Virtual Currency
www.mmokings.com Think of it as “bling” for online gamers in a virtual world, the gold or credits which are earned by players after hours, weeks, even months of game play. One of the most well known and popular of these games is World of Warcraft, better known as WOW. The game has over nine-million players logging on world-wide www.mmokings.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
The name “Second Life” has come to be synonymous with online virtual world. Launched in June 2003, Second Life boasts over 16 million registered accounts with several million active members. Letting users live out a fantastical version of their real life online, Second Life is easily the most popular online virtual reality simulation in the world.
Teen Second Life is an alternate version of Second Life targeted squarely at teenagers. Previously, a lot of teenagers were lying to get access to Second Life, where they were being exposed to adult content and language. Keeping that in mind, a teen friendly version of Second Life was created in Feb 2005 where teenagers can interact live out a virtual life in a safe and secure setting.
To register for Teen Second Life, you have to first verify your age. This can be done either via a PayPal account, or through SMS activation. This is an essential step to making sure that only those between 13-17 get access to Teen Second Life.
Teen Second Life is as rich in features as Second Life. This means that you can create a virtual avatar from a wide variety of templates, get him/her a job, open a store, buy a house, get a car, shop for clothing and shoes, and interact with other members. In other words, you can live out a virtual existence mirroring (or improving) your real world life.
The economy of Teen Second Life (and Second Life) is complex. The virtual currency is called “Linden Dollars” (after Linden Labs – the creators of the virtual world). Linden dollars can be earned by doing jobs, buying and selling stuff, trading with other members, or even purchased outright in lieu of actual money. A sophisticated economy has built up within the online virtual world centered around the trade of Linden dollars, and there are plenty of people pumping in hundreds of dollars (and earning even more back) into this virtual sim.
Teen Second Life differs from Second Life in its scope and content. Because of age restrictions, all mature or adult content is filtered out. This means that a lot of interactions available to members in Second Life are blocked. A language filter also actively removes any adult or abusive language.
Teen Second Life is much smaller in terms of total players (called ‘residents’) and the size of the virtual world. Only a few adults are allowed in the game after passing a criminal check. So far, only educators and non-profit organizations have been allowed access to Teen Second Life. Their access is limited to certain sections of the game and work as counselors and educators to the players in the game.
The adults allowed in the game form an important part of the Educators Working with Teens project in Teen Second Life. Through collaborations with various Universities and non-profit organizations, Teen Second Life aims to educate its teenaged members about various issues, ranging from career to drugs to environmental issues.
In terms of graphics and performance, Teen Second Life remains solid. Although the graphics can’t be compared to a modern PC game, they get the job done quite adequately. In a game of Second Life’s complexity, this alone is a complement.
Performance wise, Teen Second Life runs on the same excellent servers as its parent game, and thus, has hardly any lag or downtime issues. The game runs smoothly on most modern PCs equipped with a moderately powerful internet connection.
Final Words
Teen Second Life provides a perfect hangout for teenagers on the internet. By employing strict measures to keep out adults, Teen Second Life manages to bring the exciting game play/simulation of Second Life to an audience of teenagers. The virtual world is thriving with millions of members where you can interact with people from around the world. The initiatives taken by the creators to collaborate with different institutions to educate members about various issues is a great feature too. With strong parental controls, a clean, safe environment, Teen Second Life is a great virtual world for your teen.
Aldric Chang is a creative entrepreneur who is at the moment building free online adventure games for kids and running a successful 3d animation studio. His creative accomplishments span across the production of several hundred animation projects, casual games, music compositions, cartoon animated series and a virtual world for kids.