Remember Second Life? It’s Now Taking On Big Tech’s Metaverse | WSJ

[@Imokon]

Why is it whenever SL is mentioned in the mainstream news most of the graphics used are LITERALLY two decades old? For people who have never set foot into SL seeing this video have no idea what's already possible for years now as far as avatar customization goes. No other VR environment comes close to the number of mods upon mods made up entirely of its users in this respect. We even have stretch marks and cellulite for crying out loud. We've been doing fashion shows featuring original designs for a very long time, no mention of any of this scale. Instead of talking about land moguls how about praising the robust culture that created jobs for people who write software solutions for other fellow creators? I feel like the narrative really sells SL short.

[@destinyfillion301]

SL is awesome avatars look soo much better now

[@TrexelCat]

There is actually a really simple reason for this. outlets like Wall Street Journal only view Second Life as a pixel sex simulator. So it's in their interest to portray Second Life in the worst possible light so as to not give new people the impression it's actually good with so much more.

[@judilynn9569]

Thank you! It makes me crazy! lol

[@curiousc9259]

I was just going to ask the same question. Glad I read the comments first

[@cherryrollins6393]

My question completely.

[@MitzpatrickFitzsimmons]

Fun Fact: Second Life has nearly 20 years experience of a successful virtual world platform that has a real world economy.

[@Draxtor]

indeed = there is NO OTHER place with a virtual economy of this size and solidity. Don't tell them NFT fans that an actual currency faciliates entrepreneurship better than speculative assets :)

[@CarterM2008]

Also, it's older than Roblox. That means it's Roblox's Father.

[@Draxtor]

​@@CarterM2008 Roblox meeting Second Life for the first time: "Father?" and Second Life: "Yes child. I am sorry I left you back then ... I have changed! We can start over?"

[@starlight2791]

It's mentioned in the Bible, that's fun fact!

[@Draxtor]

@@starlight2791 YES Yes YESSSSS = hey ping me in-world for BIBLE STUDY hihihi :)

[@napalm.bopper]

I love to see Second Life finally getting the attention it deserves. Bravo, Philip. You were ahead of your time.

[@kayotica789]

yaass we love our second life

[@kirchner1978]

Exactly, I'm a creator on SL and I feel as though it is so downplayed!

[@raea3588]

I've been spending part of everyday in Second Life for over half a decade :) Most of my friends in-world have been there for over a decade! Our avis also look a lot better than what they always seem to show in these news clips Lol

[@InSanoS.M14]

Gamer friends don't waste time and money on this game called second life, the company deletes avatars for petty reasons to spend money again, the team is very poorly prepared, my BlackAlchemist Resident avatar was banned for no reason. the worst of all situations in which the company doesn't care about the players, anyone can report the other player and take an unjustifiable ban, losing the account definitely, it's been days in which I don't access second life I got rid of a great evil in my life , the worst situation that they force you to give permission to delete your account after banning losing all your money being thrown away.

[@NaTaS-]

You mean how Phillip stole the idea off of another platform online game from the 90s right?

[@darkingtonslade4261]

Second Life is the Metaverse. When the Pandemic Started..people flocked back to it, because there was still life there. People could interact, and live and still get around. A lot of people owe their sanity to it. The new Metaverses popping up just won't take the user into consideration. Zuckerberg just wants to make his version where he controls all the user data and gives nothing but Pablum back. Long Live Second Life!

[@InSanoS.M14]

Gamer friends don't waste time and money on this game called second life, the company deletes avatars for petty reasons to spend money again, the team is very poorly prepared, my BlackAlchemist Resident avatar was banned for no reason. the worst of all situations in which the company doesn't care about the players, anyone can report the other player and take an unjustifiable ban, losing the account definitely, it's been days in which I don't access second life I got rid of a great evil in my life , the worst situation that they force you to give permission to delete your account after banning losing all your money being thrown away.

[@Brandibb]

I went back just recently, so much has changed, but so much the same (the good bits).

[@NurseSmolly]

@@beckyholbrook2457 animal crossing was my pandemic escape

[@dreamyrhodes]

Others did not however. The Impact of the pandemic to the SL community was rather bad. When your whole family is home you won't want to put on your sexy vampire or edgy furry costume and uhm "explore".

[@RandallJacques]

Could reporters and producers please stop using B-roll footage of Second Life captured in 2006? The graphics and avatars have improved greatly over the years.

[@jaidebeck]

Why don't they look at lovely characters with bento mesh hands, expressionable heads, etc.. I just don't get why sooo many people insist on making documentaries on old content. :o It's fine to wear what a person wishes in SL, but why not share the lovely updates to sl? Hope u have a good day. :3

[@seanparker4461]

Updates of every kind have been superficial at best, unfortunately. I love SL. But.. Refusing to keep up with the times, I'm pretty sure, is what caused it to slowly die. Do you still play it two years later?

[@SabrinaBraden-n7n]

As a long time Second Life user, its the best safe way to enjoy a virtual world, everything about it is well established and proven, to be the best social online experience, forget meta whatever it is, Second Life is where its happening.

[@luluehayes]

Rosedale speaking from experience on how living in a virtual world is very much a choice. While people will initially flood in on release, sustaining a platform which will keep people wanting to stay logged in is extremely difficult.

[@kittitude]

I'm in Second Life (SL) every day. :) Still a very active platform. I've been in SL 15+ years.

[@LilBob3963]

CONGRATS! 10 years in March for me. :)

[@Izumi-sp6fp]

Me 14 years my user name is me in sl lol!

