26 January 2007

Economies, motivations, and motorcycles

I've got a brain worm right now about economies. There's a lot of SL chat about them right now, and other than the basics I don't know a whole lot about how they work. I'd never heard of a Ponzi Scheme before. The comparisons to a gold rush are notable, with the big exception being that the "gold" itself isn't limited. The real limitations are SL and LL's ability to stay functional. If SL goes down, it all goes down... unless they open up other products that also support the Linden. That'd be interesting... I like Twiddler's comparison to cell phone rings - avatar gear is something that people buy regardless of how much they already own.

Which has me musing. I don't buy cell phone ring tones. I've always been the sort who wants to make their own. I'm comfortable buying tools and prefab parts, but I've always had a thing for creating my own personization gear. Most of the gear I have in SL is either freebies or stuff I've made. Except hair and boots. ;) It isn't usually that I think I can do better (well, sometimes lol) but more that I enjoy the process of creating. Learning new skills, polishing a concept until I'm pleased with it, manifesting it, and watching other people enjoy it.

I've pushed around the difference between markets for "stuff" and avataria (things that mod/decorate an av) and in SL I think avataria is a lot larger. With land and the ability to rez objects being restricted I can see why. Vehicles are interesting when viewed thru that lens. Is that motorcycle a tool, a part of your image, something you keep because you enjoy driving in SL, or a mix of those things?

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