Second Life is a virtual world where many people can join. Users create an avatar, which is a digital version of themselves, and interact with other users (called "Residents") and content in an online environment. The program was created by a company in San Francisco named Linden Lab and launched on June 23, 2003. It grew quickly for several years, reaching about one million regular users in 2013. Over time, the number of users stopped growing as fast, and by the end of 2017, there were between 800,000 and 900,000 active users. Second Life is similar to large online games where players take on roles, but Linden Lab clearly states that it is not a game. They explain that there are no built-in conflicts or goals to achieve.

People can access Second Life using software provided by Linden Lab or other third-party programs. Users, called "Residents," create avatars and explore the virtual world (called the "grid"). They can meet other residents, socialize, take part in activities, build and create items, shop, and trade virtual property and services. The platform mainly uses 3D content created by users. Second Life has its own virtual currency called the Linden Dollar (L$), which can be exchanged for real money. The platform is designed for people aged 16 and older. Users aged 13 to 15 can only join if they are part of a school or other institution that sponsors their access.

History

Philip Rosedale founded Linden Lab in 1999 to create computer hardware that would allow people to experience a virtual world. Early on, the company struggled to build a commercial version of this hardware, called "The Rig," which was described as a bulky steel device with computer monitors worn on the shoulders. Over time, the company shifted its focus to a software program called Linden World, where users could play games, socialize, and interact in a three-dimensional online environment. This eventually led to the creation of Second Life, a more user-friendly version of the virtual world. Rosedale had been interested in virtual worlds before reading Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash, and he began experimenting with virtual environments during his college years at the University of California, San Diego, where he studied physics.

Second Life gained widespread media attention in 2005 and 2006, including a cover story in BusinessWeek magazine that featured the virtual world and a user named Anshe Chung. By this time, Anshe Chung had become a symbol of the economic opportunities available in Second Life. During this period, the number of users on the platform grew very quickly.

One of the main developers, Cory Ondrejka, left his position as chief technology officer in December 2007 due to disagreements about how the company was being managed. Despite this, the platform continued to grow. By January 2008, users spent a total of 28,274,505 hours in the virtual world, and on average, 38,000 users were logged in at any given moment. The highest number of users online at the same time reached 88,200 in early 2009.

In 2008, Second Life was honored at the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for its work in developing online spaces with content created by users. Rosedale accepted the award but announced he would step down as CEO and become chairman of the company’s board of directors in March 2008. Mark Kingdon was named the new CEO in May 2008. In 2010, Kingdon was replaced by Rosedale, who briefly served as interim CEO before stepping down again. In October 2010, Bob Komin, who was the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, became the new CEO.

After 2009, Second Life’s growth slowed, and Linden Lab announced in 2010 that it would lay off 30% of its employees. At that time, there were about 21.3 million registered accounts, though the company did not share details about how many users were actively using the platform.

Despite slower growth, Second Life remained a commercial success. In 2015, users earned about $60 million from the platform, and the virtual world had an estimated economic value of $500 million, which is higher than the GDP of some small countries.

Recognizing advances in computing power and graphics, Linden Lab began developing a new virtual reality experience called Sansar, which entered a public testing phase in July 2017. However, interest in Sansar was low, and development was paused in 2020 to focus on improving Second Life. The rights to Sansar were later sold to Wookey Search Technologies, which plans to continue developing the project.

Second Life, which was most popular in the first decade of the 21st century, is considered the first example of the metaverse, a concept later adopted by companies like Facebook in 2021. As an early example of a virtual world, Second Life continues to provide insights into challenges and opportunities in virtual reality.

Classification

In 2001, during a meeting with investors, Rosedale observed that people were especially interested in how Second Life could help users work together and create things. Because of this, the original plan for Second Life, which focused on goals and game-like challenges, was changed to emphasize experiences created by users and shared within a community.

