SL20B Official Guide & Magazine

Publisher and Graphic Designer

Trouble Dethly

Writers

Cajsa Lilliehook

Hayden Rowley

Mrs Sassypants

Taylor Wassep

Wendz Tempest

Photographers

Geena Carminucci

Grant Valeska

Hayden Rowley

Mrs Sassypants

Sie Cloud

Synful Aeon

Taylor Wassep

Trouble Dethly

Uglyduxling

Wendz Tempest

Copy Editors

Cajsa Lilliehook

Xandrah Atheria

Special Thanks To

Strawberry Linden

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Philip Linden, Founder of Second Life

V isionary L etter

From the desk of Patch Linden

As we celebrate two decades of Second Life, we find ourselves on the cusp of a new era, brimming with endless possibilities. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I extend a warm welcome to all our readers, old and new, as we embark on a journey to explore Our Fantastic Future of Second Life.

When Second Life was first conceived, it revolutionized the virtual world and created a platform where dreams could come to life. It allowed us to connect, collaborate, and create in ways previously unimaginable. Like a brush in the hands of a visionary artist, Second Life became a canvas where anyone could imagine and paint their own reality.

Twenty years later, we stand in awe of the remarkable communities, experiences and achievements that have unfolded within this vibrant virtual world. Second Life has not only weathered the test of time but has continued to evolve, adapt, and inspire. It has become a testament to the resilience of human ingenuity and the power of shared imagination.

Our theme for this anniversary, "Our Fantastic Future", encapsulates the spirit of optimism and limitless potential that has driven Second Life forward. Just as Walt Disney envisioned a world where dreams come true, Second Life continues to be a place where dreams and reality are reimagined, realized and acted out. It is a world that is ever changing, where we can push the boundaries of what is possible and shape our destinies.

In the pages that follow, you will encounter

stories that showcase the journeys of individuals and communities within Second Life. From breathtaking virtual landscapes to cutting-edge technological advancements, each will offer a glimpse into the boundless future that lies ahead. Through the power of reality, virtual reality, immersive experiences, communities and communication, we will explore how Second Life is still poised to reshape the way we live, work, and play.

As we embark on this momentous occasion, I wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our Residents for bringing this world to life, creating memories, communities, content and forging connections that transcend this virtual world, and for making this place a tapestry of inspiration and discovery. I would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated team behind Second Life. Their unwavering commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and fostering a vibrant community has propelled our virtual world to new heights.

Together, let us celebrate the past, embrace the present, and envision the future. Join us as we embark on an extraordinary adventure through the looking glass, into a world where the only limits are those of our own imagination.

Walk in our Residents’ shoes. Your World, Your Imagination. It all started with a prim.

Welcome to the Second Life 20th Year Anniversary Celebration and Magazine: Our Fantastic Future!

Yours truly,

The Vision & Future of Second Life

With philip rosedale and brad oberwager

Photography by Geena Carminucci, Sie Cloud and Trouble Dethly

Why Second Life?

Linden Lab founder Philip Rosedale ' s vision for Second Life was to create a virtual world where individuals could interact, create, and experience a wide range of activities and experiences. He aimed to build a platform that would allow users to express themselves, connect with others, and explore a usergenerated virtual environment.

Philip saw Second Life as a virtual world that goes beyond gaming and offers a platform for social interaction, commerce, education, and more. He believed that virtual worlds could have a profound impact on society, enabling new forms of communication, collaboration, and creativity.

To Philip, Second Life was meant to emphasize resident empowerment and the concept of user-created content. He did not want to build it himself – that would defeat the purpose – rather he provided tools and a framework that allowed users to build their own virtual environments, create virtual objects, and shape Second Life according to their imagination and needs. In this way,

Second Life became a pioneering platform for creator-driven innovation and selfexpression.

20 years on, we still believe that this remains at the heart of Second Life and is the reason why we remain the vital and active community we are.

