Second Wake

What took so long?   The only thing that was ever fascinating or instructive about Second Life was when there was a Second Run on the Second Bank.  Almost prophetic, really.  Maybe future economists will use improved virtual worlds like Second Life as a testing ground for Stimulus or Bailout packages before asking Congress pay for them in real dollars.  


Deathwatch: The End of Second Life

Eric Krangel, who now writes for Silicon Alley Insider, was more trenchant:

The very things that most appeal to Second Life's hardcore enthusiasts are either boring or creepy for most people: Spending hundreds of hours of effort to make insignificant amounts of money selling virtual clothes, experimenting with changing your gender or species, getting into random conversations with strangers from around the world, or having pseudo-nonymous sex (and let's not kid ourselves, sex is a huge draw into Second Life)...  It was about as fun as watching paint dry.

What's left for Second Life? Community meetings, underattended cultural events, and education.

Only compared to the life of a university professor might Second Life actually seem exciting.