| Status | Privately Held |
| Website | www.lindenlab.com |
| Blog | blog.secondlife.com |
| Category | Web |
| Phone | (415) 243-9000 |
| contact@lindenlab... | |
| Address |
Linden Lab 945 Battery Street San Francisco, CA, 94111 USA |
| Employees | 260 |
| Founded | 1999 |
Often a hyperbolic version of life outside the internet, Second Life is an online Metaverse that mimicks real life with virtual landscapes, buildings, dance clubs, ice skating rinks and of course personal avatars. Created by Linden Lab, Second Life is a downloadable program that connects all users in the same digital arena (“shard”) online. Users can do anything from buying digital assets such as clothes with “Linden” dollars to flying from one place to another. Linden Dollars are not free; they must be purchased with real currency.
There are many large organizations present in Second Life. There is an array of major corporations which own their own islands such as Starwood Hotels and Comcast. Starwood owns digital hotels at which they throw “parties” and Comcast has opened its own Theme Park. Additionally, musicians like Ben Folds give virtual concerts. Even the government of Sweden has a presence in the form of its own embassy.
Though mostly contained in its virtual domain, Second Life reaches into the outside world. Third-party services are available that allow residents to convert Linden Dollars back into real-world currency. In many cases, digital properties within Second Life are sold for substantial amounts of real money. The FBI has investigated inside the metaverse seeking to find illegal gambling. Linden Lab banned gambling in August 2007.
Even Rape has occurred within Second Life. All these things hint to the underlying notion that Second Life is not a game, rather a meaningful social arena in which the internet’s anonymity allows users to do anything they please.
There are approximately one million active residents with 40-60 thousand online at any given time.
| Website | Secondlife.com |
| Stage | Live |
| Launch Date | June 30, 2003 |
| Tags | virtual-world |
Second Life makes possible many things we can only imagine, yet want to see played out: A jet powered dragon dancing on a French Nude Beach for example! To begin making the imaginary real, users begin by choosing an avatar and going through a short course introducing them to the basic functions of their character. After that they are free to roam the expansive digital universe. Users can discover new areas and people by flying or they can teleport directly to any hot spot. Users can “talk” with other Second Life Residents using a proximity chat function which allows one user to speak to everyone within a certain distance of themselves. There is also an option for private chat with any individual a user may encounter.More serious residents can build structures, host parties or buy islands in addition to roaming and chatting. The marketplace for digital assets is large with transfers of millions of U.S. dollars monthly. Building a virtual home may actually get you some U.S. cash instead of shelter for your avatar.
| Website | teen.secondlife.com |
| Stage | Live |
| Launch Date | July 12, 2007 |
| Tags | virtual-world |
Literally a PG version of Second Life, Second Life Teen was created for a younger demographic of 13 to 17 year olds. Because Second Life sanctions adult material, Linden Labs decided to open up a very similar, yet “safer” arena for those underage.