The Next Generation

In early 2020, Brad Oberwager, a longtime friend of Philip, became the new owner of Second Life. Brad had heard of the magic of Second Life from Philip for a long time ( mostly during the 14-hour drive to Burning Man each year ) . A serial entrepreneur, Brad saw not only the vibrant community and robust economy of Second Life, but also a future that would continue to embrace the vision Philip defined 20 years ago as our real lives become more and more enmeshed with our virtual ones. Brad saw an incredible opportunity for virtual worlds and Second Life in particular, and is committed to supporting Second Life ’ s growth and continued success for years to come.

THEHISTORYOF SECOND LIFE

Adaptation, Mutation, and Evolution: The Natural History of Second Life

Written by Cajsa Lilliehook

A perfect fact about Second Life™ is that the original idea of it was a place for people to observe the evolution of plants, animals, and land formations over the passage of time. Philip Rosedale thought people would enjoy logging in to watch evolution in action in a virtual world. But then they dropped a box.

In the beginning was the prim and the prim was with form and the form could be altered, textured, joined, and transferred. The prim is the alpha and omega of Second Life. When the decision was made to allow users to drop objects into the world, to alter and manipulate them, the founders introduced adaptation and mutation and sparked a revolution as SL™ became a living thing, an organic community

that took off running in dozens of directions all at once.

Describing this serendipitous turn, Leviathan Linden said, “As soon as we added the ability to drop objects into the world and manipulate their transforms, shapes, and textures, we realized user-generated content was far more interesting than watching a digital ecosystem.” Rosedale’s vision of an ecosystem in which people could enter and move about it persists to this day. The body of Second Life, the architecture, the browser, the software, evolves with the guidance and expertise of the Lindens while the Residents push, prod, and pull, creating mutations that, if successful, are eventually incorporated into the body. Natural selection of the code.

It is surprising to learn that when Leviathan first came to work with Rosedale, they were working on something completely different. A physicist, he wanted to focus on instrumentation, designing circuits that capture and measure realworld data via software and data, such as how well a program functions. Rosedale was working on haptics, creating sensory perception through software. Just think what a Second Life potluck would be like with Smell-o-Vision. His specific focus was on developing devices to track hand and head motion inside computer simulations. Leviathan joined him as an engineer. Linden Lab and Second Life did not exist yet.

A week after he started, Rosedale mentioned he was thinking of making a virtual world that employed the haptic devices. A year later, they stopped working on the devices and focused on the software for the virtual world. You could say “and the rest is history,” but it isn’t. Between the idea and the execution came a series of consequential decisions that made Second Life a platform like no other. And it just keeps changing.

Leviathan added that Second Life was launched as an unfinished project that continues to change and update; in other words, it evolves. Inara Pey, a Resident and blogger who attends Town Halls and other Linden Lab events to report back to her readers, also pointed out that SL is able to adapt and evolve so effectively because it was launched in an unfinished state.

Inara noted that Second Life is organic in its nature. “It is not a “finished product” neatly shrink-wrapped and sitting on a shelf demanding consumption. It is constantly evolving, sprouting new shoots, be they technical enhancements, social activities, ability for self-expression, opportunities for personal engagement in different communities.”

From Left to Right:

Inara Pey, Truth Hawks, First mesh duck uploaded by Runitai Linden, Strawberry Linden and Zaara Kohime dancing in 2009, Strawberry Linden and Zaara Kohime in 2008 (prior to Second Life having shadows and Strawberry enjoyed learning how in Photoshop)

Second Life’s growth depends on three separate, but equally important groups. The Linden Lab employees who maintain, enhance, and govern the body; the creators who paint the lands and people of SL, and the residents who give it meaning. The following thirteen people provided their insights into Second Life and its history. One thing to remember when considering their roles, Lindens may be employees, but they are also residents, so are creators. Everyone, no matter their title, is a resident at heart.

Alexa Linden is the Director of Product and has been an employee since 2007.

