Hard+way+to+earn

10 pics now, story at 12



Here are some thoughts about my research. This is a look at the range of ideas my presentation next Friday will cover.

Once transported into the world of Second Life one can instantly see that this is a virtual community that is almost ran completely on sex. The virtual world allows one to operate in a society without the modalities of constraint that exist n the real world. When people become their avatar they can recreate themselves in an image they wish were possible in the real world. An avatar is often an extension of the game user. People will behave differently and in world take on personalities that most likely reflect who they wish they were, versus who they actually are. Fight Club is a great example for comparison. The narrarator is actually the other characters in the book that do things he himself feels restrained by society. The narrarators boring and mundane life is improved when he meets the other actors in the book. His multi-personality is reveled in the end after the audience realizes he has been living vicariously through a projected image of himself. The author’s bland life was made more interesting with the introduction of new people which were at first seen as very different to himself. A person who may not have the most exciting sex life in the real world could become a true “player” in Second Life. By projecting themselves as better looking, rich, or incredible with the opposite sex, a player can take on a persona more preferable to the life they actually lead. My group the A-team took the sex culture in Second Life to task with our group project. We immersed ourselves into Second Life and often referred to one another in the classroom setting by our avatar’s names. Our group consisted of 6 people, 5 males and 1 female. We spent the earlier weeks of class exploring the grid and learning how to use basic avatar functions. All of the people in our group designed their avatar after their actual looks, with limited deviance. I think it is important to note early on that almost everyone in our group converted real money into Lindens to purchase things we wanted in-world. Atlanta and I spent most of our money buying clothes and skin, to better our avatar’s appearance. We noticed an immediate difference in the way people responded to us. Second Life users with expensive avatars are considered more dedicated and popular users. It is worth mentioning that there are at least two kinds of Second Life users, those that use default avatars are more casual users. They might occasionally log on to explore or play around, but generally don’t belong to any social groups or own property. The other type of player is a more advanced user. They spend real money to buy clothes, and accessories, and often buy or rent property. The more serious users often spend hours a day online and have a larger network of friends. The students in our group fall into the first of the two categories, using Second Life solely to accomplish their homework. Atlanta and myself fall somewhere in the middle. We did convert money into Lindens, but fell short of actually buying land. As our group divided up into smaller groups of two or even one students doing research, Atlanta and I did most of our work together. We spent several hours per week working on our journals and exploring seedy places on the grid. Doing research to explore the sex culture came in many forms. Walking around and talking to people was somewhat effective, but to really do quality work and figure out “why” would take some more effort. We decided to conduct interviews with people who were working in the sex industry. We met club owners, lingerie designers, high-priced call girls, and even street walking hookers. Everyone we met was different with their opinions about responsible sex in Second Life. Most people were married in real life, had been using second life for some time most without the knowledge of their significant other. Most intervewees believed that if their real life significant other knew they were having sexual relationships with people in-world they would be upset. A surprisingly large portion of women avatars interviewed were stay at home moms, and suburbanite housewives. They reported they spent most of their days alone and secluded from other adults, and used Second Life as a social networking tool. My first experience with an actual prostitute in Second Life happened completely by chance. I was exploring one of the downtown urban areas of the mainland and saw a couple of scantily clad, expensive avatars standing around on the sidewalk outside a bar. I approached them to say hello, and their response was “You looking for some company?” I responded with “sure” and only then knew what kind of company they wanted to provide. At first I thought it was a joke, until I did some snooping around. Upstairs above the bar was a few shabby apartments where the hookers would take their johns. Mattresses and rats crawled around, the bass from the music below could be heard in the hallways. It convincingly looked like something from a movie about poor urban life. You could hear hookers turning tricks behind closed doors and on the mini-map two green dots were visible inside the rooms. The