Commentary: Patch Linden - A Long Career With A Sudden Ending That Leaves A Big Hole And Many Questions

 

It isn't often that one of the Lindens, particularly someone outside the Lab's CEOs, makes a big impression. Early on, there was Torley Linden with his "Friendly Greetings" Second Life tutorials. Oz Linden had some fans as well, and his farewell party had a huge attendance. April Linden as the one furry among the Lindens at one time had some admirers among the grid's furs. 

 

And then there was Patch, or Eric Nix as he's known in real life. 

 

It's fair to say Patch had a very huge group of fans. Being in the public eye since 2015, he would take a role in various Meet the Lindens events at the Second Life Birthdays and other occasions, as well as taking part in Linden Bid Me Bald events since 2017 and Linden Jail and Bail events since 2018. He was a part of Bellisseria since its beginning, and would sometimes appear in group chat and make comments, the locals as a group feeling he was one of them. 

 

As then CEO Ebbe Linden began to appear less in public around 2018-19, Patch Linden would stand in for him. When Ebbe Altberg passed away in 2020, Patch would be part of the Lab's leadership team, and took the lead in honoring it's departed leader. Linden Lab would never choose another CEO, it's leaders being those of the Waterman Network that bought them in 2019 with Brad Oberwager (Oberwolf Linden) as Executive Chairman. But Patch would remain the most visible of the Lindens. 

 

It's fair to say to Second Life's residents, Patch would be the face of Linden Lab to many, if not most, taking the lead in being part of many fun events as well as announcements such as Pride Month celebrations and explaining why controversial moves such as the Gacha Ban were done. And he would also appear in public between events, and willingly be the butt of jokes such as people spinning on top of him and taking pictures and getting spanked. 

 

Then came the troubles.

 

In late February 2024, there was an article being passed around accusing several Lindens and Moles of engaging in ageplay, or in laymans' terms virtual child pornography, including Patch. The majority after being confronted with this "what the hell" moment would conclude there was no real proof any of the charges were true, Prokofy Neva, who was certainly no fan of Patch or at least a number of decisions made under his watch, would make a lengthy article explaining none of them held water. Linden Lab eventually felt it had to make a statement a few weeks later acknowledging they were taking the accusations seriously and investigating. While a few Lindens were let go some months later, the reasons were not given, so they could have been dismissed/resigned for other reasons. 

Sadly while most of us believe "all remain innocent until proven guilty," some go with "once accused, always suspect." And a small number would view him with suspicion and hostility. Linden and Mole Chatter in the Bellisseria group would vanish for a while. Patch would keep a low profile for some time, not appearing at the VWBPE Conference that year and it would be months later before anything was heard from him. It wouldn't be until the Second Life Birthday that all seemed more or less normal again. But once in a while one of his anti-fans would speak out. 

 

And now, out of the blue, while things were seemingly going well, comes the announcement Patch is no longer part of Linden Lab. 

 

It's fair to say Patch was fired and not simply deciding to move on and resign. There was no official final statement from Patch. His account was quickly deleted. And there was no time as a Linden to tie up loose ends. While he would continue to take part in the Jail and Bail at the Fantasy Fair, it would be as his "civilian" account, Patch Pawtato, which most of us hadn't heard of until now. 

 

So what happened? Companies do not simply up and toss out someone as productive and well-liked as Patch. None of the Lindens are talking. There was nothing in the short statement given by the Lab. So all we are left with is speculation. Naturally, some look at the accusations made against him and wonder if that was the reason. But it's been two years. If there was anything solid to be found, it would have been almost certainly been very quickly. In one IM conversation with someone, he gave one interesting possibility. A couple months ago, Facebook/Meta came close to shutting down it's virtual world, at least to those using VR gear. He thought instead of seeing it as a victory, the Waterman Group instead saw that the market for virtual worlds was going downhill and talked about the possibility of selling Linden Lab, talking enough about it to take a few steps, which included removing a certain high-profile employee with a cloud over his head, "'What about that guy who was accused of messing with kid avatars?' 'He's gone now.'" In my opinion, possible but unlikely. While perhaps not making as much as during the Pandemic in 2020, Second Life is still making quite a bit of cash. Someone else pointed out that Patch had been around for twenty years, and maybe the decision was made to move him aside to make way for someone new. Possible but highly unlikely. There's nothing to say Patch was out of touch with today's residents.

