Second Life - The Debate Continues...

It has now been a few weeks since the ban on gambling in Second Life. Not a lot changed immediately following the ban. Then the big casinos started closing up. Land prices plummeted, as more and more people decided to leave the game. Less and less money is being spent as people are having harder time making money. And more people are thinking Second Life may not be all that it is advertised to be.

One of the biggest questions on people's minds is what now? Linden Labs ban on gambling comes with a price. There were people on both sides of the issue saying different things. The pro gamblers were concerned with the economy, and also what would be next to be banned. The anti gamblers were saying what a relief it would be not to see casinos dotting the World that is Second Life. Both sides have very valid points, in this writer's opinion however I do not believe that either side really understands the implications of the ban. Most of the general population of Second Life were the biggest voices in the debate, not the casino or gaming owners.

The so called groups that the pro gamblers created to protest the ban were nothing more then places to vent against Linden Labs. There were a few casino owners that were trying to be the voice of reason and stand up and say we need to organize this protest and come up with options. They were overrun by the people that just wanted to yell and scream about the ban but not really do anything positive to help overcome the loss. Then the groups became nothing but places to be used to spam people with advertisements about different places to visit, and underground casinos that were springing up. The groups themselves almost were enough to lend enough credence to the anti gamblers.

Unfortunately my avatar was thrown in with this bunch, when at a protest to observe what was going on, I used a "gesture" that when played said "Our Lindens, who art in the labs, Hallowed be thy prims. Thy Grid-dom come, thy will be done, on Sims as it is in the preview. Give us this day our daily crash, and forgive us our spammery, as we forgive those that grief against us. And lead us not into private parcels. Amen." While it is funny, I had never meant for it to become their rallying cry. I also informed all who where there that I did not come up with the gesture. I was not the creator. Then to my astonishment it was used as their motto and I was given credit for it. Without my permission of course, or I would have insisted the creator got the credit for it.

The anti gamblers biggest complaint about gambling was that people shouldn't spend their money on things like that and if you wanted gambling you should leave Second Life. Pack up, Sell your land, and Get Out was there motto. We don't need them and we don't want them they would say. Nothing really constructive was really being said by them. When asked about the economy they would say there are other ways to make money in second life. None of them could answer specifically how, but they would always fall back to their original motto.

I have had conversations with one casino owner that was trying to come up with different ideas to not only survive the ban, but to over come it. He would tell me that he wanted to figure out a way to get past the ban in second life, still have a thriving business, and still be able to offer people a way to make money as well, without violating the ban. During the first few days of the ban he was trying to get casino owners together to see if they could come up with something collectively. When that didn't work he tried to wait till the emotions died down to approach them again. By that time most of the owners that he felt he could get through to did pack up and leave game.

Currently he is considering leaving himself. His frustration level is high, and he has had a very difficult time coming up with an alternative. During a conversation I had with him this morning he said he thought it was funny that one of the Lindens (Anyone who works for Linden Labs in game has Linden as a last name.) is in groups for the Sopranos, and other mob type afflation groups. He said "So it is ok for me to take some one (in game) to a back alley and shoot them, but God forbid I put 10 Lindens into a slot machine. I could go out and shoot, maim, kill, rape, pillage, plunder, sell drugs, hire what could be an underage hooker for sex, but I can't sit and play a slot machine if I wanted to."

He does have a very valid point. There are in game groups for pedophiles, head shops galore, brothels and sex shops everywhere, but not a single casino exists anymore. According to Linden Labs they are just upholding to United Sates laws, if that were the case however, then why not across the entire board? Why ban one thing that is against US law and not everything else that violates it? Why are those things not banned in game? As Second Life is just that, a game. None of those other items are considered "real" so in essence they are not ban able.

The question then becomes where is the line drawn? When you open a virtual world to people and tell them that they can create anything they want to, then come along and start banning things that they create, where does it end? You come along and ban something that you have allowed people to have from the beginning, say it is against US law but leave everything else that is illegal. None of the Lindens I have spoken with will comment on that. One even said "Gambling is banned; nothing else that I am aware of is against US law therefore will not be banned." When asked about Drugs etc. "It's only a game."

It looks as if no one really has any answers. It may be a wait and see kind of deal. Over then next few weeks, I will watch and see what happens, try to get some more concrete answers. Hopefully by that time the economy will stabilize, and the game will run smoothly again. Maybe soon someone will also come up with new ideas to get people wanting to play Second Life, breathe some new life into it. Second Life's second life sounds a bit overdone however. I am sure someone more creative than I am will come up with something better.