Second Life is often discussed as a virtual world, a computer game, or a type of online communication tool. Unlike traditional computer games, Second Life does not have clear goals, rules, or game mechanics. It can also be described as a multi-user virtual world because it allows many people to interact with each other in the same space. Since there are no set goals, it is not possible to win or lose in Second Life. Additionally, unlike a traditional online chat tool, Second Life includes a large, explorable world that users can interact with. Users may choose to use Second Life only as a creative tool. In March 2006, Rosedale stated during a Google TechTalks presentation: "We do not see this as a game. We see it as a platform."

Second Life previously had two main sections: one for adults aged 18 and older, and one for teens. In August 2010, Linden Lab closed the teen section because of high costs. After this, users aged 16 and older could create free accounts. Limited accounts are also available for educators who use Second Life with younger students.

Sims in Second Life are grouped into three categories, called "Ratings," based on the types of activities that take place there.

As of October 2024, the live streaming service Twitch lists Second Life as a "prohibited game," meaning it cannot be streamed on the service.

Residents and avatars

Creating a Second Life account is free, and users can explore the virtual world without cost. Linden Lab may charge for creating many accounts for one person (up to 5 per household or 2 per 24 hours), but this is not currently done. A Premium membership (US$11.99 monthly, US$32.97 quarterly, or US$99 annually) provides better technical support and gives members L$300 weekly in their avatar’s account. After 45 days, members receive an additional L$700, totaling L$1,000 for that week. This amount was higher in the past, and older accounts still receive L$500 weekly. Some accounts created earlier may receive L$400. If the L$ stipend is converted to US dollars, the cost of Premium membership for extended support is about US$14 annually, depending on exchange rates. Most users, however, do not upgrade from the free "basic" account.

Avatars in Second Life can take many forms, such as human, animal, or abstract shapes, and users can customize nearly every detail. Each account can have only one avatar at a time, but its appearance can be changed as often as the user wants. Avatars can be created by users or purchased from others. A single person may have multiple accounts, which are called "alternate characters" or "alts."

Avatars can move by walking, running, using vehicles, flying, or teleporting. Teleportation is often used for quick travel across the large virtual world. Once at a destination, avatars can move using other methods at different speeds.

Avatars can communicate through local chat (visible to nearby users), group chat, global instant messaging (IM), and voice (public, private, or group). Chat is used for short, public conversations between nearby avatars. IM allows private messages between two users, within a group, or between avatars and objects. Unlike chat, IM does not require users to be near each other. Voice chat was added in 2007. Instant messages can be sent to a user’s email if they are logged off, but messages are limited to 4096 bytes.

In Second Life, users can choose avatars that reflect their real-life identities or create entirely new characters. Most avatars look human, but some choose animal or fantasy forms. These choices may not match their real-world identities.

In Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human, Tom Boellstorff explains that Second Life’s design helps users separate their online and real-life identities. In 2008, users had to pick last names from a list, but by 2015, users could display their legal names in their profiles. This contrasts with other social media platforms, where users are encouraged to connect their online and real identities.

Content

One important difference between Second Life and online games is that users can create content and change the virtual world. The software includes a 3D modeling tool that uses simple shapes like cubes and spheres to help users build virtual objects. There is also a special programming language called Linden Scripting Language (LSL) that lets users make objects respond to actions. Users can create special 3D shapes, detailed 3D models, textures for clothing or other items, animations, and gestures using other software and then add them to Second Life. According to Second Life's rules, users keep the rights to any content they make. The system also has basic tools to manage these rights. In August 2013, Linden Lab updated their rules to allow them to use user-created content for any purpose. The updated rules also stop users from using textures from other companies, as some of those companies had clearly stated their own rules.

Economy

Second Life has its own system for buying and selling things, called the Linden Dollar (L$). This special money is used only inside Second Life to purchase land, goods, or services from other users. The Linden Dollar has no real value outside the platform and cannot be exchanged for actual money from Linden Lab. However, because people can trade Linden Dollars for real money through a currency exchange, it is sometimes considered a type of virtual currency or property. If a user has extra Linden Dollars earned through a business or activities in Second Life, they can request a refund to their PayPal account.