 

In my opinion, what probably happened was some kind of dispute, or a series of disputes behind the scenes between Patch and the owners. And all it would take would be for one of them to be in a particularly foul mood. CEOs. It certainly would be far from the first time someone was booted for POing the boss. 

 

But the truth is, we may never truly know why Patch was given the pink slip. With Philip Rosedale, Second Life and Linden Lab were established, and he felt it was time to move on. With M Linden, Second Life and Linden Lab had gone downhill during his tenure. With Rod Humble, he'd stopped the slide but hadn't succeeded in getting the place to bounce back and had angered content creators. But with our unofficial leader of the Lab, the reasons just aren't clear. And this uncertainty will likely complicate the Lab's relationship with the residents somewhat for some time. 

 

Will anyone else rise to fill the void Patch leaves? Right now, we don't know that either. Grumpity Linden is one possibility. But it's also probable no one Linden will truly take his place, among the Bellisserians, or the residents in general. The accusations were a reminder if you're high profile, you're a tempting target for trolls. 

 

Wherever you go from here Patch Linden/Eric Nix, we wish you well.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Newser 

Reader Submitted: Hell-o-Wine

 

Zada Bury is best known for her "Drivers in SL" videos. But she also runs a club. With Halloween, so many venues were decorating for the spooky season. But where Zada is from, Halloween is viewed a bit differently. And she has her own ideas about what's really scary. So when it came to decorating her club, she had her own ideas.

 

Read Zada's reader submission in Events. 

 

Commentary: ABC Downfall Leaves Many Unhappy Customers, May Cloud Future of Breedables

 

 Breedables have been a fun and interesting part of Second Life's history. The pets bring activity to someone's otherwise static parcel. People can come up with interesting coat patterns when breeding them. And then there's the events with some such as auctions and with horses racing. 

But trouble seems to follow them. With the first breedable to make it big, the Sion chicken, if they ever got returned to your inventory, they could up and die. Ozimals would sue Amereto, claiming the horse breedables company copied some of their code. People with any breedable could occasionally be harassed by neighbors who claimed the scripts caused lag. 

And there was the chance that the company could up and close. Most notably was when Ozimals did in 2017. And there was also Biobreeds in 2022. But when both companies closed, there were efforts to preserve the virtual critters they made and sold over the years. 

 

But in the latest controversy, at Awesome Breed Creations, the horse owners have been left high and dry with broken critters. 

Why?

Malkavyn Eldritch and Ozzie Drucker and their teammates could have just walked away. But they didn't. They had a love of what they created, which they shared with their customers, and made an effort to make sure their creations would live on. As of the writing of this article, there has been no such effort from ABC's owner Stephanie Merrienboer, or so much as a word. And from what I've heard, this person hasn't either paid or spoken to her team as well. 

This leads to a couple bad possibilities, either something happened to the owner so she's unable to do anything, or she "took the money and ran."

Of the scriptor Sentire Bravin, there was one notable detail. In his farewell message, he mentioned "I am actively working toward establishing my own company to continue delivering the quality and reliability you have come to expect from me and my team within the breedable horse community." But breaking the products on your way out the door of the place you used to work at isn't exactly the best way to endear yourself to one's most likely future customers. 

If nothing gets done at all, this will likely have repercussions down the road. Before, the previous two closings gave the impression that if the worst happened, your pets might not be able to breed any more but they'd still be functional. The shutting down of ABC is giving the impression of "let the buyer beware." People inclined to get breedables would get fewer, that is if they were inclined at all. I have heard of people passing up breedable pets to get lasting ones at companies such as Teegle. While they don't reproduce, they don't get hungry or get sick, or glitch out if something happens to the company. These businesses will likely benefit from the ABC mess. 

What is known is there are many, perhaps many hundreds of ABC horse owners, frustrated, saddened, and likely some heartbroken as all the time and effort they've invested and in the end ending up with broken pets with no prospect for a fix.

Bixyl Shuftan.

