If you are hired in SL, your underpaid

I just thought of this... minimum wage for a real world job is what? $5.40 an hour?

A lot of jobs i've seen in Second Life pay L$100 an hour. Which is converted to $0.34. Chinese people get payed $0.99 an hour.

Isn't this illegal in some way? Getting payed 1550% lower than minimum wage in North America?

Minimum wage in SL should be L$1600 an hour. But then the economy would collapse and everyone would kill me, so don't read this k? thx.

No it's not because you are paid in games money, not real money. It's inconsequential that third party sites place value on the L$.

It's worth pointing out that on the whole, the gains of any business are not on a rl scale either, and most people run buinesses or work for fun. There are some exceptions of course. If there was a minimum wage equivalent to that irl, there would be next to no jobs in SL.

If you tried running a business such as a club (where most of the "jobs" are), you'd know that the profit margin is usually negative or slightly over break even. The highest figure I've heard quoted for any club owner is around $100 per week RL profit, and that's for a hugely diversified operation.

So let's see... club owner (often two or more people) split a $100 per week profit for working insane hours, more than any one staff member at their club. That's what? $50 per week RL cash for 40-60 hours spent in game dealing with a bazillion IMs and putting out fires and keeping things going?

Where's the wiggle room in that picture to pay people real-world minimum wage?

The folks who "work" at clubs do so for fun and some spare $L spending cash. It's not about real world profit or income at all.

The best money is to be made from land speculation, buying entire sims for $1000 RL dollars a pop and making 20-35% ROI on that 1000 bucks reselling smaller plots to players who want land. Of course, if the GOM drops to 3.00 per thousand, that profit margin is cut in half.

The next best money is to be a damn good and popular product designer.

Those two options are the only ones that earn people significant RL cash. All other options, especially club management, is chicken feed by comparison.

hmmmm it's not how much you are being paid it's that you are being paid to do something, like, well, you had to be there, if you had a lemonade stand when you were a kid, they aren't just thirsty they are giving props to you!

Now buy my Lemonade!!!

Let's see I usually make a MINIMUM of $20 usd teaching software per hour.

Lets say I charged that in SL...

Using your conversion of L$34 = 100 usd (or as I like to put it.. 34 lindens per penny)

That comes to....

L$68,000

Hmm but if you count the dozen or so I have per class and divide it, it only comes to
L$5,600 per student!

I am curious though.... I know people would scoff at paying X amount of lindens for just about anything, but if you gave them the choice to pay via pay-pay would they feel the same..

example: Hey you want to buy this shirt for $180 Lindens? No? ok how about 50 cents.

There are alot of things in Second Life with questionable legality. Because you are able to purchase Ls, you can stash your money in SL, and your bank statement would show that you spent the money. Clearly you no longer have this money.
The only fee you pay is the declining rate of the L. If it rises all the better.
When you are safe, and want to your money, all you have to do is buy it back.

Furthermore, none of the profits we make in SL are taxable. We can do buisness, and make tons of Ls. Then, withdraw whatever whatever we need each month to pay for our living expenses, and Uncle Sam would never know. Sweet!

Furthermore, you can pay people far below minimum wage to do your dirty work within the game. It's great!

oh yes..definately,

I once hired a door greeter for $500 for half an hours work.

That came to 4 bucks an hour.. I'm lame

This brings up my offbeat definition of a game

"Something that is almost like working, but you can stop doing it when ever you want"