[@sdube001]

16 years for me as of Jan. 1st. I spend a good bit of time in Second Life every single day.

[@mcrump7421]

Have any of you made real money on this platform?

[@sdube001]

@@mcrump7421 Some people, quite a few in fact do. A lot depends on both talent and drive. I have a small store, but ATM it's more of a vanity project, I'm easily distracted. I also went into SL more for the social experience then business. When I joined, I worked nights for a bank completely alone and slept during the day.. Others make their real life living making things or providing a service for others in Second Life.

[@DaisyStarlightSL]

Secondlifer here, so glad to see the spot light on our hidden gem.💞

[@judilynn9569]

Even if they are misrepresenting it.

[@nessnake123]

Secondlifer, nice Word, is new to me even when i am user since 2006

[@DaisyStarlightSL]

@@judilynn9569 I know, that part really really sucks. However, there are so many other outlets that are giving secondlife the right exposure and showcasing it's beauty I hope this at least peeks someone's interest that needs an outlet to be creative. I also showcase secondlife on my channel and there are many others like me who do so as well. I hate to be so cliché but even bad press has it's perks.

[@druxsilla]

@@nessnake123 2011 here

[@TheFeralBachelor]

Second Life is established, and there are people like me who've spent 8 years, or more, living and building in SL. I am not going to leave it all to start over in the Metaverse. I'd rather see Second Life be able to, merge, use Meta's resources, and allow new users to start with what is already established in Second Life. To comment on the video about Second Life, it's not complicated at all. It can be very complicated but for the average user, it's not all that hard. There are also thousands of people willing to help new members get established and help them with anything they don't understand.

[@judilynn9569]

Please understand that you have no reason to leave Second Life. The “metaverse” is the digital universe within which all virtual worlds exist. Second Life is already part of the “metaverse”. It’s not a separate entity. Zuckerberg is marketing it that way so that it looks like it’s something he is inventing. But it isn’t. Don’t be fooled. You won’t be leaving to go to “the metaverse” - you’ve been in it for 8 years. And no one is asking you to leave anything anyway. If you want to visit Zuck’s virtual world, you can. It has nothing to do with SL.

[@BiancaRoughFin]

I love Second Life, been there for almost 16 years now, still the same single account i made back in 2006. I have many friends that vanished and returned over the years, there are still some very cool and populous places to visit, i my self own a hangout there with my husband and some friends. I really hope Second Life continues to thrive and grow for many more years, hopefully with the Metaverse becoming a more integral thing of the internet, people will come over to explore SL more. As for the Interface, yeah, its a bit overwhelming for newer players to join in but it just gives you so much liberty to customize and there are always places where people can visit and meet with volunteers to get help.

[@judilynn9569]

This story is totally downplaying the realities of Second Life. The graphics are from 2003 and the avatars they show here are the basic starter avatars. In the current reality of Second Life, avatars can look very realistically human. It’s totally up to the user. Everything about the avatar is modifiable. Modifications are created and sold by other users within the platform. You shop for your skin, your body, your hair, your clothes, your makeup, etc. You are in control. Buildings are created by residents and professional architects who use Second Life. Every industry is represented in Second Life including distance learning. Many universities have virtual campuses there. How smooth the program runs is determined mostly by your personal computer resources and internet connection. But the Wall Street Journal is carefully ignoring all of that information. They even clipped part of a sentence that Phillip spoke to take it out of context. The only way to know what Second Life really is, is to create a free account and explore it. Meet people there. Videos on KZbin posted by outsiders do it no justice. Phillip is coming back as a consultant and we are all happy to see him. Amazing mind. But SL has been going strong all these years. It’s just been under the mainstream radar.

[@vanessashaw3351]

Agreed. Nearly all the KZbin videos show Second Life as it was 20 years ago. Very disappointing presentation

[@schreibzeugwerk]

Very well said. Many people just dont "get" what and how SL is. It is also hard to explain. And it is very much a choice. I totally understand people who dont want to stay there. The fundamental difference between SL and all other modern "metaverses" is, that sl was not designed only to make its creators filthy rich and to sell periphals.

[@yaudavid3659]

If one can only choose one metaverse product , for me , It will be Second Life.

[@judilynn9569]

Agreed. So far there is nothing that compares to Second Life. Fortunately no one is making rules about our usage of the Internet and there is no need for us to choose one over the other. We can participate in as many sites as we wish.

[@eispoovezina9528]

They showed so much OLD content. Lots have changed and the visuals (buildings/clothing/avatars/objects/animations - list goes on) are so much better. The second life creators made second life what is is today. There's wind mechanics for sailing enthusiast, technical operations of complex air crafts that creators (Shergood Aviation inworld) made to mimic real life aircrafts. Yes there is a learning curve to using the user interface but also tons of help online. It's very misleading to compare (in terms of numbers/users) Second Life platform to social media platforms such as FB/IG/twitter.

[@zeforaalderman6734]

I know, right? Where's the LeLutka EvoX heads and Doux hairstyles? Things have seriously improved in there.

[@muchanadziko6378]

they showed how it is today. I just downloaded it today. But yeah, the comparison between SL and FB is absurd. It's not about the same thing. It's not even in the same ballpark. These ideas are in a different area. Using Twitter and whatnot too compare to SL is weird to say the least.

[@dreamyrhodes]

@@muchanadziko6378 If you download it and use the default avatars, yes it is. But for a few dollars (around $50 once for mesh, head, skin, hair) you can update your avatar from independent creators or even open source projects. Problem is just (and always was for SL), it needs some work and you can and probably will spend a few hours on your avatar so that it does not look default.

