The Perspective of a Newbie
The big question that I am sure many newcomers to the game would like to know is if you can play Second Life without spending your actual money. To simplify it, the answer is yes, you can play Second Life and enjoy it without spending money. As a new player to Second Life, I came into this game mostly blind. I will admit I’ve watched a few YouTube videos, but the videos do not even cross the threshold of what Second Life is and what it offers to its users. If you enjoy this, please know that donations assist me a lot. They can be directed to my Cash App (iDaisyRay) and you can add me on second life also as iDaisyRay.
Avatars:
The avatar or virtual character of Second Life is one of the major attractions to this game and a vital key to success in some areas. You can customize this character to resemble yourself, creatures, or even a fantasy version of yourself. This has become so important that people spend hundreds of real money to ensure their character looks as updated as possible. However, there are ways to achieve this by spending no money at all. I, of course, did not realize this upon creating my avatar, but I am happy to share the information I learned with others. Within the game and on their shopping website, you will find many developers who offer items at low prices such as 1 Linden or even absolutely free. I recently traveled to a store in the game called, ‘The Dove’, and there I found many items of exceptional quality donated for any who come to the store. I admit it shocked me to see they had nice-looking items at no charge, some even surpassing the quality of the items I purchased. This is a fantastic way to keep people interested in the game without them feeling left out of the loop because they cannot or will not pay money to enhance their avatar’s appearance. Below are items that I got for free, you can find the skin and clothing landmark at the end of the post. The only down part for me was not having darker complexions of skin available for free, but beggars cannot be choosers.
Homes:
When you first join Second Life, you are essentially homeless unless you purchase a home in the game or purchase the Premium Membership the game offers. I do have the membership, but I will get to that soon. For those without either, I am here to assure you that you do not need to be homeless. You may have guessed it, but yes, there are free homes in the game. Now, to be fair, they aren’t as popular or well-decorated as those you would buy. However, if you are just seeking a place to drop your items or to call yours, then this is for you. I used one of these hotels myself before I located to a different one, which I pay 99Ls a week. I promise that is by far the cheapest you will find, except for the free homes. I will link the locations below at the end of the posting.
Lindens:
The currency in Second Life is called Lindens, this currency can be bought, sold, and earned. This is mostly what sold me, a game where you can play and earn money at the same time. However, this is not fully free sometimes. I will go into each way that you can earn Lindens and then a brief chat about how buying and selling Lindens.
Working: Oh no, who wants to work a job in real-life and their game? Many people honestly, this is one of the most common ways to earn Lindens. Even I have applied for some jobs in the game with the hope of being approved. There are countless types of jobs one can have in this game. Crafting, which is a person who creates clothing, homes, and other items that people can purchase to improve their Second Life experience. Hosting, this is almost just as it sounds. As a host, you attend events in the game and ensure that those at the event are having as much fun as they can. One of the more popular jobs comes from the adult side of the game. Children should not attend this side, as it can get raunchy and taboo in some areas. These jobs mainly surround avatar stripping and avatar escorting. However, some men and women venture into camera and voice escorting to heighten the experience between the giver and receiver. It sounds crazy, but they are making over a thousand real-life money from doing these jobs alone. I imagine with covid being an active player in our existence, these lovely ladies and men will make even more now. They informed me it wasn't so much about the stripping or escorting, but the socializing and companionship. Two things we are all missing out on in quarantine. The downside is that many of these jobs will require you to have an upgraded avatar, which likely consists of purchased items. Though if you look, I am sure you can find some that do not. Other jobs consist of waitressing, avatar makeovers, and home decorating. I am sure there are even more that I have not even seen yet. I am going for hosting and waitressing because my weird, introverted personality needs to be shared with everyone. Many opportunities depend on what kind of person you are and what experience you want to take from this game.
Games: Second to jobs, games are another way people make Lindens in the Second Life. These are everywhere, if you do a little search hundreds will pop up. One that I started playing was fishing for Lindens. In this game, it gives your character a fishing pole and bait, which you can essentially use to fish and earn Lindens. The more you fish, the faster you can purchase a better pole, which essentially helps you catch better fish and gather more Lindens. Now there aren’t a lot of Lindens like you would earn from a job, but if the job does not appeal to you, this is a fun way to earn some Lindens. The only thing you need is patience and the ability to enjoy silly games.
Land: I recently learned about land thanks to a YouTuber and Second Life user named Meela. I will link her video below as she can explain things in more depth. Though to summarize, in Second Life the game uses the land as we do in real-life so people can place homes, clubs, shops and so much more. However, not everyone can purchase land. Those who have a Premium Membership with Second Life can purchase land. Some fees come with it if you go over the amount they give you free with your membership. However, most people buy land and then rent or sell it to others to make back what they spend on fees and then some. This is a great way to make Lindens in-game, and many people can turn those Lindens into real money. Anshe Chung is one of the richest people from Second Life. Her net worth names her a millionaire, and she made that money through land and homes. I think all landowners and sellers hope to one day achieve that; I know I do. So while it costs money for the membership and the land, I think it is a smart investment for those who are able to afford it.
Premium Membership: This membership at the lowest costs $12 and at the highest at $100. The packages are monthly, quarterly, and annually, depending on what you can afford. As I am still unaccustomed to this game, I cannot fully tell you if I think all of their Premium bonuses are great, I’ll do my best to explore this in a thorough review. However, I will say that being able to purchase and sell land is entirely amazing. They allow only Premium Members to do this, so it is up to you if you want to invest in this. Aside from that, you are also given $300 Lindens a week to spend on whatever you deem fit. Special customer care and monthly gifts are additionally included. The rest surrounds social activities with other Premium Members. I will retain my membership for as long as I can afford it.
Buying & Selling:
As mentioned before, there are Lindens you can purchase, usually from the game or sellers on the game. I have not fully experienced that yet, so I have little information on it from a personal standpoint. However, it seems very easy to read and understand. They sell and you buy, there is a limit on how much you can purchase at the start of the game. I am still unsure why there is a limit, but it is there. Selling is another big thing in the game. As mentioned, Second Life while a game can also be very profitable to those who invest their time, money, and energy into it. It is easy to write it off as just a game, but there are people making thousands and millions from this game. This is one reason I joined, the other reason was to live my dream of being a sparkly vampire. That is a posting for another time, though. So I highly encourage everyone, especially those financially suffering from covid to at least try it out.
I feel like I’ve said a lot, but this doesn’t even scratch the surface of everything second life has to offer. I will break these up into portions for your reading pleasure. I will include more games in my future articles.
Important Links:
Free Items: http://tiny.cc/FreeSLItems
Free Homes: http://tiny.cc/FreeHotel
Meela's Youtube: http://tiny.cc/MeelaYoutube
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