thoughtsignals

It seems that people in Second Life behave, at least in economic terms, very much like they do in the real world. They buy goods for the status those things confer and work to earn money.

The New York Times reports:

When people are given the opportunity to create a fantasy world, they can and do defy the laws of gravity (you can fly in Second Life), but not of economics or human nature. Players in this digital, global game don’t have to work, but many do. They don’t need to change clothes, fix their hair, or buy and furnish a home, but many do. They don’t need to have drinks in their hands at the virtual bar, but they buy cocktails anyway, just to look right, to feel comfortable.

Second Life residents find ways to make money so they can spend it to do things, look impressive, and get more stuff, even if it’s made only of pixels. In a place where people should never have to clean out their closets, some end up devoting hours to organizing their things, purging, even holding yard sales.

So virtual human nature seems to be very similar to real human nature. The economic life of Second Life and the real world intersect in other ways, as well.

Italian employees of IBM are planning a strike in the virtual world, and a SL bank has experienced a run on its deposits that forced the firm to shut down.