[@lhd7105]

Everything WSJ illustrated is spot on. Takes forever for things to load. I don't think users are getting their fair share of server farm performance their linden dollars should have afforded them. It would be like AAPL taking a 30% cut on every app, but each app, no matter how trivial, takes 15 minutes to download. That's how it feels to move in Second Life, nothing renders until you stop flying and wait...and wait... and wait... and wait.... Like I get that the best computers in 2008 is some rich kid's Macbook Air and the typical PC just isn't there, but now days a four-core PC w/ 100% Nvme SSDs + RTX 2060 KO is the base line for billions of PC users, so all that's left to stop you from having a fluid exploration is poor programming or under-performing cloud server farms.

[@jish55]

@@muchanadziko6378 Dude, even new accounts look better than what they showed, and that's with using no money/L to update/upgrade their avatar. Now a days, the quality is far superior to what any other metaverse/vr can produce with far more options to choose from.

[@luvnapathy]

Lol, a comeback? SL is a thriving online community and metaverse of its own.

[@MaddyBlackbart]

That's also no where near as thriving or popular as it was at it's peak ergo comeback would be the appropriate way to phrase it.

[@matrix626]

@@MaddyBlackbart SLs peak was overinflated because it was featured in an episode of CSI.. Not long after it went back down to its pre-CSI numbers. Back in 2007 a busy Friday night was 25K online.. It's 1pm on a Monday afternoon, 46K currently online. It could be called a comeback for Phil... He left for Sansar and then it went belly up.

[@sdube001]

@@matrix626 I think Phil left for High Fidelity, but same outcome. It pretty much failed, and so did Sansar.

[@pulsatingsausageboy2076]

It’s not thriving compared to what it used to but it’s also far from dead. The possibility to return to its former glory and maybe surpass it is definitely there.

[@pulsatingsausageboy2076]

@@matrix626 There were plenty of times when they were over 80k back then.

[@maverickbroadfoot2939]

Comparing the number of users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms to the number of users in Second Life is very misleading. The two are not the same and cannot be compared easily. We do not come to Second Life for the same reasons or the same experiences that social media platforms show. I cannot role-play within Facebook, while my local sushi restaurant doesn’t advertise in Second life.

[@michaelminor77]

Second Life also has its own Facebook page so there! lol

[@Draxtor]

spot on this comment! VERY frustrating how journos always use these superficial comparisons ...

[@napalm.bopper]

Truth. Also, all the news sources love to cite that SL doesn't have as many users as it once did, but they minimizes the fact that its had enough users to be a successful company for almost 20 years. Let's see how Roblox holds up.

[@Draxtor]

@@napalm.bopper Word!

[@eksynn]

although i agree with you that they're entirely different platform types and everything else you said, you CAN roleplay within facebook. it's just a different kind of roleplay - and your local sushi restaurant CAN advertise within SL - it's just a matter of actually doing it lol

[@jnickence]

Paraphrasing Philip; "Those of us having a comfortable existance in our real bodies will desire a choice". This is what 3D and VR has truly been about. Choice. Well said, sir!

[@Draxtor]

I appreciate the "resurgence" in press coverage, especially the ones who are interested in the cultural diversity and the solid economy SL has to offer. It is nonetheless frustrating albeit comical how the term METAVERSE is thrown around just coz El Zuck is trying to appropriate it .. anyways I am going back in world. THANK YOU for using a few clips from my documentaries in your piece btw!

[@Hopefulgeek]

I've been on SL since I was 19 and seen the evolution of the graphics etc, metaverse is a joke. The reporter doesn't know a thing

[@renetumbrink]

Weird, that in this whole video I've seen not one avatar as detailed and high-res as they actually can be. They can look better than anything we've seen from meta yet.

[@fakiirification]

they can look better than any AAA games ive seen.

[@michaelminor77]

People have had the ability to enter the metaverse since 2003. This is not for the timid. I am 14 years into SL and I have found it nearly impossible to get anyone from the real world to take an interest. I seriously doubt that this Meta thing will appeal to adults.

[@dreamyrhodes]

If you only attempt to do in Meta what like most people in SL tried at least once, you'd get banned for "violating the community standards". Zucky wants his metaverse being clean and family friendly. G and PG and nothing above. SL worked especially because it does not have these limitations. It's more like the original internet where you could do what ever you wanted as long as it's not violating real world laws.

[@AngelikusDeo]

I am a live singer now in SecondLife due to the pandemic. I just love it. I earn money from my singing which enabled me to provide for my kids. When I heard about this Metaverse, I have doubts cuz I dont think it can deliver what SL has done for me and my family

[@NE0TIMELESS]

fantastic description :) cheers

[@wolfgangwillis9057]

Hey Angelikus! Been a fan you know me as Micky Doctorow 😉

[@judilynn9569]

Wait..WHAT? Second Life never “waned” and isn’t “coming back”. It never left! I’ve been actively doing business in it since 2012 as have thousands of other creators. Where is this viewpoint coming from?

[@Noone-rx7kw]

STILL to this day i find myself logging into SL every day to hang out with friends and just mess around creating new avatars and worlds. Owned my own sim for a while and it always blows my mind to see how my friends and i turn the world from a Fantasy gorgeous forest with monsters and creatures then completely redo it into a cyberpunk futuristic city. Second life is such an amazing platform for nearly everything. I learned a bit of different languages from a few cool language courses a online cyber school in SL taught. The best part though was honestly feeling like i was going to school again, walking through the halls and seeing others in class learning or goofing around and getting yelled at to quiet down lol. Truly, Second life is ahead of it's time and still to this day IS compared to all these other online platforms trying to mimic it's design.

