"People that play Near You" search option In Second life

[Blaise Glendevon]

Second Life is not a dating app. 

[Rowan Amore]

If I want to meet and chat with people near me, I go out my front door.  A major attraction of SL IS the ability to meet and connect with people from anywhere.  

I asked someone I met when I was new, who was in Sweden, if he belonged to any Swedish groups in SL.  He said basically the same thing.  He enjoyed meeting others from all over the world.  

Isn't Tinder the app where you can hook up with random people in your area?

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Isn't Tinder the app where you can hook up with random people in your area?

Grindr for (mostly) Gay men.  "Thundr" copied it's name format from Grindr..

[Love Zhaoying]

I do agree that the "market" / "demand" for what the OP suggests may increase dramatically when Mobile SL takes off.

But our general response of "lol, bad idea, are you joking? Go 'way now!" is what I would expect if a large-scale poll was done in Second Life.

Most people want to keep their First Life / Real Life and Second Life totally separate.  With that, there is absolutely no reason to know who "plays" nearby.  (Except a connection to some "Real Life Dating". Ok, I lied about "absolutely no reason".)

Edited October 2, 2023 by Love Zhaoying

[Luna Bliss]

4 hours ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

last name Kealoha

It means 'love'....nice name.

[Luna Bliss]

7 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I can almost see this becoming a bit like voice: "Why won't you add your location? What are you hiding?"

I see nothing wrong with serving those people who want it by adding the feature, but I agree it would likely become the way voice usage is now all too often (people think you're hiding your real gender if you won't voice verify). This has happened to me even in therapy-type groups!

[Love Zhaoying]

I imagine, using the "near me" function would require your profile (assume RL) to show something about your RL location. So just like the "voice verify" harassment, it will be "why won't you show your RL location"?

Note that RL dating apps also have an optional feature to "Send my location" which sends a map to the other user with a pin showing where you are on the map. Way beyond "how far in distance". 

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

I applaud you for coming up with possible ideas to add to SecondLife.  You are not the first to voice this particular one.

If you want to come up with some sort of inworld meet-up game where people sign up and give out general location info with the sole purpose of a real-world meeting, you could.  

I don't think you'll get enough interest to make it work, but you never know what the next big thing will be.  If you have the time and knowledge to create this, make it and see what happens 

[Love Zhaoying]

Hmm....I wonder if any of the other Metaverses / MMPORG's have this option? That would be surprising, kinda.

[Sid Nagy]

My 2 L$ worth: SL isn't a RL dating tool and should never become one.
 

[Love Zhaoying]

22 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

My 2 L$ worth: SL isn't a RL dating tool and should never become one.
 

Darnit! I was going to ask you out for coffee!!!

[Ayashe Ninetails]

The absolute last thing I'd ever want to do is meet people in my area. 😳

 

2 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Hmm....I wonder if any of the other Metaverses / MMPORG's have this option? That would be surprising, kinda.

As for MMORPGs, no. They don't typically offer a profile feature or way to input info to begin with, for characters and especially NOT the person behind them, and the focus in those is on gameplay and in-game social activities (dungeon groups, raids, guilds, holiday events, PvE, PvP, etc.). If you want to actually network with people in an offline social way, that's typically done via voice chat, Discord, and other community portals related to the game (subreddits, official forums, unofficial forums, Facebook groups, etc.).

At most, some games allow players to split up and join servers based on their general region, but that's more to do with ping and time zones (ensuring there are enough people during prime time to play with).

[Love Zhaoying]

11 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

As for MMORPGs, no. They don't typically offer a profile feature or way to input info to begin with, for characters and especially NOT the person behind them, and the focus in those is on gameplay and in-game social activities (dungeon groups, raids, guilds, holiday events, PvE, PvP, etc.). If you want to actually network with people in an offline social way, that's typically done via voice chat, Discord, and other community portals related to the game (subreddits, official forums, unofficial forums, Facebook groups, etc.).

At most, some games allow players to split up and join servers based on their general region, but that's more to do with ping and time zones (ensuring there are enough people during prime time to play with).

I was thinking yesterday (on this topic), how a lot of games and platforms (like the old Sony network, and I assume Twitch, Steam, etc.) encourage users to share their ID's with their friends. "My GamerVerse is XxSoCoolxX, add me!"

[Fear Reaper]

6 hours ago, Conifer Dada said:

There are lots of groups in SL catering for people who live in particular countries. This includes several Hawaii groups although none specifically state that their purpose is to bring together people living in Hawaii in real life.

I tried this a year ago, Maui's Swingers Resort was the closest thing. Better off with other apps.

5 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

 

IF Second Life were to get such a feature, it would obviously have to be "opt-in".

Yeah, absolutely it would have to be an "opt-in". Because then it would be actually invading players' privacy if it wasn't, And others stated a few are married in real life, and would just like to keep the game "second-life".

Edited October 2, 2023 by Stitch Kealoha

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 hour ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I was thinking yesterday (on this topic), how a lot of games and platforms (like the old Sony network, and I assume Twitch, Steam, etc.) encourage users to share their ID's with their friends. "My GamerVerse is XxSoCoolxX, add me!"

Not really. Discord has a way to link to social media and a few game accounts that can be turned on/off in profiles (Second Life not included - mostly just stores/game launchers like Battle.net, Steam, and Epic), but I don't think Twitch or Steam have anything like that. That seems like more of a console thing.

 

[Polenth Yue]

1 hour ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

I tried this a year ago, Maui's Swingers Resort was the closest thing. Better off with other apps.