green dots represent people on the maps of Second Life. I asked the working girl why she chose the worlds oldest profession in a virtual society and her reply was “I have to pay the rent”. Turns out, more than one Second Life user is using prostitution to earn money to buy things for their avatar. While our society makes prostitution illegal in 49 states and several other countries, some simulators allow, or even facilitate prostitution because it draws traffic to the owners property. Advertisers will put up sales posters and kiosks in high traffic areas to get avatars to spend money. Any monetary transaction is a 2 click process. One of the business models of Second Life, is to create a simulator using real money, then dreaw users to it so they can make a return on their investment. Land developers spend real money on monthly maintenance fees to Linden Labs for hosting of their virtual community. You have to build or have someone build any structures, landscape, or bodies of water. Getting players to spend money on things you own, and the desire of the player to better their avatar are the forces that drive the virtual market. Populating a region with prostitutes is a good way to guarantee a return on your investment. I think it would be disrespectful to assume that all the working girls in Second Life are would-be hookers. Dance clubs with strippers are a large draw for a crowd. A virtual strip club is a constantly populated place. The dancers are usually highly decorated with nice hair, better skins that are atomically correct, and nicer shoes and clothes. The virtual strip club works similar to a real strip club. Girls are dancing on a stage with poles, and dance for a few songs before switching areas of the bar. Posters, shops and kiosks display items like shoes, clothes, genitallia, on the walls of most establishments. The comparison to other avatars and the constant commercial environment is hopefully enough lead to get players to spend money bettering themselves to look as realistic as possible. One of the people I interviewed during the second week of research tried to play me. She found me logged on the day after the interview and made friendly to start report. I teleported to her location where she attempted to solicit me, automatically assuming I had made up the story about school research on sex. She asked if I had any money and said “she wasn’t cheap”. Immediately I thought cheap comes in many forms. The desire to improve a person’s avatar allegedly will lead them to do things they would never do in the real world. Or perhaps subconsciously people want to be bad and do things they might only dream about in first person. Society and the way people exist and co-exist is mirrored in Second Life. We as a people try to advance ourselves to climb as high as we can on the socio-economic ladder of society. Within new technology there comes opportunity for those who not only understand but can manipulate their immediate surroundings. They do more than exist, they stand out. To create a more powerful person in a cut and paste society, we learn to cut and paste at the expert level. Strip clubs like the Perfumed Garden front as a strip club while having a fully live cathouse in skyboxes above the club. Inside you’ll find a small stage with intimate seating and two girls pole dancing on stage. A vending machine by the door sells bronze, silver, and gold passes to get 1 on 1 time with one of the girls. The passes range from $300 Lindens for a couch dance. And as much as $3000 for an hour in a skybox for anything you want with voice chat. It is noted on the gold pass that you must check with the girl to see if voice chat is available. This brings up one of the biggest questions about the people in Second Life. How do you know your talking to an actual woman? There is really no way to verify people are the sex they claim to be unless you actually know the person. Of all the people I interviewed, each of them claimed to be actual sex of their avatar. Most of the women in Second Life can’t be easily verified unless their profile gives their Facebook or Myspace page, and even then its questionable. So before you give in to solicitation by some sparkling vixen, remember that it could be an ageing middle-aged man from the Midwest wearing high heels. How a person present themselves is fascinating, avatars can range from wild animals, cat people, and she devils. The new form of communication Second Life allows every users starts out the same. People become so involved with Second Life as they want to be. Transferring money into Lindens is pretty simple and will allow a user to get skins and shapes of any kind and change their look instantly. One mistress Atlanta and I interviewed owns two large social sex simulators with clubs, and stores. She admittingly spends $700 euros a month in land management fees, and construction development of her hotels, brothels, and sex stores. Her roommate in real life was a Second Life user as well, and designs avatar costumes that sells in the stores they own together. They work with a cash flow of 100,000 Lindens per month of items bought and sold on their property. They also date each other in real life but in Second Life live completely apart and are in virtual