[@umecha1020]

I'm happy within Second Life. I've been recreating real world places for other users to visit, places they'll never be able to visit in their real lives. Metaverse has nothing like that. (At least what is being talked about). Sounds to me like its only going to be an extension of the original platforms.........Social Media, Hangout, bully others.

[@joesarracino9160]

Why include the amount of users on all Meta platforms in the comparison to Second Life users? A Facebook profile and a Second Life account are not at all comparable. How many people are actually logging on to the Metaverse compared to Second Life?

[@NE0TIMELESS]

Secondlife has developed a lot, and there still 50 000 online 24/7 just amazing

[@robbylock1741]

sorry Meta's Horizon looks like Second Life from 10 years ago! Just played using a VR headset, which btw is also supported by Second Life. Even the build tools in Horizon looks like they were lifted from the old OpenSim/Second Life server software of years past.

[@kaprica.1]

i left second life 10 years ago. what i’m seeing now with the “metaverse” looks years behind second life of 10 years ago

[@robbylock1741]

@@kaprica.1 Yes and if you haven't looked at Second Life recently, you would be amazed on how much it has changed visually with the addition of "sculpties" and mesh objects.

[@kaprica.1]

@@robbylock1741 i wouldn’t mind having a look, mesh was starting to get popular when i left. i’m sure it’s very different now . i sometimes wonder if any of my favorite places are still there. there were some beautiful builds.

[@robbylock1741]

@@kaprica.1 It's very mixed, some very creative people have left, other creators and places are still going strong. As an example Carrie Snowpaw and her clothing shop Snowpaws, is still in world, A Touch of Ireland, one of my favorites, is long gone (sighs), the club the Blue Note (waves to Nay) is still popular, but Jade's Jazz Island is a thing of the past. But for every now closed location, there are many new ones to discover.

[@yagamijubei28]

@@kaprica.1 mesh is better, bodies are more detailed, the new bento system which allows realistic movement of avatars like heads, hands, fingers wings, tails, feet and even hair and the Baked on Mesh which allows to apply skins and tattoos or even texture based clothes is pretty good. Learning to mesh and texture so i could be creator there.

[@ganneshafellini5884]

Just saying, the avatars in second life still look the best graphically, of course they should show the newer version of second life.

[@mrarzoo1]

I know second life from office and they had a second second life for Dwight cause he just badass !

[@TinaJohnson59]

Those of us who have been playing Second Life(me-15 years), will be ahead of the curve!

[@janbeck7989]

The main drawback to new users is the limitations of their computer. While it advertises itself as NOT a game, it still takes a higher end computer requiring at least a low end graphic's card. Going to a new region with a lot of people can cement you to the spot, waiting for your computer to render your environment before you can interact. Too, the lack of tutorials makes a new user rely on other residents for help. While fostering interaction, a lot of older residents look on "noob's" like the French look at tourists - down their nose.

[@gomolokai]

Yep donʻt want no noobs!

[@UNSCPILOT]

As someone who started on SL 11 years ago with a low end laptop, and has since built a desktop, having better hardware certainly does give a massive improvement but even modest hardware is still enough to hang out with friends or even create items, I started out with 3D modeling stuff in sketchup with SL running at barely 8~10 FPS, now I use Blender with SL locked at 60fps easily but you definitely don't need a crazy system to start

[@Anna-wo9gb]

As children of the internet generation we got this out of our systems with websites like Wizards 101, Movie Star Planet, IMVU. This is the same idea for boomers but with real life repercussions.

[@Math_Love_4u]

Love second life 👍👍👍

[@michellepartridge8558]

Second life is still going strong and offers much more freedom and privacy than these metaverses will. I definitely would never trust anything from the dangerously invasive and exploitive Facebook company.

[@AB-tf6tn]

I worked as a sexond life developer in 2008 for an Indian company. After that I moved out of it. Happy to hear the come back of second life.

[@kimrecreant]

I still log in to Second Life occasionally to see what's happening. A major reason I stopped spending a lot of time there is that I enjoy creating things but you effectively need virtual land to do that - ideally a sim of your own! The land barons and SL land tier have made decent-sized virtual land ridiculously expensive. I suspect a lot more people would play there if land were more affordable and accessible. Perhaps it's different in the US, but some of the virtual land is a significant fraction of what many would pay to rent in real life in big international cities:)

[@cherishthethought22]

Second life needs more recognition. I hope there is a huge comeback. I miss what it once was.

[@cherryrollins6393]

I have a Second Life, and what I don't understand is why everything in this looks so old? I have not seen the SL seen in this video. Everything looks so realistic now. The Avis are so much better looking and the movements are so much more realistic.

[@bbabydahl96]

I love my secondlife been there for 16 yrs as well and it is wonderful for relieving stress and yes shopping

[@ModernDayGeeks]

Realizing how Second Life pioneered a way that Metaverse is trying to traverse and innovate upon makes me want to think about what else could we work upon with VR and Metaverse? Amazing video.

[@soyjaviergil]

Second life is and will be the best Metaverse forever. it is unique and the first, the most real, the closest to real life. I am a proud resident of Second Life since 2006.. Long live Second Life

[@zachcollins4442]

Not the first but I get what your saying. Active Worlds was around for years before SL, they just didn't innovate fast enough to survive SLs arrival in 2003.

[@Paethgoat]

Second Life real estate is a perfect analogue for the scam that is NFTs and it's amazing that everyone didn't learn the lesson then.

