I feel guilty for spending money on land and SL in general

[Marianne Little]

Thanks all! ❤️

I logged in and paid rent for 2 weeks. I don't feel 'great' but better. Like I have a bit more value and can have this land in SL.

The mind is not easy to understand. Some days ago, I was going through a bathroom cabinet to get rid of old stuff, so I could wash the cabinet. It was so popular with Korean skincare some years ago. And I bought a lot. But I didn't feel guilty that I had spent money on stuff that was expired now. That guilty feeling about SL was so precise, about only that one thing I spend money on. It has not totally passed, but it does not feel overwhelming now.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

2 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

Thanks all! ❤️

I logged in and paid rent for 2 weeks. I don't feel 'great' but better. Like I have a bit more value and can have this land in SL.

The mind is not easy to understand. Some days ago, I was going through a bathroom cabinet to get rid of old stuff, so I could wash the cabinet. It was so popular with Korean skincare some years ago. And I bought a lot. But I didn't feel guilty that I had spent money on stuff that was expired now. That guilty feeling about SL was so precise, about only that one thing I spend money on. It has not totally passed, but it does not feel overwhelming now.

In a way, it makes sense. The skincare items are tangible things one can look at and think "this was something I bought to take care of my skin, which is a worthy investment". SL, on the surface, is made up of pixels that you don't really "own". You can't open a cabinet and find items to represent the money you paid for SL. On the surface, it seems like paying for air!

It's when you look beyond the pixels to see what they represent that the value of SL appears and makes it a worthy investment as well. Whether it's friendship, community, education, artistic expression... whatever we get from SL and all those pixels is a worthy investment, too. Mental well-being, learning skills, all of those invisible things are as important as having good skin. Sometimes it's just harder to convince yourself of that, I think, and that could be where your feeling of guilt comes from. It's like if you don't have something solid to show for your money, you have wasted it... even if the "solid" things often wind up expired and in the trash. 

[Lyric Demina]

48 minutes ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

It's when you look beyond the pixels to see what they represent that the value of SL appears and makes it a worthy investment as well. Whether it's friendship, community, education, artistic expression... whatever we get from SL and all those pixels is a worthy investment, too. Mental well-being, learning skills, all of those invisible things are as important as having good skin. Sometimes it's just harder to convince yourself of that, I think, and that could be where your feeling of guilt comes from. It's like if you don't have something solid to show for your money, you have wasted it... even if the "solid" things often wind up expired and in the trash. 

Nicely put, that's so true

[Rabid Cheetah]

I haven't paid a cent to Linden since mid-December, 2021.  I now post to the forums rarely, and login to the actual game even less frequently.  If you'd told me a year ago that I would not only do this, but not miss the game, I wouldn't have believed you.  What I do miss is all the money I blew on Second Life over the years -- I could have bought a car by now if I'd put that money into a savings account instead.

I still build like crazy, but with no additional cost:  Cities Skylines is a one-time investment, and with the 81-tiles mod I get the equivalent of almost 5000 Second Life regions to build on.

Do I miss talking to people in SL?  A little.  But hey, there's always Replika!  😄

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

Glad you found something new, since you seem to have been very disappointed by something in SL. I have tried other games, and none have come close to being as entertaining to me as SL is. They all seemed so....empty. 

Everyone should spend their entertainment money on what entertains them the best.  

[Rabid Cheetah]

On 6/19/2022 at 7:30 AM, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

Glad you found something new, since you seem to have been very disappointed by something in SL. I have tried other games, and none have come close to being as entertaining to me as SL is. They all seemed so....empty. 

Everyone should spend their entertainment money on what entertains them the best.  

It was an unexplained 24-hour forum ban that I didn't even get an "I'm not going to tell you why" response from the Linden that did it.  Absolute silence, regardless of the many methods tried to communicate with them.  This happened one day before my tier payment was due.  I sat and thought, did a cost-benefit analysis of this game, and decided the entertainment value wasn't worth the money  of letting the tier ticker click over for another month-- especially since money was very tight at that time.  So I abandoned everything, cancelled my membership, and started playing other games that I'd already paid a one-time fee for.