And, It's Trump

 

 

Yesterday was Election Day, and following a long campaign with some historic twists and turns, it was now up to the voters to decide the outcome of the Presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. While it was expected that the outcome would take at least a few days to resolve, to the surprise of many (myself included), late into the night it was becoming increasingly clear Trump was going to be the winner. He gave a speech thanking those who voted for him. As of now, there has been no comment from Harris yet. 

Looking around, Learning Virtualē had a small exhibit on it's ground floor (above). There was also a Harris Campaign HQ in Star Valley. The place was full of American flags and campaign posters, and a globe that had been turned upside down. 

On Discord and Facebook, there were a number of cheers from Trump fans, "tears of joy!" And a number of less than happy comments from Harris supporters, "I'm going to hide in my room until it's over." From both, there were people praying to God, asking that all be well with the country.

Obviously for those interested in politics, there will be a lot of chatter over the next few days, and weeks. But for others, they're just glad it's over and looking forward to when talk will turn to other subjects.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted Commentary: Community Roundtalbe for May 20

 

Last month, Linden Lab held a Community Roundtable to discuss with the residents issues such as the recent changes in the Terms of Service regarding child avatars. The Newser wasn't able to make it over. But others were, including Zada Bury, known for her "Drivers of SL" videos. She overheard just part of it, but heard enough to write down some comments about what she did hear.

Read Zada's reader submitted commentary in Extra.

 

 

Opinion: The Kids are Alright

 

In real life American news, one of the top stories are the students at a number of college campuses engaging in anti-Israeli protests, often speaking out in support of the Hamas terrorists despite their brutality. Any1 Gynoid, who wrote for the Newser regularly in the past and sends an occasional article, recently had a few things to say about the matter after going about for about a week in Palestinian fashion. Just what are the students really after?

Read Any1's commentary in Extra.  

Fundraisers For Earthquake Relief

 

 

 The earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6 was a truly devastating one. Registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, over 50,000 have been confirmed dead, mostly in Turkey. Shoddy building construction appears to be the major factor in why the death count has been so high. But this is just part of the problem. Thousands remain homeless, and there are medical worries as cold temperatures and lack of housing and food often result in disease.

 

Doctors Without Borders set up a donation area in TONE2 in the Ever Ever Land sim. Head onto Ever Ever Land (101/216/22) and donate what you like.

 

 

A few days ago, Mia Wallace of Burners Without Borders pointed out a fundraising party. This was at Orginia at Happy Clam Island. It was at late Saturday night February 18. 

Awesome initiative!!....BWBSL supports this event!!>> Two hours of music from Turkish & Syrian producers & artists who create the music we dance to. All tips will be donated for earthquake relief to the Red Cross/Red Crescent & Doctors Without Borders. Bring your friends (& your lindens)

It was quite an enthusiastic event, and another example of helping out people around the world in real life through this virtual world.

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: "Stand With Ukraine" by Theatre on The Hill

 

We all know what happened on February 24, 2022. The Russian Federation invaded Ukraine and war has been raging in that country ever since. After 12 months of suffering, this country bravely stands up to the aggressor and defends the values that we understand as freedom and democracy. On this anniversary, "Theatre on the Hill" would like to present a special solidarity show with very beautiful Ukrainian and international songs in honor of the Ukrainian people.

There is also an opportunity to donate L$ to the benefit of suffering people during the show.

The show takes place on 02/24/2023 at 01:00pm SLT.

And here is the cab:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TheaterOn%20The%20Hill/194/39/21

 

Twitter Checkmark

 

 I got this little item from Marianne McCann, a Second Life version of the Twitter blue checkmark.

 

 To those not in the know, the blue checks were added as a verification feature to Twitter for $8 US dollars a month by orders of it's new owner Elon Musk. One of the motives for this was likely to help stop Twitter from losing millions every day. But things quickly went awry as some quickly began using the feature to troll and impersonate people. It wasn't long before the feature was finally suspended. This hasn't been the only problem with Twitter as recently as advertisers have been leaving and a number of it's security, privacy, and compliance heads have quit. Musk as admitted that Twitter going into bankruptcy is not out of the question. What happens next? Time will tell.