Lindens are a family of smart, creative and passionate people. We challenge each other, we have each others' backs and we laugh and celebrate our wins. We want to do everything possible for our Residents, for Second Life and for the long term viability of virtual worlds. It's a tremendous amount of work and responsibility and we do it because there is nothing like Second Life. It changes lives and for me, it gave me my resident and my Linden family.

This is part of the secret sauce that makes Second Life zing. (And not the infamous hot sauce new employees are forced to try.) There is a foundational commitment to change. There is a willingness to make leaps of faith and subvert orthodoxies of social media and gaming in the creation and continuation of something that is not one nor the other, and not exactly a hybrid. Second Life is uniquely itself.

User-generated content is, according to a variety of 2022 and 2023 headlines, the wave of the future. They haven’t been paying attention. UGC was heretical twenty years ago when Rosedale and his colleagues

at Linden Lab made the extraordinary bet that they could make money on what users made and sold. Their decision to allow users to retain their intellectual property rights was revolutionary and preceded this “wave of the future” by decades.

It is not just that Linden Lab allowed people to create content and sell it and cash it out for real money. It is that nearly all content in Second Life is usercreated. Yes, the Linden moles build regions and Bellisseria is Linden-made, but nearly everything you see in Second Life was made by a Resident. Can you imagine opening the door to your world and telling the people

to go make it real? Most of the business and tech world was aghast and unbelieving.

If people in the world of gaming were gobsmacked, think of the poor bank officers. Mami Jewell of AZUL recalls how no one understood how she could get an income from creating for Second Life. “I'm in Japan, so I needed to receive US$ of income through Paypal and had to give a big presentation to the Bank about SL, since the Bank officer didn't believe that I get money from the virtual world...it's a funny and old story for me, it makes me smile. As people around me had no idea how my 'job’ is, how to get income, I always needed to explain or hesitate speaking about my job.”

Helena Stringer of The Stringer Mausoleum recalls a similar difficulty explaining her work.

“In the beginning, one of the biggest differences I found was just trying to get people to understand what exactly I did. Trying to explain micro transactions before the phase was even common, or that game money turns into real money. With the change of the internet, the gaming industry and internet celebrities who specialize in games, it is now more acceptable. Even if people don't always understand the explanation.”

Zaara Kohime, the clothing

Callie Cline has been a model, clothing designer, and currently designs the breedable KittyCats. Callie joined SL in 2005.

I LOVE seeing the imaginations of others, and it’s very inspiring to me, which is one reason I LOVE the SL Birthday Celebrations. Seeing what others create is so, so, interesting! For me it comes down to the people, and the interactions with them in “person” or via their art and creations. Every resident is a creator of sorts in that they have to make their Avatar which is crazy when you think of all the choices that went into that!

Callum Linden is a Principal Engineer and has been an employee since 2004.

From Left to Right:

I still remember my first day at the office on Second Street and being astonished by (a) how smart everyone seemed and (b) how kind everyone was. I felt that I had it in me to raise my kindness level a notch but wasn’t sure about the smarts… To hear how passionately every single person at the Lab cared deeply about our residents and how everything they did revolved around making their in-world experience more enjoyable was inspiring.

Mami Jewell, Helena Stringer's First Store, Callie Cline, Helena Stringer 2008

creator, noticed that COVID seemed to legitimize working in Second Life. “People from very different job profiles started to work from home and continue to do so. Unintentionally, the concept of a Metaverse gathered mainstream public interest and awareness which also gave more legitimacy to my job as a creator. It became easier to explain to friends, accountants, banks and other authorities, and I'm very proud to be able to say I’m a creator for Second Life!”

Truth Hawks, of Truth Hair, recognizes what makes SL a success for its creators. “Being an SL creator is such a unique job because you have total creative freedom. There are not many platforms, if any, where you can create whatever you like and sell it without going through a moderation system. You are your own boss, you can set your own hours and work as much or as little as you want. Like any real job success comes down to how dedicated and interested you are in your field. SL creators probably spend more hours working for profit but for me personally, the trade off is worth it for ultimate freedom.”

