Submission + - Making a Real Living Out of a Second Life Career
blackbearnh writes: "The virtual community known as Second Life has been getting a lot of press lately, as the hyperbolic real estate market has made some residents into real life millionaires. The Christian Science Monitor set out to find some Second Lifers making a good living doing something other than land speculation. It wasn't hard to find. From the article:
Blaze Columbia is, by any measure, doing well with his line of designer clothing. He's on track to generate more than $100,000 in annual profits, barely a year after launching his business. And that's in addition to a first career as a professional photographer. There's just one big difference between the clothing that this Missouri resident produces and that of any other top-of-the-line dress or business suit: His don't exist — at least not in the physical world.
The article also considers the real life problems that Second Life may face as virtual money is used for real world vices. From the article:
Some SL businesses already may be operating outside current law. Casino gambling and sports betting are pervasive in SL. The fact that bets are made in lindens, not dollars, won't shield gamblers from possible prosecution under federal laws banning Internet gambling, says Jaclyn Lesch, a spokeswoman for the US Justice Department. "Regardless of how one pays for the bet, it is still a bet if it involves something of value. While not a credit card or cash, [virtual currencies] would still be a 'thing of value' especially considering the fact that they are later redeemed for cash.
Truth in advertising: The submitter is also the author of the article."
Blaze Columbia is, by any measure, doing well with his line of designer clothing. He's on track to generate more than $100,000 in annual profits, barely a year after launching his business. And that's in addition to a first career as a professional photographer. There's just one big difference between the clothing that this Missouri resident produces and that of any other top-of-the-line dress or business suit: His don't exist — at least not in the physical world.
The article also considers the real life problems that Second Life may face as virtual money is used for real world vices. From the article:
Some SL businesses already may be operating outside current law. Casino gambling and sports betting are pervasive in SL. The fact that bets are made in lindens, not dollars, won't shield gamblers from possible prosecution under federal laws banning Internet gambling, says Jaclyn Lesch, a spokeswoman for the US Justice Department. "Regardless of how one pays for the bet, it is still a bet if it involves something of value. While not a credit card or cash, [virtual currencies] would still be a 'thing of value' especially considering the fact that they are later redeemed for cash.
Truth in advertising: The submitter is also the author of the article."