[@glutenfreegam3r177]

There is an entire generation that never even heard of Second Life...kinda hard to learn that lesson if they were in diapers during that time.

[@codmott286]

SL is nothing like NFT's. SL simply charges for cosmetics which literally every game does these days. It's just custom skins and objects. NFT's are a scam because you arent paying for anything thats unique to yourself, you're just paying to have your name on a ledger that says you own it, but obviously anyone can right click save as and your "original" is now worthless.

[@PepperKatLancer]

yeah Ashley Chong caused giant inflation after she was done every one jumped on that ship.

[@altonsteel5145]

The Avatars using mesh in this game are just amazing. I started in 2003 when I hurt my back saved me from going mad being home all day. Been fun to watch this game go through phases to names a few, The Goth-Vamps, The Tiny's, The Furrys, The Neko's etc....

[@beebop2663]

I've been on second life since it started, or close to it, and I still love it

[@simoesrenat]

My too

[@simoesrenat]

Eu tbm

[@vanidaknutson4616]

So far you don't even come close to Second Life. I've been in SL for 17 years.

[@standupp2885]

SL had never been static, it's been constantly improving and getting better. No one is going to be leaving SL for this Johnny come lately.

[@erikjorrick689]

Everything is better when “underground”. Let Second Life remain there. Anytime something goes mainstream homogenization takes place and it loses what made a great in the first place.

[@georgeee1606]

Thank you for covering the metaverse project in this video, really trying to up my knowledge regarding them. It is crucial to distinguish short and long term projects. There are hype projects which can never live for a longer period of time and either damage you or build you, all in the short term. However, there are insane projects with longer development plans - for example Meta Triads combines fashion, metaverses and the physical world. All while providing ownership of a project to it's holders, crazy stuff must be coming in 2022 overall with the utility NFTs.

[@alexlowflow5311]

I have been in nfts for a while I know when I see a good project ))

[@benfoster2711]

That's exactly my point man. It's an AMAZING project ! pretty dope art and great utility

[@joross3857]

Checked their discord and loved it , community seems pretty fun. Want to get their drop ASAP!!!

[@timyonce6120]

Welcome to the club man ! I am already in LOVE with this project :))) Great art

[@redjade7411]

looks cool, I think that project will be fire the art is amazing, it has great team and growing community

[@octalogicsmith9028]

I think Rosedale is wrong. I created my first avatar in 2006, lost her and created my current avatar in 2009. A friend of mine started building a city in 2008, that is still in SL. I have waited all these years to be able to walk through her city in vr. Meta Horizon is ok but it does not compare to the detail world people have put into SL. I hope he rethinks vr because it is a totally different experience than just interacting with a flat screen.

[@bjs7442]

I have been an avid Second Life user for 7 years and have seen how it has improved. It was free to download and start and that was a good plus point. I am on it every day. What drew me to it was the fact it would run on my average laptop. It clearly runs better with a good graphics card and even better on a gaming system but I dont have to buy special equipment which by their nature will have to be replaced as the meta verse changes for example. Second Life is just very accessible to the average person. Its all about communication and living with other users. My only disappointment is its not got a good app. The interface is complicated but part of the fun is learning new things over the weeks and months and there are a lot of users who love to help new users. The actual graphics is way better than the examples shown in this video and is constantly being tweaked and improved. I am very happy with SL. I dont need anything so called better if its going to make it more difficult to use in hardware and doesnt have what SL offers which is a full social experience and the ability to make things within SL.

[@Wrekt330]

Prediction: The metaverse will fail, and Second Life will STILL be around.

[@loafywolfy]

it has been around for 18 years, and it has everything the userbase already wants, only thing id change is more payment methods available, and better performance

[@DarkWillPower]

Hi wall Street journal, second Life has existed since 2003 and it does not look like that default avatar on the picture of the video, those who play second Life know about how realistic it can get with the avatars, however the default avatars are mainly there to get you started but they aren't used by the SL community much anymore, please come to SL again to review how amazing it is

[@Progressive_Wave]

Second Life is awesome.

[@dancingdelilah4801]

Why did this video use Second life graphics from over a decade ago? A little deceptive don't you think?

[@joenine3232]

Second Life land prices in the last year have sky-rocketed. Land is bought for high prices and attempts are made to sell at astronomical prices. No one buys it. Just go look at the SL map and see how much land is for sale and at crazy prices. I watch land and wait for it to be abandoned. It does get abandoned cause the tier fees eat away. Land is also sold at crazy amounts on the LL Auction site and some issue. Sellers try to sell at a hefty price. The big name creators are doing well. That’s for sure. But I have seen to many small time creators who made lovely items - disappear. SL is not social - people don’t chat as much as they used to - I understand it’s escapism for a lot but it is nice to chat to people once in awhile. Even the recent ending of gacha impacted creators. Lag is another huge issue and would have imagined it would be addressed to some extent after the migration into the cloud. But somehow we all return to SL. For me I love building and decorating.

[@sdube001]

The sky high prices are mostly in the big adult rated area or along beaches. You can buy abandoned mainland straight from Second Life for 1L per meter if you submit a ticket for it. I haven't purchased any other type of land in years. When that large adult region opened, some people spent a good amount of money buying it up and no one sells that cheaply.

[@joenine3232]

@@sdube001 hi - I am fully aware of buying land from LL - through the buying abandoned land process. Most of my purchases are through this and auction. I agree the Adult sims are bought and sold at high prices including areas along the coastline and rivers. But as I said - the land sits for a long time either being sold or abandoned - I have watched plenty land being bought for crazy prices and abandoned in a few weeks. I grab them and resell at a reasonable price. Just my approach and views.