In September 2005, the Second Life economy generated about $3.6 million in activity. By September 2006, the platform’s total economic value, or GDP, reached $64 million. In 2009, the Second Life economy grew by 65%, reaching $567 million, which was about 25% of the entire U.S. virtual goods market. That same year, residents earned about $55 million from their activities in Second Life, a 11% increase from 2008. In 2013, Linden Lab reported that over 10 years, more than $3.2 billion in virtual goods transactions occurred between users, with about 1.2 million daily transactions.

Many people in Second Life start businesses or create virtual items. Users can design and sell virtual objects, such as clothing, buildings, or art. They keep all rights to their creations and can sell them on Second Life’s marketplace, where 2.1 million items were listed. At its peak around 2006, millions of dollars changed hands daily as users sold virtual goods. Virtual real estate also became a major source of income, with some users earning large profits. For example, a user named Anshe Chung turned an initial investment of $9.95 into over $1 million by buying, selling, and renting virtual land.

Major technology companies, such as IBM, used Second Life to test and train employees in virtual environments. IBM purchased 12 islands for this purpose but later moved to other platforms due to costs. Other organizations, including musicians, news outlets like CNET and the BBC, and podcasters, also used Second Life to share content with its audience.

Virtual goods in Second Life include items like buildings, vehicles, clothing, and artwork. Services offered include business help, entertainment, and custom content creation, which involves tasks like designing, scripting, and managing projects. Users can buy Linden Dollars with real money through the LindeX exchange. Most users use this money to pay for their Second Life subscriptions, while only a small number earn enough to request refunds to PayPal. In February 2009, about 64,000 users made a profit in Second Life, with most earning less than $10. A few users, however, earned more than $5,000. Profits come from selling virtual goods, renting land, and offering services.

Technology

Second Life includes a program called the viewer (or client) that runs on a user's computer, and thousands of servers managed by Linden Lab.

Linden Lab provides official viewers for Windows, macOS, and most Linux versions. ChromeOS is not supported yet. The viewer uses OpenGL technology to display 3D graphics. The viewer's source code was released under the GPL license in 2007 and changed to the LGPL license in 2010.

Several third-party viewer projects, like Firestorm, offer features not found in the official viewer. These viewers may support different platforms or meet special needs. Developers of these viewers focus on testing new ideas and collaborating with Linden Lab to improve functionality.

An independent project called libopenmetaverse provides tools for interacting with Second Life servers. This library has been used to create non-graphic viewers.

Linden Lab offers alternate viewers for testing by volunteers. These viewers are used on a "beta grid" with limited regions running unstable test code.

Each region in Second Life (256×256 meters) runs on one server core. Homestead regions share 3 regions per core, and Openspace regions share 4 regions per core. These servers use Debian Linux and run scripts, enabling communication between avatars and objects in a region.

Every item in Second Life is called an asset. This includes 3D shapes, textures, audio files, avatar details, scripts, and notecard text. Each asset has a unique identifier called a UUID.

Assets are stored on Isilon Systems clusters, which hold all data created in Second Life. Less-used assets are moved to S3 storage. As of December 2007, the total storage used about 100 terabytes. Asset servers operate separately from region simulators, which request data from asset servers when objects load. Region simulators are often called "sims" by users.

Each server runs a physics simulation to manage object interactions. Objects can be non-moving or physical. Complex shapes may be grouped into sets of up to 256 parts. Avatars are treated as physical objects to interact with other items. As of July 2014, Second Life uses the Havok 2011.2 physics engine for all simulations.

Linden Lab uses open standards and free software like Apache, MySQL, Squid, and Linux. The company plans to standardize the Second Life protocol and eventually release both the client and server as open-source software.

In January 2021, Linden Lab moved all its services and databases to AWS servers.

In January 2007, OpenSimulator was created as an open-source project to develop server software for Second Life. OpenSimulator is BSD licensed, written in C#, and runs on the Mono environment. Starting in 2008, alternative grids using OpenSimulator allowed cross-grid access through the hypergrid protocol.

Applications

Residents in Second Life use creative ways to express themselves. They create virtual versions of art exhibits, live music shows, live theater, machinima, and other types of art.

A wide range of recreational activities, both competitive and non-competitive, happen on the Second Life Grid. These include traditional sports and scenarios similar to video games.