Sources: ArsTechnia, CNBC, BBC News, Forbes, Business Insider, Engadget   

Bixyl Shuftan

The Russian Veteran Newcomer, Update on Hanna

 

 

 The Russia-Ukraine War remains in the daily news, the recent headlines being drone attacks on the capital city of Kiev (Kyiv). In Second Life, while the initial massive show of support has somewhat ebbed, some people still fly Ukrainian flags or have blue and gold displays up as a show of support. Last weekend, I'd gotten another reminder when someone in a veterans community, Soldier Waverider, announced in group chat he'd come across a Russian solider who'd just joined up with Second Life, and invited people to talk to him. As I was trying to calm down a friend who had a stressful day, I sent my alt Rezzdarnnit over. 

The soldier, whose name will not be mentioned in the Newser, had escaped Russia with his immediate family, and was now in Sweden. He had left partly out of not wanting to be part of the invasion again, and partially that he was about to be sent back despite post-traumatic stress disorder. He disagreed with Putin, and found no fault at all with the Ukrainians. 

Most of our conversation was in voice, and the man in question spoke in English with a strong accent. When he had first arrived, most greeted him with suspicion, some wondering if he was a troll. But then he ran into Waverider, and after some conversation the American veteran was convinced his story was genuine.

 

There's also an update on an Ukrainian resident of Second Life. Hanna Linberg (gabby11196), the owner of Osmia, was last reported hiding out in a city under Russian occupation, her situation complicated by pregnancy. Late last week, Hamlet Au would report that she escaped with her family and went to a free part of the country where she would give birth to her baby. While the war is still far from won, this one story has a happy update.

 

Addition: Third paragraph was added several hours after this story first went up. Sorry for those details being late.

Source: New World Notes.

Bixyl Shuftan

At the SL19B

 

Gemma Cleanslate has been at the Second Life Birthday, but not just as a reporter. As one of the volunteers, she's had a view from the inside, such as at orientation with a few of the Moles. Still, some things had to wait until after opening day. Gemma writes some about the stafes, the exhibits, the gifts, and more.

Read Gemma's story in Design

Further Reactions To Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

 *

It's been about a month since we last discussed how the Russian invasion of the Ukraine was being reflected in Second Life. Since then, there continue to be fundraisers to help out the Ukrainians, such as the one at Union Passage posted here a few days ago. The Marketplace has dozens of Ukraine-related items. And people are continuing to dress in blue and gold, or wearing blue and gold items, such as this back pocket cloth seen at a Relay for Life event (left).

Of the protests in the Moscow Island sim in which the demonstrators found themselves restricted to one tiny out of the way corner, returning to the place, there was one large sign asking people to please stop.

Our island does not belong to any country, it is a private territory. We are not a political organization, this iz just a historical sim, so please do not gather here whit political slogans! Thanks

One question that I've heard is what happens to Russian residents in Second Life? I've had people tell me that friends from the country are being IMed with insults. While the invasion has been marked with atrocities by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians, it's also seen other soldiers sabotage equipment, thousands of Russians being arrested for demonstrating against the war, leaving the country, and Russians taking up arms in support of Ukraine against the invasion. 

With Paypal stopping business in Russia, as well as other means to trade Rubles for Lindens and vice-versa, Russian residents are increasingly unable to buy Lindens or cash in on any Second Life businesses. Hamlet Au recently interviewed one, whom had taken part since the start in helping out Ukrainian residents, and stated he was seriously considering leaving the country as his business was so successful compared to real-life job prospects. But some others who don't have that option may end up having to close their places down due to inability to pay, or possibly leave Second Life for a while if not being able to access money from a Second Life business leads to economic hardship.

The gaming industry has also seen a number of reactions, such as Blizzard and Epic Games halting sales in Russia. It should be noted that Wargaming, best known for "World of Tanks" and "World of Warships," got it's start in Belarus in the 1990s, but since moved its headquarters out of the country. Following the invasion, it fired one of the staff whom made some comments in support of the war. And a few days ago, it announced it was withdrawing completely from Belarus and Russia. The following was posted on it's Discord channel:

Over the past weeks, Wargaming has been conducting a strategic review of business operations worldwide. The company has decided it will not own or operate any businesses in Russia and Belarus and will leave both countries.

