We got an e-mail the other day from a certain Sara in Chicago. She had a question about the virtual world Second Life, but it could be asked of many pursuits, virtual and otherwise. (Even though I’ve never visited Second Life, I have been thinking about this issue lately since I have become a gold farmer for my own kids, on Webkinz — although frankly, they are better than me at earning KinzCash.)
I like Sara’s question because, on some dimensions, the answer/s may seem obvious; but as we all know, open-ended questions like this one often yield answers that aren’t obvious at all.
Here’s her question. What do you have to say?
I’m wondering what the economic benefit is for users of Second Life. Businesses and entrepreneurs who advertise or set up shop on Second Life have the economic goal of transferring that to real-life means. But what economic gain do users get from it? All I can figure out is that they spend a lot of real money for intangible things in a made-up world.
What am I missing?
and 
. You can also watch it on 
I would ask the question back in the manor of what economic gain does a person receive by watching a movie / tv show?
I guess if you consider the personal pleasure gained by being entertained of economic value, then why not transpose this to an online fantasy life where the fantasy is its own entertainment?
I would ask the question back in the manor of what economic gain does a person receive by watching a movie / tv show?
I guess if you consider the personal pleasure gained by being entertained of economic value, then why not transpose this to an online fantasy life where the fantasy is its own entertainment?
Yep.
.lermit
Yep.
.lermit
Firstly it is a recreation activity it’s well established that people value that.
Secondly it is a type of outlet for fantasy that isn’t available in other places. I’m not merely talking about sexual fantasy, but the fantasy of being someone else or trying something new that you can’t do in your own life. In this case, in some sense, you actually ARE that other person, rather than just play acting.
This one is my own theory: it seems to me that people are capable of setting up or connecting with “a sociology” just about anywhere — that is, a social context into which they are invested. I played WoW (World of Warcraft) for a long time and saw the same thing over and over again: people _start_ playing because its shiny or they have a friend involved or they just want to try something new, but most people _keep_ playing because they have friends they don’t want to leave. Nearly everyone I knew well (30+ people) in-game kept playing way beyond losing interest in the game simply because they didn’t want to lose track of their new friends.
Firstly it is a recreation activity it’s well established that people value that.
Secondly it is a type of outlet for fantasy that isn’t available in other places. I’m not merely talking about sexual fantasy, but the fantasy of being someone else or trying something new that you can’t do in your own life. In this case, in some sense, you actually ARE that other person, rather than just play acting.
This one is my own theory: it seems to me that people are capable of setting up or connecting with “a sociology” just about anywhere — that is, a social context into which they are invested. I played WoW (World of Warcraft) for a long time and saw the same thing over and over again: people _start_ playing because its shiny or they have a friend involved or they just want to try something new, but most people _keep_ playing because they have friends they don’t want to leave. Nearly everyone I knew well (30+ people) in-game kept playing way beyond losing interest in the game simply because they didn’t want to lose track of their new friends.
Yeah, it is a purely entertainment activity, with no economic rational. Like watching a movie, or reading a book, or going to a sporting match. I guess it would fall into the expense side of an economy, the output as it were.
After all an economy is a means to a goal. The goal is providing for needs (food etc) and wants (entertainment, ‘luxuries’ etc)
I suspect that if these goals could be met through other means, most people would be happy to let the economy die away.
Yeah, it is a purely entertainment activity, with no economic rational. Like watching a movie, or reading a book, or going to a sporting match. I guess it would fall into the expense side of an economy, the output as it were.
After all an economy is a means to a goal. The goal is providing for needs (food etc) and wants (entertainment, ‘luxuries’ etc)
I suspect that if these goals could be met through other means, most people would be happy to let the economy die away.