Second Life is used by many institutions for education, such as colleges, universities, libraries, and government groups. Since 2008, the University of San Martin de Porres in Peru has created models of Peruvian archaeological buildings in Second Life and trained teachers for this new way of learning. The West Virginia University (WVU) Department of Special Education has used Second Life in education. It offered teaching certification and degrees in seven distance learning programs. WVU started a pilot program in a computer lab in spring 2011.

The Maldives was the first country to open an embassy in Second Life. The embassy is located on Second Life’s "Diplomacy Island," where visitors can speak face-to-face with a computer-generated ambassador about visas, trade, and other topics. "Diplomacy Island" also includes the Diplomatic Museum and Diplomatic Academy. The island was created by DiploFoundation as part of the Virtual Diplomacy Project.

In May 2007, Sweden became the second country to open an embassy in Second Life. The embassy is run by the Swedish Institute and promotes Sweden’s image and culture. It does not provide real or virtual services. The Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt, mentioned on his blog that he hoped to be invited to the grand opening.

In September 2007, Publicis Group announced a project to build a Serbia island as part of "Serbia Under Construction." The project is supported by Serbia’s Ministry of Diaspora. The island will include the Nikola Tesla Museum, the Guča Trumpet Festival, and the Exit Festival. It also plans to open virtual information terminals for the Ministry of Diaspora.

In December 2007, Estonia became the third country to open an embassy in Second Life. In September 2007, Colombia and Serbia also opened embassies. By 2008, North Macedonia and the Philippines had opened embassies on "Diplomacy Island." In 2008, Albania opened an embassy in the Nova Bay area. SL Israel was launched in January 2008 to share information about Israel globally, though it is not connected to official Israeli diplomatic groups. In 2008, Malta opened an embassy in Second Life.

Religious groups have also created virtual meeting places in Second Life. In early 2007, LifeChurch.tv, a Christian church in Oklahoma, built "Experience Island" and opened its twelfth campus in Second Life. In July 2007, an Anglican cathedral was created in Second Life. Mark Brown, who led the project, said people are interested in deeper, more meaningful religious experiences.

The First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Second Life was started in 2006. Regular services are held, making it one of the longest-running active religious groups in Second Life.

The Egyptian-owned news website Islam Online bought land in Second Life to allow Muslims and non-Muslims to practice the Hajj pilgrimage virtually. This helps people prepare for the real pilgrimage to Mecca.

Second Life has groups for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers. One active group, SL Humanism, holds weekly discussions every Sunday since 2006.

Romantic relationships are common in Second Life, including couples who married online. The online environment helps people who feel socially isolated. Sex is also present, but access to adult sections requires age verification. Large communities for BDSM and Gorean interests exist.

Some relationships in Second Life move into real life. Booperkit Moseley and Shukran Fahid may have been the first couple to meet online and marry in person. They married in 2006 and had twins in 2009. Other couples meet online, become friends, and eventually meet in the real world. Some even hold weddings in Second Life and in real life.

Relationships in virtual worlds feel more personal than on other social media because avatars create a sense of closeness. The depth of these interactions depends on how people use their avatars—for entertainment, immersion, or real-life goals.

Second Life is used for scientific research, collaboration, and data visualization. Examples include SciLands, the American Chemical Society’s ACS Island, Genome, Virginia Tech’s SLATE, and Nature Publishing Group’s Elucian Islands Village.

Second Life provides a real-time, immersive space for people with physical or mental disabilities. They can interact safely through avatars. Some studies suggest it may help improve motor skills for people with Parkinson’s disease.

An example of Second Life being used by people with disabilities is Wheelies, a virtual nightclub created by Simon Stevens. It is widely known for its focus on disability themes.

Radio stations like Shoutcast and Icecast can stream music into land parcels in Second Life. The streaming format is MP3, as other formats are not supported. Some internet radio providers offer these services. Media displayed on a prim (MOAP) is not reliable, so using Parcel Media or Parcel Audio is recommended.

Companies can create virtual workplaces in Second Life. Employees can meet, hold events, practice communication, conduct training in 3D environments, simulate business processes, and test new products.

