If it is a game, should no one care about profit?

Okay, for the sake of this thread forget the question of whether SL is a game or not, and just realize that at least some people think of SL as a game. In the hypothetical situation that SL is a game, are people wrong for trying to make money.

Does money suddenly become a moot point if SL is nothing but a recreation to a majority of its users. I mean, MMO's realize that they are nothing more than a recreation, so they let people play only for their monthly fees, right? The MMO's have artists, programmers, network technicians, advertisers, and countless others who all get paid by the company that charges the monthly fee for these games. Wouldn't these people be outraged if the players decided that they should get paid a portion of the employee's wages, because players are a part of the game too.

Even if a majority of people are here for entertainment, does that mean that all people, players included, have a right to have a source of income? The whole point of this place is a world for residents made by other residents, isn't it? Why do resident creators deserve less than if they were the employee of a company? I'm glad that Linden Labs seems to at least be attempting to implement policies that benefit content creators. If your fun on SL requires L$1000 / week more than you have, then pay an additional US$3.50/week that at least partly goes to content creators. If you don't, you can just enjoy the ability to build in sand boxes and chat in a 3-D world for free after your first $10. Any entertainment you got from others for free in the past should be considered nothing more than a luxury that is being corrected.

Not at all. What troubles me is the fact there are two conflicting stigmas to this issue.

The first is the camp that feels Second Life is a recreation, and should exist as a recreational activity. These are the people generally interested in more "play" money for buying goods and services, as well as the content creators that grossly underprice their wares and time, sometimes to the point of free.

The other camp are those that feel Second Life should exist as a business interest, and that these interests should be protected up to and including affecting the state of Second Life itself. These include some of the more dutiful content creators, sellers, resellers, store owners, and really the majority of the content creation base in Second Life.

Enter the dilemma. The first camp looks at the second and says, "Hah! What crazy people you are! Obviously this is just a game/platform for enjoyment, and you're sucking it dry!" Meanwhile, the second camp looks to the first, smiles, and says, "Yeah? What would you know? I get to buy a real car off my income here. You're the ones wasting your time."


I favor more of a middle ground, myself. Obviously, other schools of thought exist besides than the two presented.

The fact is, this program is what you make of it. Like any good moral dilemma, there is no right answer beyond the path you choose for yourself. If you enjoy it, more power to you.

Poker is just a game, too.

Popular rappers say life is a game and look at all their $$$.

Gotta be tru 2 tha game...


"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score." -Donald Trump

And a really bad reality show.

The way I've come to look at SL seems to be very
accurate. I view SL the same as any resort/vacation
type country such as Aruba or Jamaica. Some people
go there to relax, party, have a good time, and PLAY.
These are the tourists. Others are there to WORK, building
and providing services to the tourists, of course, they
can get their entertainment there too. Each country has
(can have) it's own currency, which can be converted to
and from $US as needed.

In some countries US$10 can get you quite a bit of
entertainment... and, of course, sitting on park bench
talking to people passing by is usually free for those
who just like to socialize.

But even if the tourists don't consciously keep in mind
that many people in Aruba make their living there, it
is still a reality. It's also not the function of Aruba's
government to ensure that all tourists can afford
any of the entertainment/merchandise produced by
its citizens. If tourists desire to buy more things than
they originally planned on, then it's a simple matter
of converting their $US to whatever currency is needed
in that country. They will probably need to have jobs
in their own country (USA, in my example) to support
their entertainment habbits in Aruba.

It seems quite simple to me from this viewpoint.

Also, don't think WoW or EverQuest, etc is much different.
In fact, the "tourists" there pay a monthly fee just to
visit... and THEN to be able to buy anything, they need to
spend their time going to work.... slaying monsters, harvesting
resources, etc. Of course, some people ENJOY that type
of work more than hosting an event at a club, or trying to
be creative and create/sell a piece of furniture or some new
item.

Fortunantly Second Life allows us each to get out of it
what we want. Perhaps what we need are more content
creators to build things that will appeal to the game players,
and build them in such a way to make their profit.

The game players should, in turn, remember that in other
online games they usually pay a monthly fee for their
entertainment, and continue to be willing to pay that
amount in SL too.

Gabrielle

Right on Torley, Keep living the life.

I have a feeling the Lindens feel the same way.

Woot!