Most people who have never opened an SL browser think of SL as a game and games are where users’ money goes to die. The idea that users could make money, real money, more than

From Left to Right: Advertisements of first set of hairstyles from Truth Hair in 2007 with model Haedon Quinn of Calla Hair, ZAARA first store

pocket change amounts of money, was inconceivable when SL began. It took an extraordinary leap of faith on the part of Linden Lab to free its users to create things that belonged to them and not to the Lab. But this was not the only decision to cause folks to wonder what was happening on Linden Street.

Callum Linden gives a hilarious example of the contrarian ethos of Second Life. “When our legal counsel, Ginsu Yoon, responded to a Second Life parody site with a strongly worded ‘permit & continue’ post instead of the more normal ‘cease & desist’. He

wrote ‘Linden Lab objects to any implication that it would employ lawyers incapable of distinguishing such obvious parody.’ — just one example of how our amazing exec team functioned and made us all so proud.” Though one has to wonder whether permission takes all the fun out of parody.

This also created a nonhierarchical and open work force. According to Alexa Linden, “Lindens are a family of smart, creative and passionate people. We challenge each other, we have each others' backs and we laugh and celebrate our wins. We want to do everything

Draxter Depres is a documentary filmmaker whose “Our Digital Selves” still is shown at film festivals. He has a weekly broadcast and is best-known, perhaps, for his “Makers” series. Drax joined SL in 2007.

SL is fresh to me every single day as a documentary maker.

I am just fascinated by people who get this spark when they’re presented with a blank piece of paper and a bunch of unlimited crayons. So I enjoy examining what drives people, what is the intrinsic motivation to become an artist or to embark on this creative endeavor. What does it do to alleviate issues? Does SL creativity help you to reflect on things? So this is my calling now, and that makes me log in every single day. It never gets old at all because every person is different, every story is different and these stories need to be told.

Zaara Kohime is the Owner/Designer for ZAARA, a high-fashion clothing store with Indian flair. Zaara joined SL in 2007.

I think it’s unbelievable what humans are capable of when you give them tools and freedom. With whatever tools we are provided there will always be that one person that will use it in a completely different way and redefine that product category. It’s amazing that it still happens, every year in the past 20 years.

possible for our Residents, for Second Life and for the long term viability of virtual worlds. It's a tremendous amount of work and responsibility and we do it because there is nothing like Second Life. It changes lives and for me, it gave me my resident and my Linden family.”

Most of the rest of the world does not understand that Second Life is not a game. We are Residents, not Users. We are in a shared space, not multiple iterations of one space all over the world. When a sim is full, it doesn’t spawn a duplicate to enable more people to come “play” there. It’s fullyou have to wait - and because this is Second Life, the land of work-arounds, more than one Resident has created a scripted HUD to teleport you in as soon as there is an opening.

We who are Residents have an

attachment to Second Life that probably baffles anyone who has not spent time in our world. It’s because Second Life is more than the flora, fauna, sounds, and physically-realistic winds. It’s more than a community, but instead a community of communities that is wholly rooted in the human connection that is fostered in Second Life.

Alexa knows the value we Residents add to Second Life. “Second Life is the longest running and most successful virtual world of all time. Plenty of competitors have tried to recreate what we have with limited success. Why has Second Life beaten the odds? Because of our Residents. You’ve made Second Life your home, your passion, your place to create and troll and dream and love and fight and vibe. Second Life is more than just a game, or a computer program, or an online community. It's where we've found ourselves and our

families. It's where we've become our best selves or a different version of ourselves.”

The recognition that Residents are creators interacting and changing Second Life with their creations is vastly different from appreciating users who subscribe to an app. Callum Linden describes how, even on his first day, that ethos is endemic to the Lab culture. “To hear how passionately every single person at the Lab cared deeply about our residents and how everything they did revolved around making their inworld experience more enjoyable was inspiring.”

Residents profoundly influenced the development of Second Life. It’s not just that they make clothes and hair, but also that they make enhancements so significant that Linden Lab eventually acquires and incorporates them. A recent example is Linden Lab purchasing CasperTech, the company created by Casper Warden to automate rental and sales tracking for landlords and store owners. CasperTech products were so ubiquitous it made sense for the Lab to acquire it. Similarly, MarketPlace supplanted a user-created marketing platform.