In 2020, Ebbe Altberg, CEO of Second Life, announced a microsite to host digital meetings during the global pandemic. This was to support social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantine orders caused by the COVID-19

Notable events and influence

In 2007, director David Fincher and screenwriter Peter Straughan worked on a movie based on Tim Guest’s novel Second Lives. The film was said to include Sacha Baron Cohen as the character Plastic Duck, a playful user in Second Life who caused problems for the platform’s founder, Philip Rosedale.

In 2007 and 2010, Linden Lab, the company that runs Second Life, banned Woodbury University, a California school, from using the platform. In 2010, the university’s four virtual spaces were removed, and student and teacher accounts were closed, as reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Edward Clift, a university leader, explained that their virtual campus in Second Life included student-designed spaces, such as a model of the former Soviet Union and a copy of the Berlin Wall. He said the campus did not meet Linden Lab’s expectations for what a virtual school should be.

A report in The Chronicle of Higher Education noted that many Second Life users were happy to see the university’s virtual campus removed, claiming it had become a place where rule-breakers gathered.

In 2004, the newspaper The Alphaville Herald, created by philosopher Peter Ludlow, moved to Second Life. It became well-known for covering news in the virtual world and was later edited by Internet pioneer Mark P. McCahill. Scholars Constantinescu and Decu said the newspaper was the first "virtual free press," helping shape how people communicate in online worlds.

In January 2007, a conflict occurred in Second Life between members of the French National Front, a political group, and anti-racism activists. The group had built a virtual office in the platform, and the conflict involved users from other organizations.

During the peak of Second Life’s popularity from 2005 to 2010, some companies were criticized for overestimating the platform’s reach. Journalists suggested this might be because companies focused on total user numbers rather than how many users were actively using the platform. Some users created fake accounts, such as bots that stayed in stores to make them look busy, or inactive accounts, which made the numbers appear higher than they were. A Wired article mentioned a Coca-Cola marketer who found Second Life nearly empty during a visit but still spent money on a campaign there out of fear of missing out.

Second Life has faced attacks from users who created harmful objects. These included "grey goo," which multiplied endlessly and crashed servers; "orbiters," which sent users far into the sky; and "cages," which trapped users. Although some areas allow user conflicts, these tools were used to disrupt the platform everywhere. Attacks on the system itself, like grey goo, were not allowed. Users also used software bugs to crash servers or block others from using the platform.

The Emerald client, made by users based on an open-source version of Second Life’s software, was accused of containing hidden code that tracked user information. After one group shared this claim, Linden Lab banned them from the platform. Later, a member of the Emerald team was linked to a cyberattack, leading Linden Lab to stop approving Emerald as a third-party tool and ban some of its developers. This event led to new rules for third-party tools on Second Life.

Some members of the Emerald project, who were not banned, left to create a new tool called Phoenix. They used parts of the Emerald code but removed features that might have been risky. Today, the Phoenix team develops Firestorm Viewer, a version of Second Life’s open-source software.

Vlogger, a 2011 Spanish film, uses Second Life in its storytelling. The movie follows a Pakistani computer expert who learns her brother has joined an extremist group in a video game. She enters Second Life to stop him from carrying out a suicide bombing. The film premiered at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival.

Criticism and controversy

Second Life has faced several controversies. These include technical challenges, such as managing server resources, moral concerns like the presence of pornography and cyberbullying, and legal issues, such as the legal status of the Linden Dollar and cases like Bragg v. Linden Lab. Security problems have also been reported.

In the past, many businesses in Second Life operated in ways that were not allowed in some countries. Changes to Second Life's rules aimed to ensure that activities in the platform followed international laws, even if the businesses were legal in their own countries.

On July 26, 2007, Linden Lab banned in-world gambling because of laws in the United States that restrict online gambling. This decision led to protests by users within the virtual world.

In August 2007, a financial scheme called Ginko Financial, which used Linden Dollars, collapsed after a bank run caused by the gambling ban. This event led to problems for other virtual banks, which critics had previously claimed were scams. In January 2008, Linden Lab announced a rule to stop banks from offering fixed interest on deposits in unregulated banking activities. By January 22, 2008, most virtual banks without real-world licenses closed or changed to different types of companies. After the ban, some businesses, like XStreet, continued to offer deposit accounts without interest, a policy they had already used before the rule change.