[@horsey8516]

Philip is effectively blind and deaf behind his team of "social experts" while his world is slowly dying. Linden Labs built the foundation but the Residents built everything upon it. I hope the $ behind Second Life wakes up and realizes that the residents are the key to success much more than the same team that is chasing new people away.

[@blueskyalive]

Yes the Second Life interface can be confusing for new (and even legacy) users, but do you know what else is just as confusing? REAL LIFE. So Second Life is as real as real gets!

[@TrexelCat]

Second Life would crush Meta instantly if they incorporated VR. They attempted it early on at the beginning of VR. An earlier build of their Viewer 2 actually had a hidden VR option that shortly after being discovered was removed. Sansar was a later experiment into VR for Linden Labs. Didn't quite pan out for them as it was a separate 'world' entirely, and people were already too invested in Second Life. If they combined the Sansar VR into Second Life, Meta would be dead before it could even get off the ground. Not saying make Second Life VR only, just make it an option. There are people who say that Second Life can't handle VR because "it can't maintain 90+fps consistently". And honestly, that's actually not true. Base default Second Life on modern VR capable hardware can easily hit and maintain 90+fps(at a store I built in world I was getting 144+fps). The reason it runs so janky in certain areas is, Linden Labs left the creation of in world assets to a public that largely has no idea how to optimize gaming assets. So you have builds using over 1,000 primitives in a confined space, mesh models that have unused surfaces scrunched into a twisted mess inside the model, badly written scripts that make calls to nowhere and textures that are larger than needs to be with unused alpha channels that are still being processed even when not seen. Second Life can absolutely handle VR, and I believe would greatly benefit from the inclusion of VR. As I said earlier, Linden Labs would crush Meta if they did that.

[@Robocline]

The lumia viewer on android has VR now. It’s kind of janky but it’s there.

[@TrexelCat]

​@@Robocline There is also a Firestorm mod that includes a VR option, for PC based VR. Which from what I've heard is about as stable as the Firestorm viewer itself because it's just a DLL that adds an extra function to the viewer. But neither Lumia nor the Firestorm mod are official. They hare hacks put into existing third party viewers to basically "create" a second camera to feed to the second eye screen area. Which, honestly is a rather genius way to go about it. But it's still not official support. That's users creating something that there is a demand for because the company doesn't feel enough people will want it. Basically falls in line with, Linden Labs don't have official support for RLV. Even though almost every TPV has it built in. Firestorm VR Mod: h-t-t-p-s://gsgrid(dot)de/firestorm-vr-mod/ (reassemble the link so that it doesn't get deleted automatically)

[@simoesrenat]

Concordo plenamente

[@yagamijubei28]

Sansar kinda crashed and burned as it was a little hostile to adult creator content. Not just NSFW sake but to making them more realistic in movement and animations that you could find on second life. Also creators werent looking to abandon their life's work to learn a new system to put their content on and be severely limited.

[@ohsweetlee]

I love second life but, it really needs a big update i think. Make it easier for everyone to use, new users come on and i notice they leave so quickly after realising its pretty dificult to customize yourself.. simple designs can be much more engaging.

[@riverstinson5063]

They're leaving because they don't have an extra $125 to $300 per month to buy or rent and maintain land

[@tizzbabe4386]

@@riverstinson5063 they can rent for L100-500 a week or find Rezz homes

[@gomolokai]

@@tizzbabe4386 yes that is like 25 cents to 2 dollars to rent. a week.

[@dahaha1415]

I just want yall to know that you can look far better than that in SecondLife. Unsure why they chose to use avatars from circa 2012. We have mesh, Bento and Animesh now, in-world voice, and so much more. Were still out here as active members on SecondLife, I myself since 2012. I am still logging in and enjoying exploring, landscaping, decorating, shopping, roleplaying and making memories with friends. If you are at all curious, come check it out!

[@cassiemiddles]

why're they using the most nooby avatars for this? aaaaaaaaaa

[@bionicsasquatch]

So this is a hit piece on second Life disguised as a compliment

[@BayCityStudios]

This was a great video! Thank you for using both old AND new footage to show the growth of the platform over the years. :) If any one of your reporters ever wants to come take a look in world, I’d love to show you around!

[@celeswylder748]

Second Life, the Metaverse that has existed for 20 years already, yet other companies think they're starting something entirely new. We really should spread the word so it stays around another 20.

[@aless4878]

SecondLife is wayyyy better today

[@H1TMANactual]

Facebook is tanking. Hope it continues and goes to zero

[@deez7101]

the main driver of that is tik tok which means the attention of the world’s population is increasingly influenced by bytedance’s algorithm. not sure which I prefer

[@LukeFG]

New privacy policies by Apple directly impact facebooks direct advertising. It will go back up

[@gomolokai]

@@deez7101 Tiktok is a Chinese company. Facebook uses Reels..

[@mimipinkdot]

Second Life doesn't use or sell our personal information. I will stay safe and happy in SL vs Meta

[@jplabre]

Everytime people report on SL they don't really get that your average user is a consumer and isn't, for better or for worse, interested in building or modifying their avatar through the features Linden Labs has provided (sliders per instances). They want to buy their avatar, and everything else you can possibly imagine. In the community, of which I'm a member, there's always been what Linden Labs has offered as a default, and what users have bought as a premium. Reporters aren't aware of this exclusive content, they're not aware of anything actually, and so, what they show people in their reports is always uglier than the content quality the vast majority of experienced users are used to. Reporters always interview these Linden Labs employees who are very keen to showcase what they've done, when those features aren't part of the consumerist experience most users go for in Second Life. Ask yourself, what's the impact on a viewer of this video when he sees Philip Linden (as we call him) proudly displaying his avatar which is 100% made out of the original and completely outdated 2003 features that were replaced years ago. Obviously Philip is proud of what he's created and we're super grateful for SL, but your average person won't understand that this ugly avatar is just a developer proudly displaying his old creation. As a final remark, obviously creators are key to a succesful SL and content creators are in big demand, especially for men's items. So if you do any 3d modeling or if you're a creative, then by all means, come create.

