Value in virtual worlds comes through virtual practices that assign meaning and value to particular objects in-world through virtual artefact exchange both in-world and outside the virtual world (whether in MMORPGs or SL) – so when companies wish to establish “virtual markets” with products from our everyday life outside of the virtual worlds – what are they expecting?
http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/07/la-times-joins-.html
Similarly, when we teach in SL and try to reproduce the four walls and powerpoint in-world and then state that that does not work – what are we expecting?
Chade wrote of real estate and value on SL in his most recent post.
How is value attributed to particular activities and objects in SL? What social categories and hidden and not so hidden literacies prevail in the shaping of demand and supply?
One of the things I noticed is the scarcity of complex skins and shapes – is there not a demand for them? If the more complex skins (as in “old” skins ) are produced will the effort of producing them “pay off”?
I notice that scripted objects carry more Linden value than, for instance, simply made clothes.
Complexity is valued – but what sorts of activities shape the demand for specific kinds of complex products – why are some complex products available and not others?
When I talk of value I speak of both social value – what is valued in the everyday secondlife living – as well as value in terms of Linden dollar costs of objects and land etc. Both are linked of course.
And then there is the value that links Lindens to “real” U.S. dollars and the logic and process through which these exchange values generated daily …
Rad talks about what people value. How they assign value. Interesting question relative to real estate too.
Lot size is important. I sell more 512sqm lots than any other. They are good for new people because there are no land tier usage fees. Of course they come with only 117 prims, too, so putting down complex objects, like houses, can be problematic.
Most of my profit comes from selling to the neighbor of a lot. The occupant decides, apparently, to go ahead and pay some minimum tier fee and buys up the lot next door to expand onto, or sometimes just for the additional prims.
Location is important, too. Sea side seems to be most valued, followed by “flat and green.” Mountain sides are least favored, perhaps because the lots look smaller, or more difficult to build on.
Neighborhood is important. It’s difficult to sell a lot where the “cutters” have chopped up lots in to the 16m squares for rotating ads. It’s difficult to sell lots near casinos and malls. Neighbors who put up big fences or erect the ‘red lines’ can make it challenging to get a good price. And if the surrounding construction is ratty, awkward, or otherwise just ugly, forget it.
In the last couple days I have been discussing with some others (off and on SL – but with people who are both newbies and longtime residents of SL), what consitutes “value” in SL?
And how are SL buying and selling practices shaped by – similar and different from – other types of computer game, MMORPG type virtual artefact value exchanges…
more on this later but just thought I’d throw it out for conversation while it was still fresh in my memory.
I sell real estate. Most days I don’t sell much. My tier is 8k which means I can own up to about 8100 sqm before I have to pay more usage fees. My current fee level is US$40/mo. So far, my earnings in land trading haven’t covered my tier expenses so this isn’t a very good model. One of the problems is that I’m too small. I only have — at most — 16 plots for sale at a time and I make only about 10% margin on each trade. For a 512sqm “basic plot” I make about 500L profit between buying and selling. For 1024s — the “double wide” of real estate — I make about 900L.
The interesting thing is what people want to buy. The reality of SL is that you need a small piece of land — or at least access to a plot — in order to actually drop anything. Some people use sandboxes, but those tend to be public. I struggled myself with whether or not I really needed a house of my own. It is, after all, inventory in my trade and might be more valued as such. Early on, I bought a hillside. Very attractive, and an intriguing slope. That was before I learned that most people want flat, green, rectangular plots.
So I claimed the lot as Villota World Headquarters and built my house there.
I went into SL this afternoon to meet D as we had planned. We wanted to talk. About various things. We each tp ed to my store at Nirma Designs (http://gridmarker.com/search/rad/Nirma).
d and I sat down to camp on the bench outside and d was telling me how much she liked the green sari (of course I love to hear that..). a. came out to meet us all dressed in a nice gown. We got to talking about shapes and skins (I was still wearing my Jamuna mask
We had conversation about SL and our frustrations at trying to find the right kind of dark skin. d began to note how even rl dolls dont have good dark skin…
lots to think about – and then I went dancing at bollywood (youtube clip of that forthcoming).
Why rad Zabibha?
What is she? (yes this character is firmly rooted in a “she” for a variety of reasons)
WHO is she?
As we read various texts on Embodiment and Gender in a Feminist Research Methods class that I (Radhika Gajjala) am teaching this summer – rad explores her emerging subject position(s) as rad Zabibha.
One to note for readers of this blog – I will be in character as rad Zabibha when blogging.
Thankyou Chade for setting up this conversational space. I will start journalling starting today.
July 2, 2007, Chade Villota and rad Zabibha met over a new booth at Creek Side and began talking about how the economic system in Second Life effects the social structure of the community. Rad produces sarongs and sari’s, selling them in her shop. Chade trades in real estate. They are both interested in the way the community relates to the economy and vice versa.
What follows are the journaling entries each of us makes as we try to come to grips with the complex nature of the environment.