Second Life Numbers Greatly Exaggerated?
I really only have a slight knowledge of Second Life. Like you, I've heard the stories of millions of people flocking to what sounds to me like nothing more than one giant virtual billboard. Rock stars have concerts there, there are hotels and businesses and a California congressman even gave a speech on the steps of the virtual Capitol Hill.
Reporter, Amy Scott, of NPR radio show, Marketplace, conducted an interview on the subject with New York University tech teacher, Clay Shirky. Clay, who had recently written about the subject on Valleywag and here on Kotaku, talked with Scott about the reality of these huge numbers.
Second Life creator, Linden Labs, recently released figures to Forbes magazine that reveal that while SL may have 2.3 million residents, these numbers only apply to actual created avatars. If you dig deeper, the numbers are quite different. 1.5 million people have actually signed on to the MMO, while only 250, 000 are actively playing. According to Shirky, this reveals a deeper problem about journalistic misrepresentation.
These aren't terrible numbers, but it's certainly a much more modest success than we've been led to believe by the business stories saying "there are millions of people using Second Life and it's growing by leaps and bounds.
I'd be very interested to see similar numbers from other MMO's, particularly World of Warcraft. While it's undeniable that WOW is the most popular game of its kind, what are the real numbers of people actually playing as compared to those who have just signed up and never really play?
Second Life gets a reality check [Marketplace - Thanks, Jay]
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