, I build because Cthulhu tells me to!

-Ghoti

Why do I build?

Because it's not there....

Well, I must admit, Elder Gods are probably a powerful influence on my own work, too, but at such a deep, subconscious level that I'd turn into a gibbering madwoman if I were to fully contemplate the naked truth.

I started building houses in The Sims (offline version) and couldnt get enough... moved onto The Sims Online and continued w/my addiction of creating (homes) out of lines & circles (for that is all yu get in a 2-D world). When I came to SL, I was nearly overwhelmed by the challenge of learning to build in 3-D. An intro. class gave me the basics; determination has kept me focused, and the desire to build the final, perfect home, keeps me locked in the game; perhaps forever....

Personally I build for fun and because I can acutually do something in SL, where as I am still trying to learn Blender.

So I'm more than just a pretty face with an outstanding personality and a killer body.

It makes me a pretty face with an outstanding personality, killer body, and a nifty homestead.