[@sdube001]

Heck I'd be happy if Phil just updated his avatar. I don't know anyone that remotely looks like that anymore except for the odd griefer on a throwaway avatar. It doesn't help to sell Second Life as someplace we and our virtual world, can look good to see footage of very old avatars and worse, the founder one of the worst of all.

[@umecha1020]

Here here, Non SL-ers don't know what a Classic avi is and how many see them as a homage to older times.

[@originalpeasant8179]

I had a bad first impression of Second Life. Years later it is now part of my life and how I earn a bit of money while socializing. It is also friendlier to content creators so making a living is possible.

[@johnmackenzie4903]

I love the wait y Brett always highlights the team behind each project. It is ridiculous how much attention people pay to the art side of things and how undermined are actual people who work on the project and decide its faith. Investigating the team behind the small ambitious projects like Metatriads instead of just looking at art and white-paper is the way you can look at NFT as an investment and not just a gamble.

[@reesemoxy6143]

@metatriads gonna blow up for sure:)

[@nancybrooks3764]

I have been in nfts for a while I know when I see a good project!!

[@sesilimebonia3894]

art is something speacial, love the project a lot, seems promising to me..

[@actuallywaffles5267]

When comparing Second Life's 1 Million users to Meta's userbase it was pretty unfair. A lot of people have a facebook and an instagram, sometimes more than one, and of those I would guess barely even 10% will ever so much as try their metaverse. It's apple's and oranges when comparing the user numbers.

[@AlloySnake]

Let's not forget about Active Worlds from 1995. It was amazing in the late '90s, and is still around, but hasn't changed much. It was the metaverse before the metaverse, and before Second Life. Though, it stagnated and is kind of frozen in time - never received so many promised features. But, for those of us lucky enough to experience Active Worlds in the '90s, it was amazing.

[@Casio.Microline]

Over 18 years of experience of seeing the changes and improvement in SL (SecondLife), I still do believed that the platform is still unique and way of it's time, the experiences of the in-world and it's community might still be advance to new users but overtime of they will get use to the interfaces as in-world community would help provide tips and tricks. As I remembered, SL use to be one of the most popular platform that dose not need any advance hardware or system to run, and still today the platform runs on the same concepts as before while the graphic and the in-world complexity advances along with the technology to a better and more realistic visual experience without the use of VR(Virtual Reality) hardware. Also accessing the platform is still free to join which opens up to new users to roam freely to experience the open world and the capability to build or join any social community as freely. This includes giving the opportunity to people that suffers from disability to explore and interact with other communities and has been proven effective. Other experiences that had involved of business within this platform was well build from the beginning of any transactions of the in-world currency, as this currency system do give a wide range of virtual hiring and job opportunities to users and commissioners. Over all of the experience, I still enjoy this platform and still looking forward of it's future functionality. Greatly appreciated of your work and dreams Philip!

[@yagamijubei28]

Its gotten a little easier now to new users as there are communities that support new users with bodies, clothes, mods and skins. So yeah its a bit daunting to the new, but a little politeness goes a really long way in second life.

[@serenity8074]

I love second life

[@TomNook.]

Literally every world created in the past is the Metaverse. Second life. Warcraft. Minecraft. Roblox. That's all the Metaverse.

[@boomercrysis2745]

Second life looks way better then what your seeing in this video

[@zellafantastik3150]

Since the release of this video, Second Life has released a mobile app that is available to premium members of Second Life. It is still in BETA as they work to improve its functions. Android users can roam freely through general, moderate, and adult rated regions. There are some restrictions for Apple users though.

[@cryptowizard1743]

Second Life has real potential but it's more about network of up-and-running businesses in a specific metaverse. I'm looking for nfts in Decentraland where some of the legacy industries are silently being disrupted. For example, there a Slotie project which is building up a decentralized casino where all profits are shared among gamblers while the game codes are there for everyone to see. Projects like these drive the value of a network

[@mamami1915]

Like the project a lot

[@zach4261]

hope they'll be successfull, project seems legit

[@archvaldor]

It has had "potential" for 17 years. We are now in the future and it still sucks.

[@nancybrooks3764]

Slotie nft has been the most reliable nft for me, my number one holding so far !

[@sometrick2391]

that project seems promising

[@derricksmith4660]

New to Second Life and I can certainly agree it is not easy to get in to. It took several experienced friends to assist with avatar creation. Once you get the hang of it the customization options are endless. Graphics are far better than shown here

[@dualzz]

SECONDLIFE DESERVES ITS ATTENTION THAT IT DESERVES! AN AMAZING PLATFORM THE ONLY REAL TYPE OF VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE THAT EXISTS!! WHICH NOTHING COULD NEVER GET CLOSE TO EVEEN IF IT TRIED!

