What Is Second Life? A Brief History of the Metaverse

By Mathhew Paul Last updated Aug 13, 2022

The Facebook Metaverse has sparked renewed curiosity in early attempts to create immersive 3D settings. Even while some of these did establish a standard, no one has ever before referred to them as metaverses.

The most common explanation is that they were only pretending to be something else, like a game, or they couldn’t keep any kind of following.

Second Life, a virtual environment introduced in 2003, stands out among the rest. As Second Life is a separate virtual environment designed specifically for social interaction, there has been renewed interest in the project thanks to buzz in the metaverse. What has changed and what has stayed the same about the platform over the years is explained here.

For Those Who Don’t Know, Please Explain What Exactly Second Life Is

For those unfamiliar, Second Life is an expansive 3D-generated virtual environment and platform full of user-generated content where individuals may connect with one another in real-time. The economy within the virtual world is also thriving. The public release of the platform occurred on June 23, 2003, however its development can be traced back to the late 1990s when Linden Lab began working on it.

As there is no overarching objective for “Residents,” as users of Second Life are known, there are also no set rules or gameplay mechanisms. In an effort to emphasize community, user creativity, and individual expression, Second Life was designed. Because of this, the virtual world is more closely associated with the social media sector than the gaming industry.

But since it came out before many of the main social media sites, Second Life has often been misunderstood as a game. Its unique features include a vibrant, fully-fledged in-world economy and user-generated content, as well as the freedom of its citizens to explore the realm and connect with one another.

Identified by digital “avatars,” Second Life users interact with the virtual world in a manner similar to that of role-playing games and massively multiplayer online games. These allow for a wide range of customization, allowing you to portray anything from a blue smurf to a massive six-foot ogre.

The most revolutionary component of Second Life is that users may do practically anything they can do in the real world, including hang out with friends, watch movies, listen to music, play games, have parties, shop, and make things. In truth, locals provide the vast majority of the world’s content, monuments, and even animated shorts.

More broadly, participation in the economy is not confined to the simple exchange of goods. In addition, property can be bought and sold. Homes and land in Second Life are common purchases for regular users.

Linden Lab’s original idea for Second Life came from its creator and former CEO, Phillip Rosedale. Apparently, he saw “a large green, continuous landscape, scattered over numerous servers” in his head while playing the game. In retrospect, it was a breakthrough attempt at making a virtual environment, and it experienced a lot of success in the 2000s. When we consider the metaverse, Second Life serves as a starting point in many respects.

Introductory Overview of Sl

LindenWorld

To properly evaluate this haptic technology gear, the organization required a dedicated software program. LindenWorld, which was founded in 2001 to serve this purpose but was not initially accessible to the general public, has since opened its doors. But it was a precursor to Second Life in many ways.

In this virtual environment, users could communicate with one another, play games with predetermined objectives, and influence the world around them. The simulation has a heavy emphasis on guns and resembled a first-person shooter in gameplay.

A Virtually Real Alternative

As the firm moved on with its virtual world, which was rebranded as Second Life upon entering beta testing in 2002, its focus shifted away from building out this testing platform. Its open public beta began in 2002, and in June 2003, once its population and the land area had both significantly expanded, it was officially released.

The grid, or global map, of the early stages of the virtual world, only had 16 sections. Still, no money was being circulated, and people couldn’t even teleport. However, the emphasis on the virtual world has shifted from its humble beginnings and is now mostly directed toward user-generated content and social interaction.

In fact, it wasn’t until the latter part of 2003 that the Linden Dollar was even released. Significant growth of the in-world economy was evident by 2006 when resident Anshe Chung became the first individual to earn a million dollars in Second Life.

Virtual World for Teenagers

Because of its mature focus and world-building methods, Second Life restricted its user base to adults above the age of 18. This led Linden Lab to begin beta testing a teen-oriented version of Second Life in February 2005; the service went live in January 2006.

Teen Second Life was a unique grid within Second Life that was only accessible to teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17, as well as to teachers and institutions dedicated to education. By 2009, however, there were less than 300 teenagers living in the area at once. That’s why in 2011, the teen-only grid in Second Life was combined into the main one.