Here's Second Life's 25 Most Popular Sims This Month -- But Should I Revive This as a Regular Feature on NWN?

Courtesy Louis Platini's Metaverse Business, a Second Life/OpenSim analytics company that gathers publicly accessible in-world data for its clients, here's the top 25 most popular sims in Second Life for this month so far, listed according their average visitor count, the unique visitor range at any given period, and the sim's rank the previous month. I haven't blogged this chart in awhile -- not since last March, actually -- and there's two related reasons for that:

For one, any time I check Louis' charts, there's very little variation from month to month, suggesting a relative stasis in Second Life activity, at least on the high end. (Look at all the overlapping sims from the February 2013 chart.) For another, I'm not sure how many NWN readers are actually interested in these charts. However, we aim to please: If you're interested in more popular sims updates, let me know in Comments below. If I get, say, 50 readers who weigh in, I'll revive this series!

Please share this post:

Tweet

 

Comments

[Iggy]

I miss this, if only because I get to make some lame-ass joke at the expense of "Bukkake Bliss." It does seem to be gone from the November listings. Alas, Babylon.

[Caoimhe Lionheart]

It would be interesting if you could filter by average age of avatar because to me it looks like with Franks, a couple of nude beaches et al like most of these are free-range noob territories. ;)

[melponeme_k]

@ Caoimhe

I was thinking the same thing. The only thing we are tracking here are what day old or 1 week old accounts are doing.

Filter that junk out and we'll see what the power users are visiting.

[Archangel Mortenwold]

It would be nice to have a regular post showcasing the top destination spots in SL. If we who use it don't know where to visit, then what's the point?

[Pussycat Catnap]

Its curious info.

But it is pretty static.

That said #3 is new to me. Maybe it was there before but I don't recognize it.

Most of the others seem like the same old culprits and candidates.

#1 may be there because of this:
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/using-bots-to-target-and-bann-targeted-other-land-groups-to-gain/td-p/2328267

Or, that is a false accusation. I suspect false because I've been to #1 and they didn't seem like they had that kind of attitude... And they've been up near the top for a long time.

Some of these places have been at this level or near it in popularity for more than 4 or 5 years now...

So while this is interesting information, it is true that its pretty stable.

That in itself is a form of news that you've covered in ways before. But here's another angle: Its not that so much of SL is dying off and that SL is dead - but that the fringes are being nibbled away. The core is as stable as ever - things outside the core are rocky.

Either it is now harder to exist on the fringe, or the nature of the fringe is in flux. Or both.

Or maybe people are consolidating down their interests to the real heart of SL:

Posing on a not-really-nude beach while in IMs, going AFK to 50-year old jazz music, or standing around old-people UK boomer-memorabilia while in IMs...

Basically: posing your avatar in public for e-peen while drama-chatting with others about how much better than them you are.

:P

(Kinda like facespam, but with cartoons).

Oh and, the ever present culture of hitting on cartoons visible within one's camera in the hopes of going off and cycling animation clips together... while AFK...

[sparky]

It might be more revealing if all the adult sims were filtered out.

[2103]

A few of those are new to me, but you've got three of the popular clubs (Franks, Gol, Ambrosia), a bunch of adult sims that have been on the top25 list forever. I'll have to check out the few I don't recognize.

[Pussycat Catnap]

"It might be more revealing if all the adult sims were filtered out."

Why?

They're obviously what counts, or they wouldn't be up there.

Filtering them out just puts 'spin control' on the truth of SL.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

I think it's interesting, so please re-instate it as a regular feature - over time there are gradual shifts in trends.

[Metacam Oh]

Iggy I was just about to ask where Bukkake Bliss went

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

I'm with Iggy and Metacam on this...where's Bukkake Bliss Island? Checks map...only 27. I haven't heard a good Bukkake Bliss Island joke in ages.

The top places aren't all noobs, there are plenty of older avatars at Franks and Sweethearts, though they do average a touch younger than the places the NWN crowd probably favors.

[Flashing Merlin]

It's not like NWN has a physical limit on column inches, so why not run these charts, even if they only interest a few readers? When I do have time to explore new spaces, I find a chart like this helpful, and I'd rather not have to search back to last March to find one.

Also the chart gives new SIMs a way to break in at the bottom, and work their way up by spreading the news that they're becoming more popular.

[Strider]

Yes, I think you should do the chart even if a few readers are only interested in it. Who doesn't love a Top 10(or 25 in this case) chart? I went to London City and a third of the sim is literally run by bots. I guess this is how they stay on top, at least places like the (facepalm) Bukkake Bliss is filled with real people. IMO maybe they should rename London City as Bot-City instead.

ps. Where did my original comment go? :(

[Jo Yardley]

I'd like more than just one list.
How about one for every maturity rating?
I know the adult sims do well but I'm not very interested in them.

[sparky]

@Pussycat "Filtered out" in the sense that they can have their own top 25 chart. It would be nice to see what is lurking just outside the current top 25 that isn't porn.