The Pros and Cons of Age Verification in Second Life

Age verification was introduced to residents of Second Life during 2009 as an optional means of confirming that you are old enough to play Second Life and thus access the adult regions. It remains to this day entirely optional.

The process works by allowing a resident of Second Life to login to their account and enter either their passport number, social security number or other type of identity card number (many European ID cards are now accepted too). This information is sent instantly to a third party that checks that the holder of that particular identity means is above the age of 18. Linden Lab (Second Life's creators and owners) do not keep the number itself on file. What they get is a code that confirms the user is old enough, or confirms that they are not. This was set up to increase security and lower concerns about the amount of data that Linden Lab has on file about any individual. But what are the pros and cons of Second Life age verification?

Well, to start with the positives, this is a means of filtering out, to some extent, the problem of underage users. While a registrant must be 18 years of age or older to use the main Second Life grid, it's common knowledge that people younger than that lie during registration in order to access it. This is also, in part, owing to the fact that the teen grid for 13 - 18 year olds, is somewhat under populated and neglected by Linden Lab to some extent. The main grid therefore holds much more appeal to youngsters seeking to experience the virtual world. With age verification came the introduction of "adult" regions. All adult content was moved into these regions and only age verified accounts (or those with payment info on file stating that they are above 18) were able to access the regions. This, again, goes some way to dealing with the issue. Another major benefit of any form of identity verification in a virtual world like Second Life is in business. There are a huge number of very real financial business transactions taking place on a day to day basis in Second Life. In dealing with someone who has proven an element of their identity, you often feel safer. This can add a level of trust to business in Second Life.

However, there are downsides too. As well as concerns over how the data is held, there are those who worry about underage teenagers stealing identity cards (from family, strangers or friends) in order to use the number and 'verify' their age. But the major downside of age verification is that it remains optional. While this remains optional, there are those who will access the grid under the age of 18 without encountering any challenge to it all. Of course, there are always ways for people to flout the rules, but I firmly believe that Linden Lab should be making it as difficult as possible for people to do this. Compulsory age verification is one such way in which that can be achieved.

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The basics of Second Life's virtual world

Ever since Internet became a widely available tool, people always imagined and used it as a virtual universe for chatting, buying and selling or simply socializing. Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become a secondary, virtual life, for many and on this premise the concept of the metaverse was born. The metaverse is a virtual universe that copies, more or less, the real life Universe and one of the clearest ways to express a metaverse is through what is known today as a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Some of these MMO's create a fantasy world of their own (take for example World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online or Everquest) whereas some simply offer a real-world alternative universe, as is the case of Second Life, one of the most popular such phenomenons on the Internet.

Second Life - Basic Premises
The Second Life metaverse is based on an Earth-like world, known as the Grid. This grid consists of land masses and "free" areas and the world is divided into 256x256 areas of "grid" called Regions. Each of these regions, powered by their own servers, has its own name and a content rating (either Mature or PG), some being more stable than others. The land masses in Second Life are controlled by Linden Research (called Linden Labs in the "game") and each of the program's users are called Residents.

Residents of Second Life have an avatar that can be of either sex, wear different clothing, or have different physical attributes, simulating the "real life" universe entirely. Residents can communicate in this environment by several means, including local chat, which is further divided into normal chat (which can be "heard" in a 25m area), yelling (heard in a 96m area) and whispering (18m area) but Second Life also offers a form of instant messaging for private conversations, regardless of the chatting residents' position in the Grid.

Residents can also buy, sell and manage property and items in Second Life for a currency called the "Linden Dollars" (or simply L$). There's a virtual exchange rate in this metaverse, that fluctuates slightly, but a stable rate seems to be revolving around the 270 Linden Dollars to one US Dollar ratio. You're probably anticipating what I'm going to say next: you can actually make real life US Dollars, using Second Life Linden Dollars. Either by selling land or items, you can cash in some nice income, given the fact that you put some dedication into your Second Life avatar and you can read the virtual economy of its world.

Second Life - Conclusion
So should Second Life be considered a game? Should it be put in the same category as other Massively Multiplayer Online worlds as the ones created by World of Warcraft and the likes? In principle, Second Life doesn't share the same premises that these fantasy worlds offer, for example it has no real objectives, no "levels" and no abilities, which makes many object to the fact that it's a "game" per say. Still, Second Life has the purpose of entertaining its Residents through its simulation of real life, so it's yet unclear whether we should watch it as a game or not. What is clear is that this is becoming a quickly increasing phenomenon that appeals to all genders, all ages and all religions, bringing us closer together in a virtual metaverse than we are in our real lives.

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Is it really that easy to earn money in Second Life?

There is a general rumbling in the internet world about Second Life, the so called Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMPORG). Let me give you the skinny right here and now: it is possible to earn a very good living by earning Linden Dollars ($L) in Second Life and turning them into real money. However, it is far from easy because as of this writing, the average ration of $L to US dollars is about 270 to 1 (that means that for every L$270 you earn in Second Life, you only earn $1 USD). Assuming that this has not dissuaded you from attempting to earn a real life living in a virtual world, there are four good ways to earn $L and ultimately real dollars:

•     Buy them directly on the LindeX,
•     Get a job in Second Life,
•     Start your own business in Second Life or...
•     Become a Real Estate Baron.

We'll explore each of these methods one by one.

Buying Linden Dollars on the LindeX
The LindeX is a Linden Dollar exchange offering residents of Second Life the ability to either buy or sell $L. This is by far the best way to get your $L, though it's not technically "earning" them. However, buy obtaining them this way, you have more resources to buy the things you want on Second Life. Besides, as the old saying goes, "you gotta spend money to make money," and this applies in Second Life as well as in real life. This definitely applies if you decide that you want to earn $L by getting a job in Second Life.

Getting a job in Second Life
One thing to understand about earning money in Second Life is that you will not earn much money ($L or otherwise) by working for someone else. Jobs in Second Life are just as hard to come by as in real life, and when you do secure a position, rarely do you earn more than a few hundred $L an hour. Also, for some jobs, you must have your own equipment. DJ's need their own music and software to stream music online, Security guards often need their own protective gear and armament to protect their employers interests. On the other hand, it can be useful for experience to have a Job in SL should you decide that you want to start your own business.

Starting a business in Second Life
Online experience isn't the only necessity for starting a business in Second Life. Sometimes, in fact a lot of the time your own real world experience can help you earn $L. For example, if you write in the real world, why not take that experience and apply it to a publishing house in Second Life? It's also easy to turn your dreams into reality on Second Life: say you've always wanted to be a Private Detective or an Exotic Dancer. In Second Life these are much easier dreams to obtain than in real life but one of the best dreams is to become a Real Estate Mogul.

Real Estate in Second Life
At the time of this writing, the riches person in Second Life is a virtual Real Estate Mogul. Buying and selling real estate in Second Life is fairly simple and straightforward, but it is far from easy. For example, Second Life used to have a program where the first 512 square meters of virtual land you bought was only $L1 per meter. Second Life has since dropped this program, making it harder to buy land at a reasonable price. However, by continually searching for land that you can either sell at a higher price than what you bought it for or using that land to set up a store, you can definitely earn a good amount of $L.

Conclusion
Well now, you've learned about four of the most popular ways of getting $L on Second Life. But these are just general topics and there are a myriad of ways within these four that you can use with a little creativity. I hope I haven't disappointed you from trying to earn $L, however it's best to realize that like any money making endeavor, it takes skill, luck and patience to succeed in SL or anywhere else. The purpose of this article was not to turn you away from earning money in SL and therefore in the real world, but to let you know what it takes to be a success in it.

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