But equally important were some of the decisions made by the

Helena Stringer is the Owner/ Designer of The Stringer Mausoleum and part of the Second Life Syndicate Events team. Helena joined SL in 2007.

As a creator who also blogs, I feel like SL has always helped me push forward, kept me from going stale. While my products are an artform for me, having a creative goal pushes me along. I sort of fell into an interesting niche with my main product focus. With not many others catering to what I do, I find it a fun challenge. How many Mohawks can one girl really have? Well I might not totally know, haha, but I can certainly try to help overload you with them!

From Left to Right:

Runitai Linden home work station circa 2008, Alexa Linden calendar, Alexa Linden

Inara Pey is a chronicler of Second Life, writing about her sim travels, events, art galleries, performances, and explaining updates and changes in Second Life in clear, easy-to-understand terms. Inara joined SL in 2006. Curiosity has been my primary driver, from curiosity about content creation (and learning to build in-world, to wanting to learn more about art in SL (notably after the founding of the Linden Endowment for the Arts, which was one of my first real wake-up calls to the extent of the arts communities in SL), through to curiosity about exactly *how* all the disparate parts of SL work (at least to the best of my limited abilities) and so on.

founding Lindens. We should all be grateful that Second Life preceded Facebook, Twitter, and all the algorithm-driven social media. Imagine if instead of exploring on our own, we were barraged with “Regions You Might Like” and “This Store Matches Your Shopping Habits” toasts every five minutes. SL is blessedly free of activity drivers beyond the completely voluntary Destination Guide. It’s an oasis in a frenzied world. It is unimaginable that Second Life would adopt an algorithm to direct us to people we might like, groups we should join, and stores we should spend our money in. All of that seems antithetical to the ethos of

Second Life. Perhaps because the Lindens experience Second Life themselves, it remains an environment remarkably free of behavioral drivers.

For a time, the corporate world thought Second Life would be great for business. They could have meetings in-world, but mainly they thought they could build regions promoting their company and its products and they would be teeming with visitors who would go out and buy their product. They believed that people who watched television with their fingers resting on the

fast forward button would voluntarily embed themselves in an advertisement. They left almost as fast as they came.

Drax thinks that is a good thing. “But in terms of the evolution, I think in hindsight, it was a good thing that corporations didn't get SL during the hype days. And that they left because that forced the evolution of SL, I think, into a different path, more of servicing the individual creator and the individual entrepreneur or, you know, the small business people.”

“Walk in our residents’ shoes,”

Patch Linden stated as a sort of mantra guiding Second Life development. Perhaps that is why Second Life is so incredibly free. “The true soul of my work lies in the community itself the diverse and passionate Residents who call Second Life home. Residents' stories, dreams, and creative endeavors form the very essence of what makes Second Life what it is. I am continually inspired by our Residents' ingenuity, artistic expressions, and unwavering, passionate enthusiasm. My team takes great pride in fostering an environment that encourages Resident involvement and feedback. To understand, we must walk in our Residents' shoes, and this mindset ensures the relationship between Linden Lab and the Second Life community is the core of our success and empowers our decisions. I value the insights and ideas shared by Residents, as they play an integral role in shaping the future of Second Life.”

Alexa highlighted one small, but grid-changing example. Prim size was limited to 10m. If your dancefloor was 40 m long, you needed at least 4 prims. That adds up quickly when you only have 512 prim capacity on your parcel. A resident figured out how to create a larger prim, the

Leviathan Linden (also known as Andrew Meadows) is a Senior Software Engineer and was working with Philip Rosedale on SL at the very start. His official start date was Dec 1st, 1999.

My experience working at Linden Lab and on Second Life has changed significantly over the years. In the beginning it was exciting and new: we were a nimble start up trying to create a minimally viable product before we ran out of money. Eventually we acquired paying customers, became profitable, and encountered scaling issues...at which point a primary concern became: How to grow or upgrade the service without it falling apart?