Second Life has experienced problems with system instability, such as slower performance and unexpected crashes. Some issues are caused by the way the system uses an "asset server" cluster, which stores data about objects separately from the areas and avatars that use them. Communication between the main servers and the asset cluster often causes delays, leading to frequent problems. When asset server downtime occurs, users are advised to avoid building or using objects, which limits their activities and reduces trust in businesses.

Inventory loss is another issue. Users may lose items in their inventory, including purchased items, without warning. These items may also fail to appear in the virtual world, showing an error message. Linden Lab does not provide compensation for lost items, though a policy change in 2008 allowed users to report inventory loss through support tickets. Some businesses may help restore lost items, but they are not required to do so. A recent change in how Linden Lab handles items that "lose their parent directory" has reduced the frequency and time needed to recover lost items, though the problem still exists.

Second Life sends data to users in real time over the Internet with limited local storage of frequently used data. Users need at least 300 kbit/s of Internet speed for basic use. Because of the platform's proprietary communication protocols, users cannot use network proxy services to reduce network load in situations like group activities in schools or businesses.

Critics have said that Linden Lab focuses too much on adding new features rather than fixing long-standing bugs that can cause financial harm to users. On April 30, 2007, over 3,000 users sent an open letter to Linden Lab to protest the company's quality assurance process. Linden Lab responded to the letter.

Computer hardware and Internet connections that work well for other online games may not perform as expected in Second Life. This can lead to slow performance and unresponsive controls, especially in areas with many avatars. The issue is partly because most content in Second Life is created by users without proper optimization. Many objects use too many detailed graphics and textures, requiring more resources than needed. Some areas have rules to reduce lag, but these do not solve the main problem.

Each region in Second Life, which covers 65,536 square meters of land, can support a limited number of users (40 on mainland regions, up to 100 on private islands). This can cause popular areas, such as teleportation points, to become inaccessible at times. A user's land may also become inaccessible if another area in the same region reaches its user limit.

On September 8, 2006, Linden Lab announced that their database had been hacked, and customer information, including encrypted passwords and real names, may have been accessed. It was later found that the hacker was targeting the in-world money system, and access to personal information was likely accidental. A full alert was issued for safety reasons.

Although Second Life uses digital rights management technology, visual data must be sent to users' devices to be displayed. This allows unofficial third-party clients to bypass these protections. A program called CopyBot, originally created to back up objects, was later used to copy items. Other programs, like GLIntercept, can also copy data. Such actions are prohibited by Second Life's terms of service and may violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Linden Lab may ban users who use CopyBot or similar tools but does not ban users for uploading or selling copied content. Enforcement of intellectual property laws is limited to what is required by the DMCA's "safe harbor" provisions. Since 2019, users can also submit electronic DMCA complaints.

Some businesses in Second Life have filed lawsuits, but none have gone to trial. Most cases have been dismissed after settlements. For example, the case of Eros, LLC v. Linden Research, Inc. was transferred to private mediation, and the plaintiffs dismissed the charges in 2011.

Most users, who are private individuals, are not protected from fraud in Second Life. Common frauds include fake investment schemes, hacked vendors, and broken land rental agreements. Some virtual landowners have faced these issues.

Litigation

In 2006, attorney Marc Bragg sued Linden Lab, saying the company had unfairly taken away his access to his Second Life account after he found a mistake in the online land auction system that let people buy virtual land for less than the minimum price. Most people thought Bragg would not win, but the case led to legal changes. A court decided that some parts of Second Life’s Terms of Service were not legally valid because they were unfair agreements. The case ended when Bragg got his virtual land and account back through a secret agreement outside of court. Because the agreement did not set a legal example for others, users remained unsure about their rights to virtual land, items, and accounts. Much of Bragg’s legal argument focused on a statement on Linden Lab’s website that said users could "own" virtual land, which was later removed.