Effective March 31 2022, the company started the process of closing its studio in Minsk, Belarus and transferred its live games business in Russia and Belarus to local management of Lesta Studio that is no longer affiliated with Wargaming. The company will not profit from this process either today or going forward. Much to the contrary, we expect to suffer substantial losses as a direct result of this decision.

Going forward, in all other countries Wargaming will continue to operate World of Warships as before. The game servers will be operating as usual, and players' accounts, as well as their in-game property accumulated through purchase or any other means, will remain unchanged.

No doubt there will be more developments in this ongoing story.
 
Sources: BBC, New World Notes, Time , Reuters, PC Gamer, Wargaming 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Ukrainian Flags Flying Over Second Life

 

Since we last wrote about the reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by various residents, much more has happened. Far more than can be described in a brief article. But we can show examples of one simple way of showing support, erecting flags. At Milmerana on the mainland, I saw this replica of the Eiffel Tower sporting Ukrainian flags.

I would continue to see more of the gold and blue as I drove on. 

Checking out the new Linden Homes, one of the new homeowners was showing his support as well.

And the Newser is also showing it's support. Gemma Cleanslate found this banner, which now hangs on the side of the building.

Stay tuned for more news about the reaction of Second Life's residents to the attack on Ukraine.
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

EOTB: "Linden Lab's Statement on Ukraine"

 
Today, Fruday March 4, Linden Lab issued a statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has turned into a war with civilians often in desperate situations and over a million refugees having fled the country. It encouraged readers to donate to organizations helping out the Ukrainians, and free speech in Russia. They would also be suspending land tier and premium account charges to Ukrainian residents for at least thirty days (possibly in response to a thread in the forums).

*  *  *  *  *

Linden Lab strives to make positive change in the world by helping people connect, discover themselves, and grow both personally and financially. Ultimately, we build and support communities. Therefore, it is especially shocking to see the actions in Ukraine, to see the unwarranted attacks on people – on communities. We are heartbroken and horrified by the situation in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis it has perpetuated. We are a proudly diverse team, and many of us have ties to these events - historically, emotionally, professionally, and socially. Our products reach worldwide, and many of our partners and customers are directly affected by this crisis. 

As a leadership team, this crisis has challenged us to better define and embrace what we believe to be the core principles at Linden Lab – our TAO so to speak.

Specifically, our TAO says:

MAKE CHANGE ON A GLOBAL SCALE

Our work brings people together, builds communities. Our work helps people understand who they are, helps them be better. Our work brings empathy, helps people see the world through others’ eyes. Settle for nothing less than changing the world for the better.

We intend to live up to this principle, and while there is much work to be done, we are starting with: 

• Providing financial support for humanitarian crisis aid through a donation to the Red Cross Ukraine and HIAS
• Supporting independent journalism in Ukraine through a donation to Keep Ukraine’s Media Going
• Supporting free speech in Russia through a donation to Meduza and OVD-INFO 

Effective Monday, we will be further supporting our eligible Ukrainian-based community members by granting them a temporary 30-day moratorium on recurring account fees such as Premium Membership and Land Maintenance fees.  We will review this again after 30 days and assess what we can do as next steps where necessary. We invite any of our Ukraine-based community members to contact support with any specific questions they may have.

Finally, we encourage our community to look at ways that they can help show their support. It is heartening to see the Second Life community come together to support each other with numerous inworld events and helpful initiatives that bring us together as a force for good in both the physical and virtual worlds.

 

Announcement: March 31 Campaign

 

Hi everyone,

I am launching a campaign to get 31,000 Russian troops to cross the border into neighboring countries, such as Poland or Turkey. The idea is to incentive them to drop their arms and walk to safety.

The name of the project is March 31. This means that, until the date of March 31, the troops from Russia that walk over peacefully will be given a gaming console (Playstation, XBox, Nintendo Switch)  each. So, on top of normal donation, we will somehow finance 31,000 consoles ready to give out. We will harness the power of the free Internet.

Our united clubs will work with all our guests to set social media ablaze with 'MARCH31' sayings and logos and calls for MARCH31. With these consoles, we will also give them food, drinks and perhaps some beer and friendly attention.

