For years Second Life has been a very good conversation piece when it comes to making money online. The economy in Second Life has its own exchange to USD and allows the Residents to exchange Linden’s (the inworld name for money) or $Ls into real world currency. Linden Lab’s currency was even online before Bitcoin became a viable investment. Many people over the years have made money in this virtual world and many have not. What does it take to make a living out of Second Life? Who has done this? What types of products or services actually make money in Second Life? Well from my research, continue reading because here is what I found out.
My research in Second Life delved into several areas. The culture is much different than the real-world buyer’s market. People do make an income. The question is, is it a viable income that allows you to quit your real job? That depends on who you are, your abilities, and how driven you are. A lot of my research led me to believe that it is really not all about money. There are some people so passionate about what they do, that money is not what drives them to do it.
It would be great to sit at home and work online. In our current world crisis, this is coming more and more prominent. People work more from home now than at any time in history. The culture is changing and making more possibilities online and in Second Life for lucrative opportunities. There are millions of people in Second Life. Some have become rather well-off due to their abilities and talents. Sominel Edelman is doing rather well with his surround sim landscaping.
Full-time, supplemental income, or maybe something that can be a passion? Venue owners, product vendors, and scripters alike have their opinion of what Second Life income is and I’d like to share some of their views in this article. Looking at larger vendors like Catwa, and Maitreya in recent years seem to be very lucrative in the recent changes for mesh. Still striving from the past, Ansche Chunge made international news by becoming the first millionaire to make a profit in Second Life. Stroker Serpentine was not far behind when he and his team brought adult content into Second Life during its first years of existence.
Aside from land and adult items, you have clothing, scripting, and venues that feed the economy in Second Life. Some of my dear friends in Second life have offered up their opinions and expertise on these matters. In the year 2003 Stroker Serpentine and his team brought adult pose balls in-world and in 2006 Fnordian Link started his scripter career, Lestat Reuven started Sissboom and the French Farm. She brought us some really nice furniture and clothing on the grid and is still striving. In 2007, Sominel Edelman started to develop surrounding landscapes which are all over the grid today with beautiful scenes.
In 2009, cherryblonde (chryblnd.scribe) started Idle Rogue, an entertainment venue with Live Musicians, Djs at first which evolved into one of the premier venues for the unique burlesque shows in Second Life. By 2011 a friend of mine Pixy Snook started designing many types of skins, tattoos, and makeup. Now we use appliers for different layers on the mesh and these items are popular to make each and every avatar unique. Pixy made a lot of money when she created a limited skin edition once but said that she has not been able to recreate that much hype since.
So far Pixy Snook has made supplemental income with Second Life because of her busy Real Life. Also in 2011, Origen Resident decided to bring parts of Hollywood in-world with his Venues. Hollywood Venues featuring places like the Chinese Theater and Hollywood Bowl were premiere entertainment spots featuring some of the most talented performers in Second Life through live music shows and burlesque.
There are many reasons why people create in Second Life. Venue owners do not make too much money and end up spending a lot of money. You could supplement that by possibly renting out some of your land. But for those who love the arts, it’s a passion. As Origin states “Please don't undersell your value. And here is some great advice from Ted Turner that I always follow: Advertise, Advertise and Advertise. The only thing I would add to that is to advertise in places that you can show will bring you a return on investment. Do not throw your money just anywhere. There is lots of good free advertising on FB in SL groups.” As for products and services that people can buy and use in world, the people I choose in this article have been making money in Second Life since shortly after they landed in the world. They are still making L today. Because of the structure of how money is made in world, the patrons have the ability to exchange it for real-world dollars.
In closing, those I mentioned above have found their calling in Second Life and are very successful. Others have run their SL career course and moved on. Yes, it is still possible to create a lucrative SL career in Second Life, but only if you put in the time and effort to succeed. There you have it. People may have what it takes to make a full-time income in Second Life, and many can make a part-time profit. It’s your Second Life; you decide what you bring into and out of it. I would like to thank all the contributors to this article!
Pictures supplied by: NicoleX Moonwall
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