You've basically stated the problem with your own idea. Most people don't use Second Life to meet people who live locally, so private regions set up on that basis find it difficult to get the people, and existing dating apps will work better. This doesn't create much incentive to develop a first life dating app system for Second Life that's built into the viewer.

There is a big market for sex/romance stuff in Second Life, but the majority of it is entirely virtual, with most people involved not wanting to change that. For the few that do end up marrying someone in first life, it's rare for them to be people who already lived in the same town. So they were not the target audience for apps to find someone living locally. I suspect because they weren't really here to find a not-virtual partner... it just happened unexpectedly.

You're left with it being something that a few people want. Enough for a resident to set something up, but no signs that it'd be something that the Lindens would want to spend development time on.

[Rowan Amore]

2 hours ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

I tried this a year ago, Maui's Swingers Resort was the closest thing. Better off with other apps.

That group has nothing to do with people living in Hawaii.  😂

[diamond Marchant]

14 hours ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

a lot of people who play Second Life try to find their significant other, and Second Life makes bank off land and adult marketing

Going back to the OP, I would like to challenge the assumptions.

1. "a lot of people" do not "play" Second Life. At any given time, the number of people inworld would easily fit into an outdoor sports stadium. Is there any evidence that a significant number of these people are in SL to "try to find their significant other"? Second Life  does not have a specified objective. Anecdotally, we each find our own joy.

2. Linden Lab "makes bank off land" but this has nothing to do with dating.

3. Second Life hardly does "adult marketing". One could argue that it doesn't do any effective marketing. Linden Labs has provided a rating system for regions and has rules concerning adult content, but I assume this is related to legal exposure and minimizing bad press.

[Love Zhaoying]

7 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

That group has nothing to do with people living in Hawaii.  😂

I bet they get "lei'd", though!

[Rowan Amore]

14 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I bet they get "lei'd", though!

And THAT is what the group is about.  Although it does have a beachy theme, it's the Swinger part that is supposed to be important.

[Love Zhaoying]

Just now, Rowan Amore said:

16 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I bet they get "lei'd", though!

And THAT is what the group is about.  Although it does have a beachy theme, it's the Swinger part that is supposed to be important.

Fun Fact: In Second Life, you and your Significant Other could cheat on each other with Alts - and not even know.  This is a very dangerous aspect of "Players Near Me" in Second Life.

This is well-illustrated in the song "Escape (the Pina Colada Song)", from the lyrics:

I didn't think about my lady
I know that sounds kinda mean
But me and my old lady
Had fallen into the same old dull routine

So I wrote to the paper
Took out a personal ad
And though I'm nobody's poet
I thought it wasn't half bad

Yes, I like piña coladas
And gettin' caught in the rain
I'm not much into health food
I am into champagne
I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon
And cut through all this red tape
At a bar called O'Malley's
Where we'll plan our escape

So I waited with high hopes
And she walked in the place
I knew her smile in an instant
I knew the curve of her face

It was my own lovely lady
And she said, "Oh, it's you"
Then we laughed for a moment
And I said, "I never knew"

 

[Casidy Silvercloud]

No, go use social media for that.

I already know there are people in sl near me. I know there are people on this forum in the same state as me, probably not too terribly far from me. While yes it's sort of neat to know, I don't really care all that much. I like meeting people from all over. I like seeing different perspectives that can be influenced by general location. I like reading about others' experiences no matter where they are in the world. It's also nice learning new things from other areas of the world.

If I wanted to mostly talk to or meet people in my area, I'd use social media, it's fantastic for that. I'd join message boards and groups geared towards my area. "Trolls" exist everywhere. Sometimes, as annoying and troublesome as they can be, they're also entertaining. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

16 hours ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

 

Basically, Second Life could just put in an option for players who WISH to share their state & city. ((THIS DOES NOT MEAN GIVING OUT YOUR FULL ADDRESS;  It would basically be like other dating apps)) then just add a search option for people who play 20-50 miles from you.

Anyway, this is just food for thought...

 

NO

[Casidy Silvercloud]

1 hour ago, Rowan Amore said:

4 hours ago, Stitch Kealoha said:

I tried this a year ago, Maui's Swingers Resort was the closest thing. Better off with other apps.

That group has nothing to do with people living in Hawaii.  😂

I'm more than a bit amused that someone would think that group, and place, was actually about Maui at all. I mean, its purpose is right there in the name, lmao. 

That's a bit like assuming the Paris sim is actually just for people who live in and near Paris to gather. 

The London City area, isn't just for people interested in or living around London, either.

 

I am telling absolutely no one my location, even generalized to 20-50 miles, are people really that insane? That's how you get kidnapped, and I like not being kidnapped! Didn't your parents warn you about strangers on the internet? If not, let this stranger warn you about strangers on the internet. WE ARE STRANGERS!!!

 

 

 

[Luna Bliss]

14 minutes ago, Casidy Silvercloud said:

I am telling absolutely no one my location, even generalized to 20-50 miles, are people really that insane? That's how you get kidnapped, and I like not being kidnapped! Didn't your parents warn you about strangers on the internet? If not, let this stranger warn you about strangers on the internet. WE ARE STRANGERS!!!

There's a whole 'nother world out there. Thinking of the educational sims and those more connected to real life -- LOTS of residents (don't see many on this forum though). They share their personal websites and places of employment. Photos. Likely home addresses too though haven't run across that, but reverse look up to find an exact address is easy once you know name and general location.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Luna Bliss