These soldiers are mostly 16-30 and do not want to be killed for Putin. Let's help them.

Please, reach me and add me if you want to be part of his historic effort.

Misticia Moonwall
 

Protest Against Russian Invasion of Ukraine in Moscow Island, And Other Support For Ukraine in Second Life

 
On Wednesday February 23, Russia launched a full scale invasion against it's neighbor of Ukraine. The result has been protests across the world against the unprovoked act of aggression ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and in support of the Ukrainians. But for those trying to protest within Russia, the results have been the demonstrations broken up by police and the protestors arrested.

Within Second Life, there have been some protests against the invasion as well. On Friday February 25, I got a tip of one. It was appropriately enough at the Moscow Island sim, which is known for having a build of the Kremlin and one of Lennin's tomb. Near the tomb, I saw several avatars. One was flying a sizeable Ukrainian flag. Another looked bloodied and was wearing a blue and yellow dress, the colors of the Ukraine's flag. And there was one girl wearing a Putin mask, AnuAmun (AnuAmun Alchemi). "Путин должен уйти!" The girl shouted, "Putin needs to GO!"

Going over to her, I asked if there were more people here earlier. "People do come and go," Anu told me, "Some of us are gonna keep avatars here for as long as possible. There's no sim for Ukraine that I know of. And this is the only one related to Russia that looks official enough, since the actual Red Square has been closed in real life. There should be more people here. Getting the word out may help."

The protestor went on, "I have friends - in Russia, that fear going out in the street because of the repercussions. For some the responsibility, even though not directly theirs, weighs them down strongly. And internationally no one is placing blame with the Russian people. They are all prisoners to a criminal organization ran in part by Vladimir Putin. The economical sanctions imposed by the west are going to hurt the spectrum of the population in Russia that already hurts economically. It's the sons and daughters of Russia that are loosing their lives for the personal financial growth of Putin and the ones around him. And 60,000 Ukrainians have crossed the border into Poland and Romania in the past day. 

"For Ukraine this is an existential crisis. People remember how the 'liberating army' forgot to leave after the end of WW2. No one diminishes the importance of Russia and it's sacrifice in WW2. But this is 2022. Ukraine is an independent nation that should and must choose it's own future. On a personal level - I am just of the opinion that Putin does not actually care about the lives Russia will loose, or the lives or Ukrainians or even Ukrainian-Russian ethnics in the east. His interests are in the control of however much territory he can get at the negotiating table - including the gas fields in eastern Ukraine and Odessa. And it's a bit hypocritical criticizing America or the UK for being imperialistic and then turning around and actually doing it. Little men with big egos throughout history have shaped and reshaped maps on the bodies and with the blood of the innocent and the young - this is no different. We're better than this!"

When I mentioned I was going to keep the anonymity of the protestors in the article aside from those who gave their okay, Anu told me in her case it was fine, "I am ok - in the West.  Also I am not Russian or Ukrainian , by birth I am Romanian. I do have countless friends in both countries. We're neighbors after all. And neighbors help each other, they don't invade each other.

Dropping by the next day, I noticed the protest had been moved to a corner of the sim away from Lenin's Tomb, and was smaller in number. I got a message from Anu, "We were removed from the sim! I filed a report, mass removal for protesting." So it appears the sim owner was no fan of the protests.

Later on, someone passed me a notecard, written by a Stephen Yuvensky, calling on people to support a number of Second Life stores owned by Ukrainians, "Ukrainian owners of the SL stores likely won't be able to create new releases in the nearest future. So I suggest supporting them by visiting their MPs and inworld stores ..." The notecard had a list of store links on Google Docs (link here). "Please note that none of the following owners asked for this list. It's fully a desire and idea of community to show our support! If you know any other designers who are in Ukraine please let me know for them to be added." More on the notecard can be read in a New World Notes article. 

I would also be told about a set of Ukrainian flags (flagpole, wall mounted, desk, etc) that was being given away by Lupinia Studios, owned by Natasha Petrichor (earlier, we wrote about her Frolicking Deer Cay). You can get the flag set/fatpack for free at Marketplace (link) or inworld or practically free at 1L at Braunworth (127/245/179) and Tofte (173/120/146). Someone would also pass me a free and shareable flag.