committed relationships with other people. They say that most of the girls who work for them only turn tricks until they make enough money to buy whatever it is they want their avatar to be socioeconomically. They want a better skin, house, or hair (and let me tell you good hair is expensive). The working girls sit around and solicit guest via private message. Two people can talk privately together and not even have to be in the same room. Most business is done via private message. Solicitations from people in the more seedy party of the grid are almost expected. Of course exploring sex sites will draw attention from those looking to make a quick buck. Sometimes they offer you a teleport to somewhere with you like a private residence, or a skybox getaway. The seclusion is preferable to avoid bystanders interrupting or people teleporting into the room on you. Escort services are also popular in regions. Posters advertise escorts of every fetish, you can IM them and they will give you instructions. One poster advertises identical twins to call on you. One of the hardest concepts about Second Life that the layman has to understand is that its a game/app/program that involves hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. Created by a software developer it was viewed by some as the pinnacle of modern software development. Linden Labs built a fully interactive virtual world, where the player would have complete autonomy with other players from across the globe. Since the dawn of computer gaming a //more virtual// world has been the dream of designers and players alike. To enable the player to interact with any object, and can fully customize their gaming experience, then software starts to become a new medium of communication. Users can interact with another's virtual property, buy their own items, or build anything. A complete user experience. People demand a custom experience. Liesure suit Larry was one of the earliest video games that simulated hooking up with prostitutes. The Sims series had limited bedroom action, and the Grand Theft Auto series allowed a player to kill hookers to get their money back. All of these games cater to some form of carnal knowledge of the player but the hooker is computer generated. The hookers in Second Life are equally contributing to the world just as other avatars are. Everyone is equal in Second Life. Everyone uses the program differently and no two people play alike. Users are as unique as their avatars, and come from a diverse background. Below is an interview with a strip/dance club owner. She was really cooperative. Kentucky Capalini: so is this your place [11:28] Kasandra Martynov: yes it is [11:29] Kasandra Martynov: myself and Mariposa Menges Own this establishment [11:29] Kentucky Capalini: its reallyi nice [11:29] Kasandra Martynov: thank you [11:29] Kentucky Capalini: so im a student at the university of kentucky [11:29] Kentucky Capalini: i have been using sl for over a year and now im enrolled in a class that usses it as a study tool [11:29] Kasandra Martynov: I see [11:30] Kentucky Capalini: i have a few questions if thats ok [11:30] Kasandra Martynov: yes that's fine [11:30] Kentucky Capalini: how much money do you spend on management of this club [11:31] Kentucky Capalini: How many hours a week do you spend in second life? [11:31] Kasandra Martynov: wel, that all varies [11:31] Kasandra Martynov: but a round about number would be... [11:31] Kasandra Martynov: one moment [11:31] Kentucky Capalini: ok [11:32] Kasandra Martynov: around 20k a week [11:32] Kentucky Capalini: in lindens? [11:32] Kasandra Martynov: aand, I am here 10+ hours a week [11:32] Kasandra Martynov: mmhmm [11:32] Kasandra Martynov: in lindens [11:33] Kentucky Capalini: and how does this go along with your first life? are any of your virtual friends actual friends in real life [11:33] Kasandra Martynov: yes, I have a few friends in game that I knew in RL prior to joining the game [11:34] Kentucky Capalini: Does SL have any harmful sideeffects in your reallife? [11:34] Kentucky Capalini: or are the two completly seperate [11:35] Kasandra Martynov: no, not really, I do know it does effect some people. but usually those people are using this game for a crutch from their RL.. But for me it's a past time, and I am fully aware that this is a game.. [11:35] Kasandra Martynov: so no bad side effects for me [11:36] Kentucky Capalini: what are your future plans for sl? [11:36] Kasandra Martynov: I don't really have any, i take it day by day and enjoy it, [11:36] Kentucky Capalini: Do you own other properties? [11:36] Kasandra Martynov: one of ht reasons I play SL rather than most other games, is becasue I can do what I want, with no realy goal [11:36] Kasandra Martynov: I do, I own a few islands [11:36] Kasandra Martynov: I rent them out [11:37] Kentucky Capalini: are they all sex sims, or residential areas? [11:37] Kasandra Martynov: residential only [11:37] Kentucky Capalini: how much income can you make from renting? [11:37] Kasandra Martynov: I make about 50Us dollars a week [11:37] Kasandra Martynov: give or take [11:38] Kentucky Capalini: cool you are the first person ive interviewed that is actually making money [11:38] Kasandra Martynov: I don't really do it for financial