do you have to buy the linden dollars?

[Bobbygirl64]

do we have to put in a payment account, why cant we do stuff in the game to get them?

[Lindal Kidd]

You don't have to buy $L!  However, this is by far the quickest and easiest way to get them.

If you are 19 or older, have a payment method on file, and feel lucky, you can visit Skill Gaming regions and try to win some money from the games.

You can get a job, for example as a hostess or a dancer.  Use Search and look in the Classifieds/Employment section.

You can offer a service, such as becoming a DJ, or doing photography.

Most people who make significant amounts of money in SL create and sell original things...clothing, hair, houses, vehicles, jewelry...anything at all.  This takes time and effort to learn the skills, create the things, then set up a business and market your creations.

Others buy land and then either re-sell it (hopefully at a profit) or rent it out to tenants.  This takes significant "start up" capital to buy the land.

But whatever you do, don't do something just to earn money.  Do it because you love it, whether you make money at it or not.  Your (Second) Life is too short to spend it doing something just to earn a few $L that you could buy quicker with PayPal.

[Rolig Loon]

You can, and lots of people do.  There are only two negatives:

1.  Unless you are a skilled creator (scripter, designer, 3D modeller, animator, builder...) or performer (DJ, musician ...), you can't earn very much in SL.  There are few unskilled jobs, and the ones you can find will barely pay you pocket change.  Also, many of them (dancers, for example) require a fair investment in clothing, hair, skin, and other items.

2. You can't ever take money out of SL without a registered PayPal account.  If you somehow manage to earn enough to be worth taking to RL, you'll be out of luck.

There are loads of things you can do in SL without any L$ at all or with the tiny amounts you can earn from playing games.  There are loads of good quality freebies, and you never have to worry about strving or having to sleep in a cardboard box.  You can enjoy living on a few pennies, if you want to.