Is Second Life worth it?

Question

Hi people,
I just downloaded second life but, before I play I need to know a few things...
First, is the whole game of second life free? Like, do you have to buy a membership to get certain stuff? (If so, what things?)
Second, is that voice changer thing worth getting?
And third, well, is the game really worth getting in all?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Paying for Second Life is entirely optional. There are only two things you can do with a premium account that you can't do with a basic (free) account:

1) Buy mainland

2) Get technical support if something goes wrong.



You can buy currency (with paypal or a proper grown-up credit card - not with a giftcard or prepaid card) if you want to,, and that will allow you to buy things that other people have made, or rent land to have a home. US$1 is worth about L$250.



If you choose to remain a basic account AND not to buy currency then you will not be able to have a home, and you will need to "buy" freebies only (clothes, hair, skins and anything else you may want). There are a lot of freebies around though, and many stores offer free gifts, so it's fairly easy to do that.



The voice changer is pretty expensive and it's not very good. Everyone will be able to tell you've changed your voice and will make the automatic assumption that you are the opposite sex to your avatar.



It's worth getting in if you're prepared to invest a little RL money into it. Ten bucks now and again is more than enough.

Answer 2

Second life is free to everyone, you can gain Linden Dollars (L$) a in world currency buy adding a payment source like paypal, but many people who have been playing for years never pay for money.



The purpose of money is to buy/rent things as you do with real life currency. You can buy/rent land, which you have control of and use as a place as home, somewhere to do business or a public location. You can also buy lots of things, like clothing, skin, body shapes, cars, houses and much more, have a look at http://marketplace.secondlife.com/ for a good example of what you can get.



There are things you can get without using lindens, but they are limited, however as second life is mainly a social game there isn't any reason you have to them.



You can also 'earn' Lindens by people paying you, there are many SL jobs or you can sell your creations.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Guide_to_Jobs_in_Second_Life



If you decide to buy lindens, the exchange rate is around L$260 per 1 USD, not including Fees, and you can also transfer Lindens back into USD, so it is possible to make real life Money from Second life.



There are two types of account, basic and premium.

The benefits of premium are:

* Ability to buy mainland

* 512msq of free land or a Linden Home

* 24/7 Technical support

* L$300 weekly to spend as you like

You can still buy a island or rent anywhere with a free account.



The inbuilt voice changer can be useful as it is easy to use, however, it is a lot of money and not very good.



There are some much better voice changing software on the internet, some free and some for purchase, that is more authentic sounding.



Second life is worth the time put into it, with or with out money people can have lots of fun, and even earn a little pocket money if your willing to put the time in. It is more a social universe with the ability to explore, shop, roleplay in 3D and be whoever you want and meet people from all around the world!

Answer 3

Second Life Premium