This continues to be an important aspect of my work at LL/SL now.

Mami Jewell is the Owner/Designer for AZUL, the fine clothing store. Mami joined SL in 2007. Since playing SL doesn’t have a specific goal, I think each resident can have its meaning, own goal or interest. People have been showing ideas, making various communities, schools, creations, and growing them up, including economic activity just like society in real. And SL / Linden Lab has been supporting those activities with updating its system, that’s the reason I never felt SL is old.

From Left to Right: Draxtor Despres, Patch Linden, Alexa Linden with Whirly Fizzle, Mami Jewell

megaprim! Suddenly everyone was building with megaprims to make bigger builds with fewer prims. She added, “they exploded across the grid. With the rolling out of mesh in 2011 we finally raised the max prim size from the original 10m to 64m. Megaprims completely changed how all of us built Second Life and they came from a resident.” And they existed because Linden Lab gave people the freedom to adapt to work around the limitations.

Zaara credits that freedom for her success in SL. “I think it’s unbelievable what humans are capable of when you give them tools and freedom. With whatever tools we are provided, there will always be that one person that will use it in a completely different way and redefine that product category. It's amazing that it

still happens, every year in the past twenty years. We will always find a way to express ourselves to its maximum potential. My own brand {Zaara} focuses on traditional Indian clothing and often are difficult to execute in Second Life because of their unstructured flowy silhouettes. I always like a challenge, given some of our technical limitations, and finding a workaround keeps me driven.” Helena finds constant inspiration in those challenges, “I feel like SL has always helped me push forward, kept me from going stale. While my products are an artform for me, having a creative goal pushes me along. I sort of fell into an interesting niche with my main product focus. With not many others catering to what I do, I find it a fun challenge.”

Another example of what

seemed wildly dangerous at the time was Linden Lab’s decision to release open-source viewer and server architecture. People in the media who did not understand Second Life assumed that people would go off and create their own SL; they thought Linden Lab was giving away the store. In Callum’s words, “People also thought we were crazy when we open sourced the Viewer codebase at the start of 2007. Forecasts of the “End of Second Life (again)” abounded and gloomy predictions of unfixable exploits resulting from source code inspection were published. Of course, all of that did in fact happen … to some extent at least but we prevailed and the net result has been and continues to be a massive win for the Viewer code quality, bug mitigation and feature enhancements.” Yes, people did host their own

regions and alternative viewers were created, and that only served to expand and enhance Second Life. Linden Lab didn’t have to worry that someone using their software would create a competitor because the value of Second Life is not the code. It’s the community - the people making, buying, dancing, building, decorating, riding horses, surfing, sailing, skiing, playing soccer, and meeting and befriending other people. That’s what Residents value in Second Life. No one, except maybe in the Lab’s headquarters, exclaimed “what a pretty piece of code.” But thousands have fallen in love with ChouChou.

And what might we expect in the next decade?

Patch waxes poetic. “Like a grand stage, Second Life became a platform where people could shed their real life and embrace avatars as a form of self-expression. From the brushstrokes of artists to the musicians, from virtual architecture to fashion, every corner of our virtual world is alive with the energy of our Residents’ ingenuity. Second Life’s community continues to inspire. It is a testament to the enduring power of connection, the unyielding resilience of the human spirit, and the ability of a shared virtual experience to foster self-exploration, creativity,

Patch Linden is the VP of Product Operations and has been an employee since 2007.

To work at Linden Lab and be a part of the Second Life experience is being immersed in a world of endless possibilities. It demanTo ds creativity, adaptability, and a deep appreciation for the connections we make within Second Life. Working at Linden Lab and being a part of the Second Life community is fun! It is an experience that keeps me going and gives me a deep sense of purpose. Not a day goes by without having felt like I’ve learned something new.

Runitai Linden is a Senior Software Engineer and has been an employee since 2005.

