Failure to make profits it is the balance

It is clear you just arrive. Don't worry, all new avatar you like, but with time, they will customize. "Larry Pixel, a beautiful well built blonde who leads the development of the campus of the New Media Consortium in the virtual world Second Life, knows whereof he speaks. Well, that for example. Her hair has cost 800 Linden dollars (L$), and his skin 4.000 L$, 11.50 $ approximately at the current exchange rate. Not to mention the glasses and the t-shirt design.

It takes not more that his interlocutor, Alya Mill, put for a ways of first necessity: worthy of the name hair. After some research facilitated by the function "search" and "téléporter" of the software, it finds happiness in a shop of designer Tequlia Tapioca. Of course, the product is not as well finished as richly Larry Wicks, but for 200 L$, rusty buckles suitable perfectly. It still even 50 L$ dowry received upon his arrival in this new world.

About 180.000 various items are for sale in Second Life, an Internet gaming platform reserved for the more than 18 years which comes from beyond the area of Boston, and almost 200,000 "residents". Eyes, mouths, homes, carpets, dog, tree, works of art or ability to perform certain actions (laugh, dance...), all designed and built by users with simple tools integrated into the interface. All holders of a value market ranging from a few cents to several tens of dollars.

Five million articles have thus changed hands the month last in this virtual world. "The residents hold the entire copyright." "We take care to eliminate pirated products that are reported to us," said Philip Rosedale, founder and CEO of Linden Lab, the company of San Francisco that develops the platform of Second Life.

"Pay real bills".

In There, another virtual world with more than 300,000 members, more than 20,000 objects are available for sale. With a common characteristic: all passed through the filter of Makena Technologies team, which ensures that nothing is disrupt the order and peace of the environment designed for all, including children. In contrast to Linden Lab, Makena takes a commission on the transactions. There residents with no source of income can simply get the local currency against dollars. The fixed exchange rate is 1,800 Therebucks for 1 dollar.

Tequlia Tapioca, a beautiful brunette who elected residence in Second Life for a year and a half, confirms that business work well, even if it refuses to go into the details. "Sales allow me to pay real invoices, even if I was not considering leaving my current job in a technology company, Editor's note," indicates his alter ego human, contacted by Instant Messaging. The design of furniture, objects of decoration, clothing, and body attributes for avatars takes it on average four hours a day, and more on weekends.

"10 of users spend more than eighty hours per week in Second Life, and some money the firearms they build for 5 or 6 dollars 1700 L$, Editor's note.". I am often asked if such use does not pose me a case of conscience, notes Philip Rosedale. But is this not an extraordinary phenomenon than a system where the value of things depends on strictly the creativity of their author, where the conditions of a monopoly can never be met In Second Life, the resources are unlimited and it can be no question of economies of scale, since anyone has access to the same mode free and instant distribution.

A charge for designers-producers-distributors to build a marketing strategy that enables them to attract the attention of the consumer. Already, ads pay services are developed, both in Second Life and on parallel merchant sites, such as SL Exchange. Linden Lab sticks to a strict monetary policy: keep a constant level of GDP per capita by controlling the growth of the monetary mass, with the lever of the allowance granted to each newcomer.

Real estate Empire

And the virtual world of creating real opportunities. If monopoly, Anshe Chung, avatar of a Chinese living in Frankfurt, has developed what already looks like an empire. Agent and real estate in Second Life developer, it sells built virtual land and to build in acquired territories prior to Linden Lab the sale of land, accompanied by a "tax" monthly $ 25 per acre (0.4 hectare) is the main source of income for the platform. The territories are then carefully developed in "neighbourhoods" theme (Asia, Arabia, Japan, Gothica, Arctica, etc.). Real, the Anshe Chung company, which bears his name, is also in exchange for the purchase and sale of Linden dollars. It has 250,000 dollars in assets, and has just opened a studio of development of ten people in China.

Already, the competition develops. Real estate and currency, SL Exchange provides a market place where products designed and marketed by the members of Second Life are sold at auction or fixed price. SL Boutique, another commercial centre specializing in products "Made in Second Life", was recorded in March a transaction volume of 6 million Linden dollars, or 24,000 dollars, on which the Distributor takes commissions. Failure to make profits, it is the balance. Good news for its parent company, the studio of development and design Electric Sheep. It sells its services to companies (like Microsoft), organizations (such as the New Media Consortium) or Government agencies (such as the Department of Homeland Security) attracted by the experimental playground that is Second Life.

"It is a place where to test strategies of"branding", for example, or even train its employees," said Jonah Gold, co-founder and Director of operations of Electric Sheep. Each project is charged $ 15,000. One year after its creation, the company has 13 full time employees. The development of the economy related to Second Life, Linden Lab maintains its position of neutrality and privileged relationship with no developer has. "We are a facilitator, not a participant," said Philip Rosedale..