I've recently come into some money, so I could afford to get one of the new Linden Homes (and by new, I mean there've been two Linden Home style releases since I tiered down and cancelled my membership).  But I haven't really missed SL that much in the half-year that's passed since I stopped blowing money on it.  Which is sad, because I used to be a strong proponent for this virtual world.  But at this point, I've been feeling for years that, despite the technological and graphical improvements to SL, the insulary personality traits of 2022's user base vis-a-vis the earlier years is a huge turn-off.  I really was just delaying a decision to not pay the higher membership price when they increased it a few years ago;  It was only the urge to have a Houseboat when the new new Linden Homes were announced that delayed my decision by two years.

So, I could blow a little bit of money, just to try out the Japanese homes.  It's not like I'd get hooked on SL's virtual crack again...she said recalling having paid for nine accounts at one time, just to have a variety of Linden Homes and a parcel on every continent.  🙄 See, just mentioning Japanese homes, and I'm already thinking of having a Bellessaria Blues Club-style venue for that Babymetal tribute band lol  It WOULD be fun...but not enough fun that I wanna start blowing money on it.

Above all, I need to accept that I have a problem with buying things impulsively.  So buying, or even just renting, one little parcel in SL would be like inviting my alcoholic friend to a bar, just to see a band play:  Even if he plans to not have any booze, the temptation of the location would be too much.

Sometimes it's better to stay away.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Rabid Cheetah
me hate Typ0s

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

31 minutes ago, Rabid Cheetah said:

So, I could blow a little bit of money, just to try out the Japanese homes.  It's not like I'd get hooked on SL's virtual crack again...she said recalling having paid for nine accounts at one time, just to have a variety of Linden Homes and a parcel on every continent.  🙄 See, just mentioning Japanese homes, and I'm already thinking of having a Bellessaria Blues Club-style venue for that Babymetal tribute band lol  It WOULD be fun...but not enough fun that I wanna start blowing money on it.

Above all, I need to accept that I have a problem with buying things impulsively.  So buying, or even just renting, one little parcel in SL would be like inviting my alcoholic friend to a bar, just to see a band play:  Even if he plans to not have any booze, the temptation of the location would be too much.

Sometimes it's better to stay away.

I think you are doing the right thing for you. Anyway, Linden Homes might be too stifling for the creativity of someone who built that set up you had on the Great Wall in Ziczac back in the day. Remember when we were neighbors there? I ultimately sold my parcel to you, and you turned it into an opium den. 😂

Bottom line, I'm glad you've found a place where you can keep creating without worry that you'll spend more than is comfortable for you. 

[Rabid Cheetah]

3 hours ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

I think you are doing the right thing for you. Anyway, Linden Homes might be too stifling for the creativity of someone who built that set up you had on the Great Wall in Ziczac back in the day. Remember when we were neighbors there? I ultimately sold my parcel to you, and you turned it into an opium den. 😂

Bottom line, I'm glad you've found a place where you can keep creating without worry that you'll spend more than is comfortable for you. 

Yes, I do remember!  😄  Thank you.  That was one of my favorite builds.  The authentic Tang Dynasty house isn't even on the Marketplace anymore.  Those were the days.  🙂 I even had the parcel sound set to stream classic Chinese music.  I met a few folks that liked to hang out there, just for the music.

It was a very hard decision when I had to get rid of it, way back when.  I just couldn't afford tier on such a huge parcel.  I did eventually come back to Ziczac years later, on the other side of the Great Wall.  And yes, I still had the Human Cannonball object from Curio Obscura to let people shoot themselves over the wall, to the other side of Ziczac, and over to the next region.