From

Left to Right:

Zaara Kohime, Zaara Kohime couple photograph, Zaara Kohime and prim, Callie Cline recent photograph, Callie Cline from the past

I don’t think I ever want to work anywhere else. This is a place where we get to build something that is genuinely a positive influence on people’s lives. I firmly believe that Linden Lab puts the wellbeing of Second Life residents above profits. It’s written into our guiding principles that we walk in our residents’ shoes and consider how what we do will impact them, and that’s not something I’ve seen from other companies.

collaboration, and profound relationships.”

Callie thinks it will “be around as long as people are connecting and creating together. I have relationships that span 17 years here! It’s hard to believe. I’ve met some people in person and some who have left SL, I still am in regular contact with.” For Mami, Second Life will always remain fresh. “Since playing SL doesn't have a specific goal, I think each resident can have their own meaning, own goal or interests. People have been showing ideas, making various communities, schools,

creations, and growing them up, including economic activity just like society in reality. And SL / Linden Lab has been supporting those activities with updating its system, that's the reason SL will never grow old.”

How can Second Life grow old when it isn’t even finished?

As Leviathan remarked, “I still view SL as an unfinished project. Unfortunately when adding new features or fixing bugs we don't want to break existing content, and that becomes increasingly difficult as the complexity of the system increases, and as the software foundations of the service grow

old and require updates … It is my goal to continue to expand the Second Life feature set, and fix the bugs, to make such interactions easier and even more rewarding.”

How can Second Life be old when according to Forbes, the Metaverse is the Next New Thing. Truth pointed out that the Next New Thing is twenty years old, “As the topic of Metaverse broadens and becomes mainstream I hope SL can become part of that discussion. SL has achieved a lot of what is being pitched as brand new or not in existence yet, but we’ve been living it for the past two decades.“

Drax agrees, pointing out that Second Life has had a cultural impact larger than its objective size. While it may not be surfing the zeitgeist, its influence continues rippling below the waves. “And that's what SL will continue to be doing: having a huge impact unbeknownst to the mainstream .… You see the attempt to create new worlds, you know, new generation virtual worlds with headsets, some without, they did not gain traction .… But I think one reason why SL is still here and why it will go many, many places is because there's a secret sauce that includes a non-algorithmic basis that does not manipulate

the individual to engage in certain things. People can do whatever they want. And that's the future. And that's also the past. It is old school values of individual agency coupled with communal thinking.That kind of freedom is what it represents…”

What do people want in SL’s future? Callie wants it to keep growing organically. “I’d love to see it grow stronger as a community of diverse humans across the globe, which is creative, generous and kind. Where people seek to add value, rather than just extract value.” Of course, everyone

Strawberry Linden is the Senior Social Media Manager for Linden Lab. She joined the Lab in 2019. She is also Strawberry Singh, a blogger who often promoted a sense of community and camaraderie with her blog challenges and videos. Berry joined SL in 2007.

Till this day, I continue to login to my Resident account whenever I feel that creative itch and shoot a quick image or goofy dance video, and it gives me such satisfaction to take a break from “work” and share a piece of me with the world.

Truth Hawks is the creator/owner of Truth Hair and the monthly event Uber. Truth joined SL in 2007.

wants faster and better technology, but Inara thinks “Second Life is on the right track: the continued overhaul and updating of the platform in terms of both simulator and viewer capabilities, building on the move to a cloud-based backend infrastructure, etc., can only benefit Second Life both in terms of its overall capabilities and in terms of its attractiveness and ability to continue to offer the broadest possible appeal to potential users.”

Like most of us, she hopes there will be more Residents securing SL’s future.

I’ve been creating in SL for 16 years and I still love it! SL content is a reflection of RL trends so there’s never ending sources of inspiration. I’ve been lucky to have a really supportive community who have been cheering me on along the way so that is a huge motivation. When you see people enjoying your products and you have become a part of their SL it’s a rewarding feeling. I’ve always loved being able to communicate directly with my customers…it’s amazing when you chat to someone who still has your items in their inventory from 15-16 years ago!

