As Linden Lab Continues Promoting Virtual Animal Care, Second Life Seeming More & More Like Third Life

Linden Lab's latest newsletter for Second Life users (click pic to biggify) is striking for how much emphasis it places on buying and raising virtual animals in Second Life. While Linden has already promoted that form of user-generated content on Facebook ads and email offerings, the newsletter is positively overwhelmed with fluffiness. Of the six news items, three are pet-centric, with an item on Playful Pets, another on Hot Spots for exploring "with a fuzzy friend", and another featuring SL machinima... which is about "playful pets". This movement may seem strange to longtime Residents, who assumed Second Life was about dynamic user-generated content and social interaction in a virtual space, but from a purely financial perspective, it makes much sense: Virtual animals are not only a proven market, so successful that two of the top Second Life pet creators were recently embroiled in a real life lawsuit, but an offering that encourages a monetization loop. (Not only do you buy the pet, you have to also buy the food and other items to keep it alive.) Even more important, virtual animals are a proven market outside of Second Life, which means it's likely Linden hopes to build a new audience based on folks largely in SL to care for their virtual pets.

That analysis aside, it's definitely amazing to see Second Life continuing in this direction. Only a few years ago, we assumed people would join Second Life to prototype and share 3D-enabled content, and immersively engage with others around the world from the safety of their avatars. Linden Lab's new marketing strategy puts so much focus on caring for a virtual pet, the new tagline might as well be: Join Second Life to have a third life.

Hat tip: Iris Ophelia.

Comments

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

My two fuzzy-wuzz cats, both adopted, just reminded me "We can haz some pettin' now, if you stop looking at the glowing box."

I've nothing against virtual pets, but it's wonderful to adopt a couple of real ones. The shelters are brimming with them.

[rikomatic]

Sounds like an easy win for LL. Cute bunnies, kittens, horses, etc. It works for kid's worlds and casual games, why not for adult VWs?

Let's just hope they don't become sentient...

[June Stormcrow]

But real pets are icky, Iggy. Lol. I understand why they are pushing bunnehs at Easter time, but they should have a little more shame when it comes to their preferential treatment of Ozimals.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

Some of the breedables are not without drama and people claiming losses. Buyer Beware. Research up front.

However the next breedable going up for sale soon, Meeroos, should knock the wind out of those and give people a new place to give lots of moola. ;)

I expect this bandwagon to become very crowded over the next year.

[Metacam Oh]

Goodbye Metaverse, Hello Farmville.

[Vax Sirnah]

Hamlet, why the venom?

[Tateru Nino]

"recently embroiled"

Still embroiled, actually.

[Tateru Nino]

I haven't actually seen this newsletter yet. I'm not sure what process the Lab uses to mail them out, but it seems to take somewhere around a week for them all to arrive. I always get mine four days after the first reports.

[Hamlet Au]

"why the venom"

No venom at all, Vax, I'm the one who thinks SL needs to be developed and marketed more like a game. Just noting the sharp turn in branding and messaging (which is IMO a good thing.)

[Troy McLuhan]

I think it's great that Linden Lab is promoting some of the more popular aspects of Second Life, rather than things they hope might become popular in the future. People who read this newsletter and get interested in SL pets are going to be surprised at the wealth of community and activity surrounding them.

Also of note, the row of buttons in the top navigation header of the newsletter are:

What is Second Life?
Music
Chat Hot Spots
Shopping
Role-Playing
Help

...a great selection of popular things that SL offers up in truckloads, plus links to The Big Question and help.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

This all seems very good - and despite some allegations that SL residents are resistant to change I haven't found anyone against such developments, providing they don't add unduly to lag. Some of the pets and the games with them look like good fun to me.

[Brookston Holiday]

I wonder if LL could team up with some of the bigger animal creators to make a "new to SL?" version of their pets. In this version you would purchase your first pet, and in setting up the pet's living area, and food dish, and interacting with the pet, you would also be going through a tutorial of how SL and especially how the viewer worked.

I worry about pulling in casual gamers with the viewer interface as confusing as it is. Does anyone know if it is possible to use a virtual pet within the basic viewer? From what I remember there is no inventory.

[Chenin Anabuki]

SL has become expensive for prototyping because of the tier payments you have to maintain. Most of our prototype simulations are now done in OpenSim because they can stay there as long as the client wants. On the other hand, the breedable pet industry requires the large community of users that SL provides in order for a secondary market to thrive. We have been on the development and consumer side of the breedable pets industry. And, I have to say that it has an economy of its own. Very complicated managing the supply and demand for this kind of SL product. I just think SL should be promoting these types of innovative applications of the platform instead of advertising that this is what SL is. It's like saying "Come to the Netherlands for tulips". Maybe true but incomplete.

[Galatea Gynoid]

I blame the Christians. This is all because of Easter. ;)

But seriously, I wouldn't read too much into one newsletter. It's a good angle for this particular month, with the given holiday, and a great approach to draw some interest, but I think people might be trying to read too much into it. (Seriously, "Goodbye Metaverse, Hello Farmville?" Please...)

[Oriella Charik]

My alt has an electric sheep called Dolly on the flat roof of her house. Dolly keeps the virtual grass short and startles visitors with her baaing. I don't think my alt dreams about her though.

What Second Life offers with virtual pets is added value, as it does with chat, social networking and roleplay - a 3D interface. Unfortunately to use that interface requires a download, an install and a little learning, hence the Lindens constant searching for ways to give the instant gratification of, well, Farmville.

[David Cartier]

I love the pets, but breedable pets are a whole different thing. I have found that the pet breeders will push it until their neighbours' experience is wrecked by the hideous lag of twelve busily breeding pug dogs. A smart landlord will ban his tenants from breeding on his property, and keep his other tenants happy.