Second Life is still a thing. Not only that, it's still extremely popular, boasting 1 million active users despite having been around since 2003. So, why are people still drawn to Second Life despite its age, limitations, and apparent lack of things to do? Let's take a look.

Reasons People Still Play Second Life

Second Life has some distinctive elements that have contributed to its growth and relevance over the years.

1. An Immersive Model

An illustration of a Second Life character
Image Credit: Second Life

Much of Second Life's success is as a result of its immersive model. It is designed to mimic reality and encourages interactivity between players. This makes it appealing to people with social anxiety issues and those who wish to meet and engage with others through a virtual social setup.

Related: Does Social Media Do More Harm Than Good for Society?

At the heart of the networking simulation is a 3D virtual avatar. It allows people to create and live out their alter-persona through a customizable configuration.

Just like in real life, people can make new friends on the application. They can also choose exclusive partners and even have a wedding. This is made possible through the partnering feature.

Partnering broadcasts the relationship to other users in the community and causes the relationship status to appear on the paired profiles. It costs 10 Linden dollars to partner on Second Life.

2. No Storyline to Follow

The Second Life experience is enhanced by the lack of an overarching storyline that would have otherwise interfered with some aspects of the virtual experience. As such, members can simply chill out if they wish to, or indulge in fun activities with other users without the pressure of plot adherence.

Fun recreational activities on the platform include dancing, listening to music, watching movies, shopping, and role-playing.

Moreover, one does not need to spend money in order to participate. Members can just join a free sandbox if they wish to play without paying.

3. The Second Life Economy

An illustration of Second Life real estate.
Image Credit: Second Life

Among the most innovative features in Second Life is the virtual economy. It allows users to buy and sell digital assets to other members.

Members can, for example, buy land and build real estate in the virtual world. Some pieces of land are worth thousands of dollars. Once built, one can rent out the real estate to other users.

Assets on the platform are bought and sold using the platform's native digital currency dubbed Linden Dollars. Linden Dollars are convertible into real-world currency via the platform's Tilia gateway. Tilia is a licensed money transfer solution that supports virtual gaming communities as well as NFT ecosystems.

The thriving economy generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the platform each year.

Related: What Is a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)?

4. A Safe Environment to Socialize

Linden Lab, Second Life's developer and publisher, has had to contend with several issues while maintaining unity in the delicate millpond environment. Among them is dealing with copycat issues. The company has had to deploy artificial intelligence algorithms to taper such problems.

The company has also worked hard to create and enforce guidelines related to harassment and unacceptable behavior. Users found to have flaunted community guidelines can have their accounts blocked.

There have also been issues related to gambling and Ponzi schemes which Linden Lab has had to snuff out.

However, despite these challenges, Second Life offers a mostly safe environment to play around and socialize in.

Second Life Still Has a Loyal User Base

While some perceive Second Life as a game, it isn't really. It can be best described as a life-simulation social network as there are no end-goals. Of course, the application has a few rough edges.

The graphic representation and detailing is, for example, a bit lacking. However, its social-hub concept is unique, and this is ultimately what still draws people to Second Life.