Cost Of Name Changes Out Of The Bag

[Qie Niangao]

1 hour ago, Marianne McCann said:

For me, the idea of a name change is pretty moot. I like this name. I picked it with some thought, and I've had it for more than 13 years now. [...]

Imagine how much they could charge to let us keep the names we have!

(especially if the alternative were, say, Qie Gaetz)

[Coffee Pancake]

 

26 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Is $40 really that much to most people?

Yes. It really is.

 

Changing your WoW battletag ... $10, you can buy the entire Shadowlands expansion for $40.

Changing your PSN user ID ... $9.99, $4.99 if you're a subscriber.

Xbox Live $9.99 ... Stadia (expected to be) $9.99 ... IMVU $12.99 

Changing your actual real life name, in the US .. prices start at $10 (VA).

 

 

[Fauve Aeon]

I do not live in a big city. 3D movie tickets at an AMC chain theatre are a bit over $17 each, a large popcorn and 2 drinks is $20

so yes, it was $54 last time we went to the movies. Plus tax.

[cheesecurd]

42 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Is $40 really that much to most people?

40$ isnt a lot of money on its own, but put it in context to other things:

40$ is two hours of my life.

40$ is the value of entire AAA games on steam without discounts.

40$ is a weeks worth of groceries for the average college student.

40$ is a tank of gas in my car.

40$ is nearly 10,000 L$, pertaining to me thats two entire DSD current gen avatars + multiple outfits for each.

40$ is a 10oz Filet Mignon at Longhorn Steakhouse and two sides and a tip.

 

I cannot justify spending 40$ to have my virtual name changed when 40$ can do all those things as well. Even though i love this game, even if i had some terrible name, its just not worth it to me. Virtual name or a tank of gas, i can do a lot more with gas for a week in my car than my virtual name. In comparison im gonna pull up the 10$ name changes i mentioned before from other platforms. 10$ is a particularly large fast food meal. Its half an hour of my time. Its a quarter tank of gas, its the cost of everything i need to make some roast chicken and potatoes for dinner one night, its 2500 L$, its not as much money and its a lot easier to justify that expense.

If its not for the fact that this is just a terrible price to begin with for other reasons ive explained above, its a price that is going to never be worth it in the eyes of a lot of people.

 

 

[Maitimo]

30 minutes ago, Cindy Evanier said:

Have you seen how much popcorn she gets through!

One small bag and a coke (smallest size nearly big enough to fill Lake Superior) is enough to tip a $15 bill up to $40.

[Beth Macbain]

27 minutes ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

Dunno what kinda luxury cinemas you visit Beth, but here a ticket is more like.. 14.50$

I don't go to movies so I really have no idea. $14.50 seems like an insane amount of money to spend on a movie to me. And when you add in the cost of snacks (HOLY CRAP! $8 for popcorn???) you're looking at something pretty darn close to $40 for a forgettable one time experience that lasts a couple hours. 

People think this L$40 name change is a rip-off? No... going to a damn movie is a rip-off. Bloody hell, that's nuts. It's probably been 10 years or so since I've been in a movie theater and I'm just gobsmacked by the prices. Why on earth do people pay that?!

[Lyssa Greymoon]

8 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

People think this L$40 name change is a rip-off? No... going to a damn movie is a rip-off. Bloody hell, that's nuts. It's probably been 10 years or so since I've been in a movie theater and I'm just gobsmacked by the prices. Why on earth do people pay that?!

$40 for a username change is going to a first run movie in a theater, display names are renting the disc at Redbox.

[Orwar]

   I'm not opposed to the price tag as such; yes, it seems steep when compared to similar services from other... 'Things'? Avoids the whole 'calling SL a game' with the grace of a lame duck. But I still don't see the point. Sure, if I had picked some immature '1337' name when I signed up, and wanted to be taken seriously, then I might not want a tag saying 'Macfirepants' floating over my head, then I'd have an incentive to change it.

   But from my perspective, it would be 'adding a surname to my account name', and for that, and picking one from a list rather than being able to compose my own surname, and have a name which anyone else may pick, $40 just isn't worth it. But that's just me.

   Turn it around, and say that LL were offering a chance to add/change your name for, say, $20, and that you could pick whatever you wanted - then I'd grab it in an instant. But now that's not what we got, so I don't get a reason to throw $20 at LL. And now, this is just pure speculation, but say 5 times as many people would want to pay $20 for that service, than the amount of people who want to pay $40 for this feature, then they'd make a much larger profit on the cheaper option - but that's also me being blatantly ignorant of what work effort would go into it from LL's side.

[Beth Macbain]

47 minutes ago, Fauve Aeon said:

I do not live in a big city. 3D movie tickets at an AMC chain theatre are a bit over $17 each, a large popcorn and 2 drinks is $20

so yes, it was $54 last time we went to the movies. Plus tax.

Oh.

My.

God!!!

