Sitting on a Goldmine

Money chairs make me sad. Not because I dislike the idea of an easy way for new players to make a few lindens but because of what they have to go through to get a few dollars.

I get a lot out of Second Life. It's a creative outlet and a way to connect with some really interesting people. That's my reward. Everyone has their goals in SL and that's one of the most beautiful things about it - you can do anything and set your own goals. My concern is that the people won't be able to experiment with the many facets of this place and discover something that will set off a spark to start projects of their own if they are simply sitting in one spot hour after hour.

As I mentioned, I don't disagree with the idea of new players being able to make some easy money. I've always liked the money trees. New players can simply walk up to one, pluck a few lindens and fly away to explore the rest of the grid and maybe buy something. And from what I've heard Slingo and Tringo are a fun way to make a few bucks too.

But generally, I have always felt that there is a bit of a gap between the new player and their ability to enjoy what SL has to offer right off the bat. Many people have argued that you can't throw money at new players, it's terrible for the sl economy, which I agree with. But by the same token, I wonder about how many new people SL loses on a monthly basis because people are too impatient or are simply unwilling to put too much effort into it in order to make money from content they create themselves. I bet there is a slew of people who have no interest in learning about the building and scripting tools. I can't blame them. At the end of the work day, my brain is often fried and I don't have the energy to get started on something new to sell.

This is where the money chairs come in, although I don't see them as a solution to the problem at all. To me they just highlight the need for LL or someone , maybe a resident, to come up with a more amusing way for new people to make some cash. And if they did, it would spare hundreds of avatars from sitting on their duffs while the rest of the SL world goes by.