Second Life 'Virtual World' Reaches 100,000 Users

The PC "virtual world" game Second Life has reached a milestone of 100,000 registered users, according to San Francisco-based developer Linden Labs. Statistics released by the creators say that the game's inhabitants hail from 95 countries in all 7 continents (apparently including Antarctica). Users spend an average of 4 hours per day playing the game, which has no specific completable goal, but places importance on in-game item and building creation by Second Life citizens. The company has seen a significant flood of Second Life users enter its MMO following its September 2005 announcement of free membership for users who did not wish to buy and rent virtual land in the game, with Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale commenting to CNET News at the time: "We're going to make more because some of the people who wouldn't have otherwise signed up are going to buy land." Users retain full ownership of their intellectual property and designs within the game, and as a result transact roughly $3.4 million worth of business each month. Player Kermitt Quick, who designed a popular minigame within Second Life called Tringo, was later able to turn the design into a standalone release for the Game Boy Advance. "Second Life is what we all dreamed the web could become when we first saw it in 1994," said Second Life founder Philip Rosedale. "As the world has grown we've seen it blossom with more experimentation and ambitious development. Projects like the Katrina Benefits, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and in-world book talks by prominent authors demonstrate there are many ways to experience Second Life." "As the population in Second Life has grown, so has the economy," said Linden Labs VP of marketing David Fleck. "The market for goods and services has accelerated dramatically over the last few months and with more consumers than ever, it's truly a creator's market with over US$3.4 million trading in goods and services between our residents every month. Over 515 people had in-world revenues in excess of US$1,000 in Second Life last month alone. Our goal is to create in Second Life the tools and platform needed to ensure that developers can create compelling content easily and efficiently."