[Beth Macbain]

29 minutes ago, cheesecurd said:

its a price that is going to never be worth it in the eyes of a lot of people.

I bet you're wrong. 

Wanna put L$10,000 into a handshake bet? Of course, we'd have to have LL provide numbers to us. Also, we'd have to pre-define what "a lot" of people are. 500? 5000? 50,000?

[Alwin Alcott]

Just now, Beth Macbain said:

Oh.

My.

God!!!

Netflix or another on demand: $ 10/15 for a full month... popcorn 78 cts and drinks $0.78 .. ok lets make a party... a beer $ 1.00

[Orwar]

Just now, Alwin Alcott said:

a beer $ 1.00

   Well, that depends on your beer standards!

[Kantbe Thursday]

40L$ is one thing, but $40USD? I think I'll just stick with the SL name I've had since I joined over 10 years ago.

Kantbe Thursday

[Beth Macbain]

1 minute ago, Alwin Alcott said:

Netflix or another on demand: $ 10/15 for a full month... popcorn 78 cts and drinks $0.78 .. ok lets make a party... a beer $ 1.00

For me it's Prime Video included with my Amazon Prime subscription, and Hulu included with my Spotify subscription. I had Netflix for a couple years, but dropped it when Spotify did the Hulu promo. I'll get it again when they Taylor Swift documentary comes out! I don't even own a television. Anything I watch is on my computer. 

Popcorn is a lot cheaper if you make it yourself on the stove instead of buying microwave popcorn, and water is free. Maybe that's why I can afford the $40 for a name change (not that I would ever change Beth Macbain)... lol? 

It's my entertainment budget. I don't go to movies, I don't eat out very often, I don't go to bars, I don't play video games, etc. $40 may be the price of gas, or groceries, or whatever, and if it came down to being able to buy groceries or put $40 into SL, the $40 would go towards groceries. I would hope no one would go without basic necessities in favor of putting money into something that is purely for entertainment value, especially the very frivolous extravagance of changing a name. 

[Fauve Aeon]

It’s highly user dependent! All hobby spending is so subjective. My fiancé and I have often gone to the movies for Ghiblifest with my fashion club. it’s amazing to see them on the really big screen. We usually eat all together before, often some of us linger afterwards at a coffee shop or small bar discussing things over drinks...those movies tend to really bring out the feelings in people! We are dressed up, we take photos together and post them in the group as a memory album. We have been doing meets like this locally since 2009. It’s a really enjoyable time. 

[Beth Macbain]

1 minute ago, Kantbe Thursday said:

40L$ is one thing, but $40USD? I think I'll just stick with the SL name I've had since I joined over 10 years ago.

Kantbe Thursday

Why on earth would you want to? That is a brilliant name!

[Lindal Kidd]

4 hours ago, Alyona Su said:

A premium subscription can be gifted to another.

Wait, what?  This is a thing?

[Lindal Kidd]

1 hour ago, CoffeeDujour said:

Changing your actual real life name, in the US .. prices start at $10 (VA).

And THIS is a real thing?  Wow. 

...runs to the courthouse to see if Boaty McBoatface is available.

[Lyssa Greymoon]

3 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

And THIS is a real thing?  Wow. 

...runs to the courthouse to see if Boaty McBoatface is available.

[Beth Macbain]

1 hour ago, CoffeeDujour said:

Changing your actual real life name, in the US .. prices start at $10 (VA).

It's considerably more than that in Kentucky. The filing fee alone is $43. Form has to be typed, not handwritten. Since no one actually owns a typewriter anymore, you'd have to go buy one. And then make copies of that and pay to have them both notarized. If the name is slightly odd and you want to make sure it's legal, you have to hire a lawyer. Possibly attend a court hearing, so you have to lose money taking time away from work for that. Get a new social security card (no fee, but it has to be done in person, so there's more time off work). New driver's license - $20 in Kentucky. 

$40 for a vanity name change in SL seems cheap by comparison. (The filing fee in VA is actually $44)

[Alwin Alcott]

20 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Well, that depends on your beer standards!

i mostly don't need a standard after a beer   but that's not what you mean i think...

for a movie budget and a drink cheap beer is ok for me .. my beer to really enjoy are of a different level 🤗

[Beth Macbain]

12 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

...runs to the courthouse to see if Boaty McBoatface is available.

You sure you wanna do that?

My LH houseboat:

[Lindal Kidd]

Joke's on you, Beth!  Now all my junk mail will get delivered to your house!

[Fauve Aeon]

Bringing the topic back around, my industrious second cousin {redacted} Resident has been quite busy racking up well chosen submissions to the name contest. We...er SHE...will keep submitting them until they cut us off. She’s sure she can win one entry in a juried contest where they are going to pick 5. If she doesn’t...should I lend her the L$ to get a last name? Not sure yet. 
a longtime game I’ve played with all kinds of people is ‘That would make a good Second Life name’.

 

[Maitimo]

41 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Well, that depends on your beer standards!

Mine are quite a bit higher than that!