There's quite a bit of support for Ukraine in Second Life. So we may have more on the subject soon.

For more information on the invasion of the Ukraine, one can check these links at Fox News, CNN, and the BBC.

Sources: Wikipedia, Reuters

Hat tip : CLEOPATRA Xigalia

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Reader Submitted Commentary: Things To Do About The Gacha Ban

 
As everybody knows, Linden Lab plans to ban gacha prize machines later this month. LL says that the gacha ban, is because of legislation in other countries. If that were so, then they would confine gacha prize machines on islands. They do that with games of skill, such as Zyngo. In the U.S., in many states, games of skill are not legal. People living in those states, can't go to those islands. So, why is LL banning gacha prize machines? That is because of one of the new owners. He doesn't like gacha prize machines. He thinks that people that play gacha, are being cheated. So he, and perhaps one of the other new owners, have decided to ban gacha prize machines.

The Lindens have closed the forum thread about the gacha prize machine ban. So, what can be done? If you have twitter, then send the Lindens a message on twitter. But don't cuss, or send any nasty messages. If you play the gacha machine, tell them, and tell them what you think of the ban. Do you sell your gacha prizes? If you do, tell them, and tell them how much you make per month selling gachas. Do you make the gacha prizes? If you do, then tell them that. And tell them how much you make per month, making the prizes. You can also email the Lindens. But no name calling, or nasty language.  But do be firm, and do let them know what you think.

Now, what else can be done? Email, or send a tweet to the news media. I don't mean just the SL news media. I emailed Fox News. You might email your local paper, or your local radio, or TV station. Let them know about the gacha prize machine ban. Let them know what you think about the ban. You could still email the SL news media. One is the SL Newser. Here is the link to the website.  http://slnewser.blogspot.com/

There is something else that can be done. That is to file a lawsuit. That should be done last. The creators need to get together, and file a class action lawsuit. The resellers need to get together, and also file a class action lawsuit. Chances of winning is slim. But here in the U.S., we don't have loser pays laws. You sue somebody, and you lose, you don't have to pay. LL has been sued, and has lost. One time they got sued by Marc Woebegone, the case was settled out of court. Another time, Stoker Serpentine sued LL. He made sex beds, and made them transfer, no copy. Somebody found away to copy the sex beds during a sim restart. Stroker sued, and it was settled.

My store has 7 gacha prize machines. The items were made by FeelGood Trip, and his ex wife. There's clothes, cellphones, buildings, and other items. The items are about 10 years old, or older.

Pass this note card out, and let everybody know. Also pass this out to other Gacha groups.

Kelvin R. Throop
 

Commentary: Is Linden Lab Getting Good Results For It's Money?

 
In real life in Washington DC, the new President has proposed a new plan for the government to improve things, as well as how it will be paid for, tax increases. How many Americans, perhaps most, see them depends on which political faction they support. But some regardless of which party is in charge just see "The Man" reaching for their wallets while providing little in return.

Here in Second Life, among the things being talked about is it's own "taxes" going up. Or to be specific, it's fees for buying Linden dollars are no longer being charged a flat fee per transaction, but a percentage that means anyone buying more than $20 US worth at a time will be paying more. While it appears the majority aren't complaining too much about it, a few have expressed their displeasure. Kitacelia, a resident struggling with a fixed income, could only conclude the Lab made the move out of greed, pinching pennies and lowering quality while charging residents more just to fatten their wallets, and wrote a commentary explaining her position.

The last time the Lab rose the fee to buy Linden dollars, I called them out on it. Just after a lot of people had snapped up Linden Homes, some getting Premium accounts just to do so, it made them look a bit greedy from my point of view. This time, greed isn't what it's looking like, but needing money to pay bills after some decisions that didn't turn out as planned.

