This Second Life virtual world is very interesting… The game has its own economy, with people willing to buy and sell “Linden dollars” (L$) for U.S. dollars (US$), with a fluctuating exchange rate based on demand. There’s also real estate speculation and trading. People are making a full-time living off of the game, mainly through real estate and by creating and selling custom clothing, objects, and bodies.

Also, there’s an embedded journalist who makes his living off of reporting what’s going on in the world, as well as the controversies that exist in it. People are forming governments, and deciding what kind of zoning regulations, if any, they want people in their neighborhood to abide by when constructing objects. I was given paraphernalia by someone running the Socialist Party of Second Life.

People who create in-game objects keep the rights to their intellectual property.

It’s a very interesting place…