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Second Life MMO To Let Players Make Money In-Game

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the third-life-coming-soon dept.

Thanks to Terra Nova for its post revealing that MMO 'virtual world' Second Life will allow virtual money made in-game to be converted to real cash, as part of a complicated new scheme which reduces subscription fees for many, but makes players pay for the amount of virtual land they rent. The post explains: "Anyone who pays [the monthly subscription] fee can now use the object-creation tools within the world to make content... charge Linden dollars for that content, and eventually turn some of those virtual dollars into real ones through a cash Developer Incentive program." The official announcement and discussion follow-up have more information on changes for this MMO, which recently announced it recognizes the IP of objects created in its virtual world.

10 of 41 comments (clear)

  1. Wouldn't it be weird... by BlackCobra43 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If some form of Communistic land-ownership "nations" actually develeopped... ..and worked?

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    I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
  2. Put your money in by ObviousGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Take your money out

    Put your money in and you shake it all about

    Go to the pokey for gambling online.

    That's what it's all about.

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    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  3. This is an amazingly great concept.... by GearType2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but it is doomed to failure. I can see so many ways to exploit it is described, but I won't mention a word of it until I see it in action,I just hope it's more complicated than it seems. Anyways, this seems like a great idea if modified a bit to be more strict. It would be perfect for UO as a goldsink. Get 500? knock off a $1 off your monthly fee. Make it to where you can only have max of $10 knocked off(that is if they did really raise the monthly fee to 12.95 like they said they would). I still am a bit wary of actually *making* money off of a mmo. I only know one person who actually *lives* off of selling things in mmos, and well he is an EQ junkie, and to say the least I knew speed addicts that lived better.

  4. Pay your money, take your chances by xoboots · · Score: 3, Interesting

    >> it recognizes the IP of objects created in its virtual world.

    Funny. Considering how poorly and how contentious "IP" concerns are in the real-world, can anyone really expect a game company to do a better job? Doesn't this just sound like yet another reason for kids to get hold of credit cards, legally or not?

    Will be interesting to see how this evolves.

  5. Silly by EvlG · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The idea of paying for virtual land is absurd. Real estate is based on the fact that there is a finite amount of land available. That fundamental fact is violated in a virtual world, when an additional server is only a CPU/hard drive/memory upgrade away.

    1. Re:Silly by sirsampson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Oh, but what is that cash you buy Real Estate with based upon? And paying for virtual space should be nothing new to folks here, How about web hosting. Paying for space to hold some of your data.

      The real question is weather this game is worth paying for in the first place.

    2. Re:Silly by Ieshan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, real estate value is also based on the fact that there is a finite amount of profitable land - and if, in the virtual arena, profitable land must be inhabited by other players, this principle isn't violated.

      In a sense, the land might be infinite, but the player presense to make it profitable might not be.

  6. MMOG.... by saden1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Any MMOG where I can't play the role of a pimp is not worth playing. The pimping biz is where the money son.

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    One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
  7. Interesting taxation issues... by Bookwyrm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    An interesting problem with this is that the virtual world property now has real world cash-value. If Second Life 'pays' me in virtual money, which I can convert to real dollars, is this a form of employment? If I make a thousand dollars from selling things, will the IRS start hounding me? If some one steals a virtual object from me, can I have them arrested if I can show a monetary loss? As long as it is all play money, there were fewer issues -- but now that they are bringing in real money... well, lots of people and organizations interested in that, for better or worse.

  8. RTFA? by JExtine · · Score: 4, Insightful
    If you inquire a lil deeper, you'll find that there is no way a user can MAKE money off of this, they are simply helping to pay for increased content (land) through the use of in game money.

    I think thats an awesome idea, and I hope more MMORPGs include something similar. It seems like a great way to reward players and remove built up currency...