On September 15, 2009, Eros, LLC and Shannon Grei started a class action lawsuit in the US District Court in Northern California against Linden Research, Inc. (Case4:09-cv-04269-PJH). The lawsuit claimed that Linden Lab knew about and allowed copyright and trademark violations in Second Life for profit.

In 2010, a group of banned Second Life users sued Linden Lab and CEO Philip Rosedale in the same Pennsylvania Federal District Court where Bragg’s case was handled, with the same judge. The case was moved to a California federal court because the Terms of Service had changed since Bragg’s case. The judge decided the case could be a class action with two groups: one for people who lost income from their businesses in Second Life, and another for those who lost virtual land, money, or items. In May 2013, the defendants’ lawyers reached a settlement that included refunding setup fees for private island owners, paying landowners 2 Linden Dollars per square meter of virtual land, returning money and Linden Dollars in users’ accounts when their accounts were suspended, and offering users a choice to receive $15 US or have their accounts restored to sell their items. The settlement was reviewed in March 2014, but one user, Mike Lorrey, objected to unclear details about which fees would be refunded. After resolving this issue, users who filed claims before March 28, 2014, began receiving settlement money a few months later.

In popular culture

Since it began in 2003, Second Life has been mentioned in many types of media, such as books, television, movies, and music. Also, people who work in these areas have used Second Life for their jobs and personal reasons.

In September 2006, Mark Warner, who was the governor of Virginia, became the first politician to appear in a multiplayer online game (MMO) when he gave a speech in Second Life. Musicians later used Second Life, and the band Redzone was credited by Wired and Reuters as the first group to tour in Second Life in February 2007. Authors George R R Martin and Paul Levinson were interviewed in Second Life in 2007 to talk about their books. In June 2008, author Charles Stross held a meeting in Second Life to promote a new book. Second Life was also shown on the TV show CSI: NY in 2007, where it helped find a suspect. In the American sitcom The Office, the character Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson, is known to play the game, especially in the episode titled "Local Ad."

Research

Research in Second Life has often focused on education, learning, and gathering information. Unlike video games, Second Life does not have a set goal and allows users to perform real-life activities in a virtual setting. One study tested whether Second Life could help students in a senior management information systems course learn through hands-on experience. Another study involved university students creating an interactive learning experience using Second Life as a platform. Both projects used learning methods called problem-based learning and constructionism, where students worked in groups to design experiences that could happen in real life.

Researchers have also studied how learning happens in Second Life. A paper titled "The future for (second) life and learning," published in the British Journal of Educational Technology, looked at how Second Life can support new learning methods. It noted that Second Life provides realistic environments, uses pleasant virtual spaces for group activities, and connects with other learning tools. The paper also highlighted how Second Life's ability to create 3D spaces and buildings encourages creative learning opportunities.

Second Life has also been used for research in medicine and healthcare. Examples include virtual research centers like the Second Life Medical and Consumer Health Libraries (Healthinfo Island, supported by a grant from the US National Library of Medicine) and the Virtual Neurological Education Centre (VNEC), created by the University of Plymouth in the UK.

Studies on Second Life users have shown that actions in virtual worlds can affect real-life behaviors. One survey found that users in Second Life participate in health-related activities that may influence their real-world habits.

Another area of research has explored how people's virtual identities, or avatars, relate to their real lives. Studies found that virtual identities can influence users' real-life attitudes and actions. Researchers also noted that virtual environments like Second Life allow for natural behaviors, making them useful for research. However, collecting data in Second Life requires addressing challenges such as keeping participants interested, reducing their workload, and ensuring accurate results.

Researchers also interviewed Second Life users and found that people often switch between different virtual identities quickly. These changes suggest that users may use their avatars strategically to achieve goals like learning, business, or therapy.

Anthropologist Tom Boellstorff wrote about how studying Second Life and its users helps understand human behavior in virtual spaces. In his book Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human, he examined how anonymity and community work together in virtual spaces. He also discussed how data in virtual worlds becomes part of social life, similar to how data is used in the real world. Boellstorff explained that Second Life users do not use real names but create new identities online, showing how people form unique personas in the digital world.