Mainland, Memories and Early Predictions

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During the early years in Second Life my friends and I spent countless hours parked on the wall surrounding Bear Dream Lodge Infohub. We had many deep conversations about the future of the grid, while modeling the latest in freebie fashion. I don't remember any of us having any grand business plans or motivation to improve our new reality. I seem to remember telling people I already had a first life job, I was just here to live out my fantasy as a socialite, which, it turned out, was just a glorified bum. 

Our loitering was frowned upon, but it didn't matter. We'd claimed the space as our own. Looking back, as our numbers grew, our congregating on the wall did take up space that prevented new residents from arriving, so there was that. 

Teh smexiness, it hurts me. (Click to embiggen)

When Linden Labs began offering private islands for purchase, I speculated that soon our beloved Mainland would become an apocalyptic landscape, lawless and covered in slums, abandoned by the elite who'd fled to private islands, leaving those of us who were less privileged to fend for ourselves. Many of the wall dwelling crowd agreed, painting a dim view of the future.

To say our imaginations ran wild is an understatement, but there were wee bits of accuracy to our predictions. 

Most rental estates fled to islands, which at first seemed like a horrible thing, but gradually rent prices began to level out. It wasn't long before more and more residents could actually afford "luxury"  island living. Fast forward to today when even premium account holders, with the offer of a free house on Bellisseria, still opt to live on private estates.

As for Mainland, it's not the post nuclear hellscape I imagined back then, but it does feel sort of empty. There aren't the strict rules of the estates, giving you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want. A UFO abducting a cow behind your ultra-modern beach home? Sure, go for it! Dragon breedables wading in the surf? Not a problem. As long as you're within the Linden Labs Terms of Service, you can entertain any flight of whimsy your heart desires. 

The flip side of that is, so can your neighbors.

Adding to the feeling of emptiness on Mainland are the vast rolling hills of abandoned land. Abandoned land happens a few ways. One example, someone buys up large parcels without regard to the tier they'll have to pay, intending to stack skyboxes on every square meter, only to realize no one wants to live that way, even in Second Life. With no way to make tier (virtual taxes, sort of) they usually try to sell it first, eventually giving up as they lose money and letting it go. It then becomes the property of Linden Labs. 

And that, is good for you if you're looking for land to buy. You can purchase any abandoned land for L$1 per square meter directly from the Lindens. 

There are some wild builds along the highways of Second Life, making exploring one of my favorite past times. Playing GTFO or taking part in the weekly Grid Drive will add another layer of excitement to your exploring. 

You never really know what you'll see, which is usually a good thing.

Anywho, I hope ya'll have a good week. We'll talk again soon!