I do like setting up parcels.  It's a great creative outlet.  It's just that when I'm done, I get bored with it and want to build something else.  Which gets expensive if I still like my old build and now need new land for the next one.  I think if I do get back into SL, I'm going to focus on building objects and then putting them on the Marketplace.  As it is, I get an email from Linden every other week or so, telling me that someone bought my Free Mesh Clothes box lol  (https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Mesh-clothes-wearable-box/22561433)

And I'm still on the top ten list, as it were, for most expensive junk on the Marketplace.  So there:  I've been playing Second Life for sixteen years, and finally hit the leaderboard.  🤪

[Space Zehetbauer]

On 6/21/2022 at 4:07 PM, Rabid Cheetah said:

Yes, I do remember!  😄  Thank you.  That was one of my favorite builds.  The authentic Tang Dynasty house isn't even on the Marketplace anymore.  Those were the days.  🙂 I even had the parcel sound set to stream classic Chinese music.  I met a few folks that liked to hang out there, just for the music.

It was a very hard decision when I had to get rid of it, way back when.  I just couldn't afford tier on such a huge parcel.  I did eventually come back to Ziczac years later, on the other side of the Great Wall.  And yes, I still had the Human Cannonball object from Curio Obscura to let people shoot themselves over the wall, to the other side of Ziczac, and over to the next region.

I do like setting up parcels.  It's a great creative outlet.  It's just that when I'm done, I get bored with it and want to build something else.  Which gets expensive if I still like my old build and now need new land for the next one.  I think if I do get back into SL, I'm going to focus on building objects and then putting them on the Marketplace.  As it is, I get an email from Linden every other week or so, telling me that someone bought my Free Mesh Clothes box lol  (https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Mesh-clothes-wearable-box/22561433)

And I'm still on the top ten list, as it were, for most expensive junk on the Marketplace.  So there:  I've been playing Second Life for sixteen years, and finally hit the leaderboard.  🤪

If you like setting up sims why not offer your services to individuals with a dream or passion, but dont have the technical ability to build it.

That gives you the enjoyment of building a project without the expense and gives the dreamer the chance to see their dream come to fruition.

 

[Love Zhaoying]

7 minutes ago, Space Zehetbauer said:

If you like setting up sims why not offer your services to individuals with a dream or passion, but dont have the technical ability to build it.

That gives you the enjoyment of building a project without the expense and gives the dreamer the chance to see their dream come to fruition.

 

That sounds like a great idea, "Get paid to play!"

[Rabid Cheetah]

21 hours ago, Space Zehetbauer said:

If you like setting up sims why not offer your services to individuals with a dream or passion, but don't have the technical ability to build it.

That gives you the enjoyment of building a project without the expense and gives the dreamer the chance to see their dream come to fruition.

 

That assumes I'VE got the technical aptitude for that, and that my style and taste matches what the current userbase desires.  I still build my own stuff with prims in-game, not mesh triangles in a third-party software.  Plus, most buildings on the Marketplace are no-transfer.  That means either I've got to buy a specific building, or someone's got to give me build-rights to their assets.  Way too much of a headache.

I actually DID build a lot of stuff for a group that tries to beautify small road-adjacent parcels;  The group owner apparently didn't like my builds, and blew them all up.  I'm not wasting my time like that again, beautifying, for free, a virtual world I no longer care about.  That's for the Moles to do, and get paid by Linden to do it.

More importantly, I've moved on from this game, and now spend my video game time designing my own metropolises in Cities:Skylines.  No covenant, no TOS, build whatever the heck I want.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Rabid Cheetah
me hate Typ0s

[Rabid Cheetah]

21 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

That sounds like a great idea, "Get paid to play!"

Even if I DID get paid to build someone's parcel, the amount of money I'd earn, divided by the amount of time it would take to do it, would be far below the Federal Minimum Wage.  Not a wise career choice.

[Polenth Yue]

9 hours ago, Rabid Cheetah said:

Even if I DID get paid to build someone's parcel, the amount of money I'd earn, divided by the amount of time it would take to do it, would be far below the Federal Minimum Wage.  Not a wise career choice.