In their announcement on the blog, the Lindens gave several reasons for the price increase:

Investing in our infrastructure to further improve speed and cadence of updates
Overhauling the onboarding experience for the newest Residents
UI cleanup
Developing new marketing initiatives and entertainment partnerships to fuel growth
Preparing for SL18B
Less glamorous but no less crucial is our ongoing and growing work to ensure compliance with multiple regulatory requirements

Presumably they're still working on the changes for the new resident experience as I haven't heard much of anything for a while. "Multiple regulatory requirements" may mean more work behind the scenes on Tila, which in itself came about because of concerns about how the US Government was viewing Linden dollars with all the publicity going around about Bitcoin. How much this would cost is unclear, but if the Lab is having to hire some people, lawyers and technicians, and pay them overtime, it wouldn't be cheap. The Second Life Birthday, presumably that wouldn't cost them much. But a couple things in the news did bring to mind the "investing in our infrastructure" and Developing new marketing initiatives and entertainment partnerships" parts.

The announcement about the price increase came on the heels of the Second Life map being fixed after months of being glitched. The problem, and others, were due to the move of the Grid's data from it's old servers to Amazon Cloud servers. The Lab had been saying the move would both improve performance of the Grid and eventually lead to price savings for the residents. But instead while a few details are smoother, such as some residents having fewer problems with sim crossings, the move has also resulted in more and longer to fix glitches that it appears the Lab did not think would happen.

Soon afterwards came the new front page of the Second Life website of which the image at the top brought back discussion of a "behind the scenes" look at production of a commercial for Second Life that has yet to be aired. From what one person was saying on the Second Life forums, this is something that happens with some real-life companies, "The marketing folks come in with 'tweaks' that will 'reap great rewards'. ... So my friend's company does the tweaks --- which costs the company he is working for a lot of money because what seems like a small thing to the Marketing people is often not a small thing at all.  In the end it doesn't work and my friend's company puts thing back (more money gone) and then the next great sales person comes along === and it all repeats." And in the case of Second Life, well, it's something that even it it's golden age people had a hard time understanding, let alone today. So it's likely the company Linden Lab partnered with wasn't sure of the best way to advertise it, and the commercial was either stopped before it was finished or never aired. Of the picture that started the discussion, it seemed someone in the Lab decided since they spent all that money already, they might as well make use of it and took a single image from the film and photoshopped it. If this is the case, while it might not have been a *complete* waste of money, it's still a lot of cash to spend for what in the end amounted to a single image.

If it turns out Amazon ended up selling Linden Lab a lemon in regards to the Cloud Servers, only so much can be done about it. Since the old servers are gone, getting new ones will cost money, and likely mean even higher fee increases. As for advertising Second Life, finding someone in the advertising business who really understands our virtual world for what it is and what it can do is going to be a challenge. From the point of view of many, Second Life, IMVU, and VRChat are pretty much the same thing, just another place online where people can dress up their "dolls."

So does this mean that Linden Lab's only options for advertising is to try to do it on it's own or hire people whom can only do poor commercials? Not necessarily. They could take a hint from the plotlines of many of their games and have the residents give it a try. Longtime residents clearly know what makes Second Life different from other places online and know what will attract other people in spite of the lag and other issues that will frustrate newcomers. Some already have some experience with advertising, either the products of others or their own. The Lab could easily make a contest out of it, with the winner or winners given a prize (and perhaps employment if the ad turns out to be really successful).

Even if a resident-written ad isn't a blockbuster hit, it would certainly go better with the Second Life userbase than a photoshoped picture from a canceled commercial. While the Lab may be stuck with cloud servers that will take some time to iron out all the bugs, they have more options for advertising than agencies that know little about it's product.

Bixyl Shuftan
  

US Election Results: To Be Continued

 

 

It was Election night last evening in Second Life. And at the Election Simulator (above) and other places last night many people gathered to see the results of the polls as they closed. Over time, the results slowly trickled in, and as the hours went on, the crowds thinned as people realized it would not be over soon and logged off to head to bed. As of 2AM SL time, the Electoral College score of declared states is 225 to 213 in favor of Democrat Biden. Several states have yet to be decided, and there are millions of mail-in ballots to read. President Trump has already declared victory. But the general consensus is figuring out the winner will take time.

To be continued.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Accouncement: "We Will Be Heard" Discussion Panel

"Join us for a lively panel discussion. July 6, 2020, 6PM SL time."

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moonsong/250/195/4002 (Sempiternal Cult Land)