gain, just enoght to play without putting in my own money [11:38] Kasandra Martynov: lol [11:38] Kentucky Capalini: ive done 50 interviews and nobody iis turning a profit [11:38] Kasandra Martynov: talk to high lined clothing designers, and builders [11:38] Kasandra Martynov: like, Emilia redgrave, she actually is making quite a profit [11:38] Kasandra Martynov: I dont know her very well, but I have met her.. [11:39] Kasandra Martynov: redgraves, is her store [11:39] Kentucky Capalini: oh ive heard of that [11:39] Kasandra Martynov: she actually makes al lher money off SL [11:39] Kasandra Martynov: so I hear [11:39] Kentucky Capalini: thats impressive [11:39] Kasandra Martynov: mmhm [11:39] Kasandra Martynov: really to make a profit in sl you need a large sum of money for starters, [11:39] Kentucky Capalini: do you have any advice where i should go to get some better than the usal research material [11:40] Kasandra Martynov: like buying sims etc [11:40] Kasandra Martynov: hmmm, Umm, depends, really, if u are looking to find successful people in sl, look for very popular clothing lines, and builders, I know a guy that charges 50K minimum to build houses and such [11:41] Kentucky Capalini: is his name oz? [11:41] Kasandra Martynov: nope it's Wally Sperber [11:41] Kentucky Capalini: are you married in SL? [11:42] Kasandra Martynov: nope [11:42] Kentucky Capalini: do you know anybody that is married in SL [11:42] Kasandra Martynov: oh of course, [11:42] Kasandra Martynov: lol, almost everyone in sl has been married or is married, lol [11:42] Kentucky Capalini: in real llife or second life? [11:43] Kasandra Martynov: both actually [11:43] Kasandra Martynov: scott bader,aphius rotaru,married friend of mine u can contact [11:43] Kentucky Capalini: Do you think the real life married ppl live vicariously in SL because they dont like their real life? [11:43] Kasandra Martynov: oh actually I have an intersting couple for you [11:44] Kasandra Martynov: yes, I would agree to that definately [11:44] Kasandra Martynov: sl is about fantasy, and if u fantasize about having a realtionship in sl and you are marred in RL, then u must e unhappy with yoru rl rela [11:45] Kasandra Martynov: I'm a psychology major myself, and I see it all the time [11:45] Kentucky Capalini: i agree [11:45] Kentucky Capalini: im a poli sci major [11:46] Kasandra Martynov: garyth barzane, and rhiannon broek, they are an intersting couple [11:46] Kentucky Capalini: so you are a gay woman in SL are you actually gay in reallife as well? [11:46] Kasandra Martynov: I havent talked to them in a while, but i heard rhian divorced her rl husband and married garyth in rl as well as sl.. [11:46] Kasandra Martynov: lol, I'm not gay babes..lol [11:46] Kasandra Martynov: y do u say that? [11:46] Kentucky Capalini: question thats all [11:47] Kentucky Capalini: i thought this was a lesbian bar thats why [11:47] Kasandra Martynov: ooh no no no, it's a ladies club, only males dancers.... so only woman vips [11:47] Kentucky Capalini: ohhh ok [11:47] Kasandra Martynov: hehe [11:47] Kentucky Capalini: sorry no offense intended [11:47] Kasandra Martynov: actually my avatar has no real sexuality, it's not part of my sl fantasy.. [11:47] Kasandra Martynov: it's alright, in rl I am bisexual, u didnt offend me [11:48] Kentucky Capalini: so your avatar is asexual? [11:48] Kasandra Martynov: basically [11:48] Kasandra Martynov: I have no interst in the sexual scene of sl, I flirt and have fun, but beyond that I am off limits sexually [11:48] Kentucky Capalini: hmm thats interesting [11:48] Kasandra Martynov: but that may be becasue I am happily married in rl [11:49] Kentucky Capalini: so how does your husband feel about the entire SL experience [11:49] Kasandra Martynov: he thinks it's kinda dumb actually, says it's a girls game. i even made him an avi, but he doesnt play... he's a WOW kinda guy [11:49] Kasandra Martynov: lol [11:49] Kasandra Martynov: he really wnts me to make more money, rather than make some and spend it back in the game [11:49] Kentucky Capalini: Hes a wow guy thats interesting but thinks SL is for girls [11:49] Kentucky Capalini: thats great [11:50] Kasandra Martynov: well he says other than dressing up and shopping sl is boring [11:50] Kasandra Martynov: that he wants to win the game, not just walk around with teh naked newbs etc [11:50] Kasandra Martynov: lol [11:50] Kentucky Capalini: the naked nebs are pretty annoying [11:50] Kasandra Martynov: yes they are [11:51] Kasandra Martynov: but it's part of SL, lol [11:51] Kentucky Capalini: Can i im the ppl you told me about tonigh? [11:51] Kasandra Martynov: sure hon, let them know I sent yea [11:52] Kentucky Capalini: the married ppl to interview them? your interview has been so much better and inciteful than anybody ive met so far [11:52] Kentucky Capalini: very helpful

The worlds oldest profession is alive and well on the grid. The new medium of communication offered by Second Life has opened up a new range of opportunities for those wishing to live vicariously through software development.







Convert money to Lindens to use in world using these atm's located everywhere. You can also donate to the American Caner Society before you pay a stripper.



Instructions for new girls.