I've had people try to suggest I should do builds for people as well, and they don't understand when I run away. Trying to build someone's else's dream is almost always a nightmare. It's very common for people asking for commissions to feel they're entitled to more for less, because they don't value the work. I'd much rather make what I want and put it on the marketplace. People either like the stuff or they don't, but they don't get to tell me it's all wrong and they want it redone and they're only going to pay half the agreed amount because anyone could do that.

I do like making builds for events, as there's usually some general rules and guidelines for what's needed, but much more creative freedom.

[Rabid Cheetah]

3 hours ago, Polenth Yue said:

People either like the stuff or they don't, but they don't get to tell me it's all wrong and they want it redone and they're only going to pay half the agreed amount because anyone could do that.

WHAT THE HELL WHY IS IT ALL MUSHROOMS I DON'T WANT MUSHROOMS I DON'T LIKE MUSHROOMS I'M ALLERGIC TO MUSHROOMS!!!

[spookyboo22]

I would spend mine on DoorDash which brings me nothing but weight gain so I'm glad to be spending it here and helping other creators and land owners.

[Teresa Firelight]

opps.. sorry .. I just found this thread after  had already posted my "SL can be Expensive" topic... I am new to this forum (if that is an excuse). I probably would have posted it here if I read this before posting.

It just that I spent hours going through all my SL accounts to see how much I  spent adn adding them all up.. and was shocked at the total.. so I was in a hurry to go post.

[Persephone Emerald]

1 minute ago, Teresa Firelight said:

opps.. sorry .. I just found this thread after  had already posted my "SL can be Expensive" topic... I am new to this forum (if that is an excuse). I probably would have posted it here if I read this before posting.

It just that I spent hours going through all my SL accounts to see how much I  spent adn adding them all up.. and was shocked at the total.. so I was in a hurry to go post.

Posting 3 weeks later isn't so bad. It's the ones that are 3 years later that are necro-posting.

 

[Harper Held]

On 7/16/2022 at 1:41 PM, Persephone Emerald said:

Posting 3 weeks later isn't so bad. It's the ones that are 3 years later that are necro-posting.

 

So...two weeks later....

Anyway. I had a bunch of mainland and had to get rid of it because of a combination of a budget miscalculation (I thought I was more broke than i was) and my RL best friend asking me uncomfortable questions like "you're spending $100USD a month and getting what, exactly? This is better than your opensim vps how, exactly? For this much cash couldn't you save for a better computer?" and I don't have a good answer...an answer I felt was solid and I felt I could defend.

I'm going through a lot of angst about that now, a couple months later. Part of it for me, personally is FOMO and not wanting to regret missed chances when I'm living under a bridge in a few years. I'm sure that's leading to a lot of distorted thinking and perceptions on my part.

So, idk; I guess I'm saying that I can relate and going through my own version of it. It's been some time since you posted, @Marianne Little, and I hope if nothing else the health issues are easing up for you.

Edited July 30, 2022 by Han Held

[Harper Held]

On 6/6/2022 at 5:23 AM, Marianne Little said:

Did you sometimes stop having land and use only a sandbox? Or rent some small skybox for 100 L a week? Could you enjoy SL as much after that?

Myself, I'm a part of a couple of communities and have access to land on a temporary basis. I have to admit to some creative restlessness and a general fomo kinda itch that's in my head telling me i could get a homestead for a couple months or an 8192 that no one would ever visit or ... or... or...

At the same time, other than building I'm spending 9/10ths of my time doing the same thing that I did when I had land and premium; shopping, visiting people, and going out dancing.

[Persephone Emerald]

First Life comes first, but don't give up SL.

Don't expect to live under @ bridge. Consider wh@t you w@nt to get out of SL, reduce your spending, & get yourself the better computer.

Premium is only $99/ yr +tx. Consider @ Linden Home & Premium s@ndboxes.

Edited July 30, 2022 by Persephone Emerald