Remember about six or seven months ago when the popular media suddenly got its knickers in a twist over Second Life? There were articles talking about people making money inside the game, and there was even a storyline in CSI: New York that focused on a criminal who operated inside Second Life. That doesn't even take into account all of the politicians that are creating campaign headquarters within the virtual world.
Well, here's a story from the Wall Street Journal about how young gamers are poised to turn virtual worlds into their summer jobs.
The article points out that summer jobs in the real world are becoming increasingly scarce, so young people are turning to virtual worlds as means of making money:
Mr. Everest, of Durango, Colo., is among a new breed of young entrepreneurs seeking their fortune online in imaginary worlds. As the pool of traditional summer jobs shrinks, tech-savvy young gamers are honing their computer skills to capitalize on growing demand for virtual goods and services. Some work as fashion designers, architects and real-estate developers in Second Life, a fantasy world populated by digital representations of real people. These so-called avatars shop in malls, buy property, hang out with friends or sit "home" watching TV, all manipulated by their real-life counterparts with computer key strokes and a mouse.
Thankfully, the story looks at a world other than Second Life. Everest actually makes his money in Entropia Universe, a world I had never heard of before this article. But don't worry, the words "second" and "life" are never far from the writer's lips:
Entropia Universe boasts 722,000 players and allows money earned online to be withdrawn from brick-and-mortar banks with an Entropia ATM card. On a typical day, Second Life players spend close to $1.5 million on virtual clothes, jewelry, homes, cars and real estate. The site's roughly 1.2 million active players use their credit cards to purchase Second Life currency called Lindens, which are pegged to the dollar at about 270 Lindens to $1. Virtual merchants can convert their profits into dollars through a money exchange run by Linden Lab, the company that operates Second Life. Linden Lab pays out proceeds with real-life checks or through PayPal accounts.
Until the novelty wears off, people making money in virtual worlds selling virtual goods will always be good for a bit of quaint press coverage. Who am I to criticize Second Life players, though? I'll spend twenty hours in a battleground grinding honor to get one piece of gear in WoW. At least these kids are doing something productive with their time.
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