[@oooooooooooo2332]

I love how people that have heard about Second Life (companies, youtube channels, news, tv programs, gov, people) and even "take the time" to enter this world and "see it"... dont have the slightest idea about what it really is in practice, what it embraces, the endless capability of creation that repercute in both worlds... (to say the obvious following the fashion of all people around the world, because there is waaaay more than that inside this world and Im not talking about the negative, although is part of it). Is worth mentioning the avatar of Philip Linden looks like that because it was built with the technology when SL first came to light, as a true God creator, he has never ever since changed his shape and body eventhough we have the tech to make it look real. Now knowing this... the technology used right now inside the grid to create more citizens is SO FAR AHEAD of any other portal and machine existing today (you heard that Marky?) to teleport you to other worlds... they look so real now! to the degree of seeing the pores of the skin getting sweaty due to temperature changes, gettimg wet, the body reacting to touch of others in any part of your body, movements of the skin, functional organs inside your avatar, heck there is even air inside the grid, gravity following its natural ways, they get to see just the surface of it and film the obvious and think thats just it, no more. Its better that way, to have people thinking "that's it" just. If there is a world that will come close to TRON in the near future is called SECOND LIFE, it is pretty close now above all. If Elon Musk is taking us to Mars, Philip Linden is bringing TRON since 2009 to us, and he is getting closer as technology outside that world keeps growing faster than ever before. Philip Linden is the one, not Marky Suckingboob, Marky and his meta thing are into other type of agenda, Philip Linden is about bringing Tron to life, its closer than close now.

[@oooooooooooo2332]

On top of it all, The NFT's started here in SL more than 15 years ago already, all the Jazz talked about now, crypto, virtual land, virtual drugs, police, sex, money, thriving, teleportation. The "promises" of Marky... have already been done, that dude is late for the party. We creators of the grid... this is all old news for us. In a way been inside this world for more than a decade now placed us in the right mind set and teached us what would come in the future (now). We understand NFT's how to make them, why, its worth and all what is happening now inside A.I Just as in TRON, when you enter this world you will see just the obvious, you will be a user just surfing around, the more you open your eyes the more you get deep into it and start to see its magic and wonder.

[@sincerusone]

Second Life is already the case. 2 decades. These newb's like Facebook, clearly have a lot to learn. I, as an early adopter of the whole PC age, at 56, much prefer the more realistic nature of Second Life. I don't want this childish cartoony look being showcased for META. With examples out now of incredbile incredible games like Valheim and others and examples like the new Unreal Engine5, I think the display possibilities are immense. Not this cheesy cartoon bit from META on VR.

[@adventuresofmariapascual227]

Second Life must focus on shifting from niche to mass market. The metaverse foundation has already at the simulation game and it's an advantage for them. Sooner or later, you might see NFT sims at that place. So far, I am enjoying it, especially the flying and dancing. Haha. Too bad that Linden Labs hasn't fixed my voice settings until now after all my troubleshooting on it.

[@judilynn9569]

Second Life already offers “NFTs “. There are art galleries all over the grid. Hit me up in the world if you’re curious. I am judilynn India.

[@splatterdaynightmares]

I'm pretty sure that none of my horror content from Second Life will be allowed in zuckerberg's version. But just like everyone else, people will go do it and support it while they bash him.

[@jonodell928]

Second life is fun and gives you a chance to interact with people from all over the world. I have made made some lasting friendships in game and been playing since 09. As for the hard to use part of the story only if you are a first-time user. If you want to escape for a while give it a try

[@RhondaTheWriter]

We have been working in Second life for over 20 years!!!

[@quiettornado1970]

I'm a senior citizen in sl. I know a few tinies are older than me in sl years.

[@JohnCrawford1979]

Had its own virtual economy? It still *HAS* a virtual economy.

[@stevensims3342]

Second life is literally THE best metaverse available out there.

[@lynnealuebben1967]

I still feel that Second Life values the resident, and their creativity more than the upcoming platforms. It is the initial program, and while others may come out, unless the drive is again back to the heart of creation, and allowing creative expression versus capitalization, we are just creating another paradigm of consumerism.

[@brazkin]

Just about time to update it, so people will be blessed with an opportunity to get a porsche, million dollars and some dragons.

[@ZieTV]

I definitely prefer existing in SL lol. Still active and TBH there are a lot of places that look a lot cuter than the places they show in here idk why they didn't show some of the amazing content we have nowadays? Maybe they were just playing it safe here? Anyways so cool to see them talking about us!

[@dessirasavah5776]

I have been a Secondlifer since 2007 and have seen it grown and evolve to what it is now and is still evolving with animesh items now. During these years, I have visited other open sim grids such as Inworldz before it disbanded, to other grids such as Great Canadian Grid, etc. Each grid though never held my fancy like Secondllife did.. Secondlife just kept evolving and growing to make it better for gamers that choose that grid to game on a lot more than the other open sim grids that some eventually died off and are no longer around.

[@scentsual7752]

I took a class in college (in 2009) that was all based in Second Life. When I heard about Metaverse, I was like been there done that lol.

[@ravenluna2716]

1 year later and Zuck is still trying to figure this out. lol. Kudos to Philip Rosedale for being the true visionary.

[@84CreazyMan]

I played SL in 2009, It was amazing, lot of features that moden games stealth from its original concepts, people are jungling about what possibilities in metaverse, but in my mind I say "But, I have seen that in SL"

[@jaidebeck]

Why are they showing old characters??? Why not show the stunning ones we have now IN sl?

[@auntielu4394]

Who remembers Angie Mornington hosting the show Fabulous Fashion? ❤

[@Yoofaloof]

Been in and out of SL for nigh on 16 years. Can't see that happening with Meta's 'verse.

[@thorkveld]

Why is it these videos that talk about Second Life never show us with up to date, fully customized avatars?