Akane Nacht

The definition of Intelligentsia seems to be all over the map here. If it's creators of popular things or influencers in SL then that means the fashionistas who introduced enormous butts and pouty lips and whoever scripted Bloodlines are Intelligentsia. 😬

Which is why I pointed out that this is not a society we are bound to in any permanent way... we can up and leave when it doesn't suit us. Not so for planet Earth. Those are tools. If I use a hammer, am I bound to follow the thought leadership of the person who invented the hammer? As for influencers... those are just marketing people. Many of us can blissfully ignore influencers our whole lives, or pick and choose what we like. That seems to me to fall short of what I understand Intelligentsia to be.

Halloween is not so bad. Valentines day on the other hand... If SL were Chinese-owned we'd get weeks of lanterns, fireworks and animal zodiac of the year. 🐯🐇

I'd have to disagree with that, if by intelligentsia we mean an educated elite guiding the structure of our virtual world as analysts, thought leaders and visionaries. SL is a corporate entity and is structured as such. We can shoehorn that into an "intelligentsia" structure but... imagine if Meta bought SL tomorrow. I think, too, that the vast majority of SL users don't even know the names of what we may consider prominent scripters, builders, or even Lindens, nor do they care. As consumers, if the direction of the product goes somewhere that doesn't suit them, they won't adapt - they'll leave. In RL we are subject to Clever Ones running our countries and businesses. In SL we can up and leave the planet if it gets boring or frustrating. In short, I think intelligentsia is an inaccurate term in this context, and it's also structurally impossible.

If they don't have influence, then they aren't intelligentsia. Anyone can be a legend in their own mind anytime - I know I am 😎

The best way to know if a joke has matured to a dad joke is when it's fully groan. ps. Did you hear about the new corduroy pillows? They're making head lines.

What do you call a five foot psychic that's escaped from jail? A small medium at large.

Probably. But there's also been plenty shared here about the unique selling points of SL, which really is a one of a kind platform and service. If those nuggets of wisdom are ignored it wouldn't be the first time a company has disregarded what customers actually want for what they think they want. All we can hope is someone sees there's still money to be made and has a bright idea how to tap into that. Maybe with an entirely new platform, who knows.

He called us dedicated 🥰

This book won't tell us anything we don't already know, I think. SL has gone from a quirky geek sandbox to an instagram backdrop. Not that the quirky geek is totally gone but take a look at SL on flickr, and the stuff that's sold - static poses, pose props, 2d backdrops complete with lighting, static pose clothes and hair frozen in the wind. A few people use all these to make pictures that are akin to paintings, or that tell a story, but the vast majority are just influencer fashion stuff, chock full of consumerism. I'm not criticising that, as some people obviously find it fun and they're spending money which keeps SL running.

SL is dull because nothing attacks you. Also SL is nice because nothing attacks you. I suppose more people are seeking excitement than a quiet hobby. At least with the current demographics of who is playing games online.

we're already too smart for our own good.

no need to script anything. Just send your monies to me and I will re-distribute to forumites according to entertainment value, for a small handling fee. 😇

Hmmm I wonder if anyone has created a random scandal generator... 🤔

I watch a lot of youtube reviews of games I am into (or want to get into). What I hear said over and over is players want a game that "rewards them for their time" whatever that reward may be to the individual. So I suppose this links up with what the strength of the game is. For SL, the strengths are: meeting people making things Does SL reward people for their time spent on these 2 things? Yes, but it's not easy to find your way to either without a good deal of luck for your average hobbyist, especially for those shy about talking to strangers online. Once the basic mechanics of the world are learnt, there seems to be a missing step to find these 2 things. Those of us who stuck around either got lucky or were unusually persistent. SL is fine in channelling us to places but not so much to channelling us to other people, whether to make friends or learn something. What if the opening cinematic for new SL residents changed every few months, and was made by other residents, and new people could meet these content creators, and one day be the one making the intro? Or what if there was a more streamlined way to meet other residents who have similar interests, apart from standing around in some location hoping someone will respond? I'm also thinking about what I would want as an old resident, as a lot of the people I chat to are old friends. Thus concludes some more of my random thoughts, not all directed at your post, Sid 🙂

btw, why is there barbed wire? is it keeping you in or Them out? 😁

That's a possibility. Personally, I take a looooong time before I give my credit card details to any game. I think we need to hook the hardcore free to play right away with something too. The money will come. Yeah need some progression and payoff right out of the gate. We don't level up so it's got to be some other carrot to dangle.

My obsessive collections include: Hair of course. I will not stop til I find the perfect one. Kimonos, yukata etc Musical instruments (mostly Asian traditional ones) Light effects, like wearable wisps and flames and such.

The things I miss when I am playing shiny new games are: Unlimited avatar customisation Unlimited home customisation Ability to easily juggle multiple IMs Haven't found any game that has all 3 to the level I'm used to in SL, at least not without downloading a ton of mods that may break at any time or do other undesirable things to my computer.

Hmm... I'd say... Intro quest walking you through the basics, with cinematics of some sort, then a hud with some kind of buddy to guide you (a floaty white cloud that gradually turns into something cute as you learn new milestones? ok I totally lifted that from Black Desert). Intro quest completion rewards you with a free house on Linden land. It can be tiny, or time limited, but new players need rewards fast. Having a house to play with jumpstarts spending on furniture, which leads to need for bigger house.

There was a man who entered a local newspaper's pun contest. He sent in ten different puns--maybe one of the puns would win. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did. You know what sucks about being an agnostic dyslexic insomniac? You end up staying awake all night wondering if there is a dog What does a nosey pepper do? Gets jalapeño business. Two reddit moderators walk into a bar [removed]

thanks for sharing that! Yes I remember Spy vs Spy. Forgot the dark spy often carried a bomb 😁

I was only born in 2008 so never saw the original but I remember visiting the new one when I was trying to figure out how to stick prims together. Never met the builders, but they sound like they were great fun. Wish I'd had a chance to meet them. I took a picture of their memorial statue, complete with bomb (now I understand the significance of that!).