I've touched on one of my pet peeves of the kind of junk that is written about SL before. I am an avid reader of any news posted about Second Life, and I've seen so much misinformation in the news it's grating. I want to take a moment to go over my list of "top misconceptions posted as news" and get this stuff off my chest.
1) "Second Life is dead/dying/not cool anymore/not as cool as Twitter/so last year etc..."
I see this one a lot, and it's bull. There are a few things that people confused for a decline in SL.
a) Less news articles than it used to have in xyz year. Every new technology has buzz, and once people get used to it the hype levels out. SL hype has been leveling out, big deal.
b) Less new users signing up. This is another product of the "less hype" phenomena.
c) Corporations are pulling out of SL. Also a product of hype, but most of all a product of the fact that SL's economy is nothing like the regular economy. SL is full of talented, independent artists who provide every service and product any SL user could ask for. People don't log in to buy the same sneakers they can have for real. Most SL members what unique items, and have become accustomed to the personal touch from existing designers in the game. Not to mention that a successful store can make enough money to support maybe 1 family. In order to make enough money to keep a big name corporation happy, they would have to be selling thousands of products a day and have a huge share of the market. It's just not going to happen.
d) Twitter and SL are two completely different things. SL is a 3D interactive social tool. Twitter is for texting out a short message to followers. You can't compare apples to elephants.
e) Reporters log into SL to investigate and say the world is "empty". This is due to the fact that there is more virtual land than there are users to use it, simply because a lot of the land isn't there for groups of people to just hand around in it. Users congregate in certain areas, and visit the less popular as needed. For example, a small shop might seem empty most of the time but they get a few visitors a day and make a few sales. A sim full of small shops will look empty. On the other hand, an RP sim or a popular club will be packed during busy hours. Also, there are a lot of people who create a piece of land that doesn't get used because they neglect it, or it's supposed to be private, or they're still building it, etc. If someone new to earth picked a random spot on the globe they would probably end up in the ocean or a wilderness because they didn't know WHERE on the planet to go to find other people. Same deal.
2) " Second Life is for perverts/people who cheat on their spouses."
Another one I hear a lot. There has been a lot of news coverage on the seedier sides of SL. Yes, they exists. It's just like the internet. There is an overflow of adult material because it's an easy, anonymous way for people to engage in those activities. But there is a lot more on the internet, and it's the same with SL. Shopping is a huge pass time for users. There are thousands of clubs to listen to live DJs and chat with others who like the same music. There are even events to listen to live musicians streaming into the game. Building, designing, scripting is a popular pass time for many creative designers. Almost all the content in SL is user created. Role playing is another popular pass time and involves playing a character in a setting such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Wheel of Time, etc. for those who enjoy writing this is a big hobby. It's also a great way to have virtual meetings for businesses, which is becoming more and more popular. If you feel like playing a game, there are hundreds of user created games to play like Slingo (like Bingo with a twist)
As far as people cheating on their spouses, since when is anything besides the cheater responsible for their actions? If they use SL to do it, who's fault is that? Yes, it happens. It happens a lot in real life too. Why is SL different?
3) "Second Life is a 'game' with no rewards"
People complain that there are no objectives or rewards like WoW or Final Fantasy Online. It's a social tool, not a game. The only objectives and rewards are what you create for yourself. You may be a content creator and designing something is your objective, the final product and watching others enjoy it is the reward.
4) "Second Life is for people to pretend to have lives and ignore their real lives"
This comes from the confusion on what SL actually is. Yes, it mimics the real world in many ways. And while some people may use online games to play out a life better than their own (like this couple) the true purpose of the game is not to pretend it's your real life but to interact with others through a virtual experience. There of course are people who use it as an escape from real life to the point of addiction. Anything that is pleasurable will have addicts. You wouldn't stop shopping, or eating chocolate, or reading books, or going out for a drink because you're afraid of being addicted to anything you might enjoy. Most people know their limits, they know when to put something down and walk away.
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