Herbert Hawker

The time must be ripe for someone to launch a viable alternative to Second Life. Linden Labs seem increasingly determined to turn what was an innovative, unique, member-driven, inspiring community of people into yet another gaming lanscape for adolescent youths. Sad really.

OK so you have gone through phase one of being a noob - marvelling at the landscape, messing around in boats and taking the first steps in building. Good for you! Now consider moving on to what the majority of the replies to the annoucement of your arrival stated was the heart of SL - the PEOPLE. Make friends, meet people, get involved in the social scene, listen to some live and original music. Get to know the human culture in-world. Then you might start to get a grip on the community, not the game. I am currently taking a break from SL due to RL commitments, I seriously do not want to return in 2 months to find you have not been listening and all the long term residents have been forced out by a wave of transient 'gamers'. Keeping my fingers crossed, but not exactly oprimistic.

"Rod has a deep appreciation for what makes Second Life special. He’s already been exploring and experimenting inworld to familiarize himself with the pluses and minuses of our product and the successes and challenges faced by our Residents." Personally, I'd suggest that it would take about 6 months of living in-world to gain a deep understanding of the what makes SL special. This is not just another video game. I would suggest that the people who stay in Second Life long-term do so specifically because it is not a game, its more a way of life. We want what we have to work better, give us that and we can entertain ourselves, we do not need to turn this into a gaming experience. On the face of it this appointment worries me a great deal - the big hope is that the man can listen to the users here more effectively that Linden Labs have to date and does not bring preconceived ideas about gaming.