From Left to Right: Truth Hawks, Helena Stringer

Broadening the appeal of Second Life, attracting and retaining more Residents has been a chronic puzzle. Inara also notes that the complexion of Second Life’s Residents is changing. At the beginning, SL attracted the risk-takers, the innovators, the leading-edge early adopters. Now, she notes “In more recent years, we’ve been traveling the curve of the early majority and across the threshold into the late majority - people are either more settled in their expectations or more conservative in terms of their outlook and expectations, and more insular. By this I mean that whereas in the earlier years people were more willing to to roll their sleeves up, muck in, and *make* the things they wanted to do happen, those coming into SL over the last

eight years (ish) are more “consumption oriented”; they want to partake of, or join with things that already exist, rather than start building or founding them for themselves and others.”

She points out that this is a natural evolution in all parts of life. There are leadingedge people and trailing-edge people. They all have their place in the world.

“Your world, your imagination,” has long been the Second Life motto. It could as well be your world, your heart. The friendships fostered in Second Life have lasted over the decades of its existence. Residents have met up in real life, becoming friends and, sometimes, lovers. Many

people have found their life partners in Second Life. A couple who met and married in SL named their first child Linden to recognize the role of SL in their lives.

Callie Cline, who designs the breedable KittyKats, explained how Second Life remains fresh after all her years in-world. “For me it comes down to the people, and the interactions with them in “person” or via their art and creations.” Speaking of breedables, from flowers to chickens, Kats, and horses, breedable creations are passing down ‘traits’ and spontaneously mutating, bringing a speedier version of Philip Rosedale’s initial vision of modeling evolution full circle.

People in Second Life do not

leave the real world behind. In fact, sometimes they tackle real world problems in Second Life. There is probably no greater example than Relay for Life which has raised over $5 million for the American Cancer Society in the past nineteen years. There is also the annual Hair Fair that raises thousands of dollars for Wigs for Kids, a charity helping children with alopecia or who are going through chemotherapy. Natural disasters such as the typhoon in Southeast Asia and the earthquake in Japan also have prompted fundraising events.

People have come together for more personal reasons, from

dental implants to down payments. When beloved creator Squinternet Larnia was dying of cancer, people raised over $10,000 for alternative treatments and home health care so she could stay at home as long as possible. People recently raised money to allow a woman to move out of Missouri after they passed oppressive anti-trans legislation that would make her life untenable there. For reasons large and small, people have helped each other and not just financially. People have helped SL friends find jobs, pick outfits for real life events, and just been

there to uplift their friends through their joys and their sorrows.

Runitai Linden thinks referring to the “Second Life community” obscures a more important reality. “I don’t think there is a singular Second Life community, but many communities within SL. Some communities thrive for a time then dwindle and eventually die out or relocate. Some become these continuous institutions that seem like immutable pillars built against the bedrock of our world. But many, many more are the kind of genuine community that happens

From Left to Right: Callie Cline and her cats, Draxtor Despres, Patch Linden

when no one is trying to make it happen. It’s difficult to put your finger on it, but I think we all experience those moments in SL where we turn around and realize that certain people on our friends list are among the most important people in our lives, and we’re not exactly sure when that happened, but there it is.”

Second Life brings us joy and sometimes breaks our heart. When we risk, we are not always rewarded, but the rewards are worth the losses. We make friends, many become friends who will be in our lives whether SL continues for another twenty years or not. We love and lose people, to circumstance, to drama, to sickness, and to death.

"And like the “real world,” our friends leave us. And then we’re left alone for a time that always seems to be entirely too long. We explore, we create, and we make some friends. Then one day, we realize these friends have become something more, and here we are.

I don’t know when exactly that happened, but here I am."

Runitai Linden

A Linden and Mole Bear Tea Party: A long time tradition, each Linden and Mole has made their own bear. If you see a Linden or Mole in-world, be sure to ask for theirs, and collect them all!

From Resident to Linden: In Strawberry's Own Words

In 2007, a friend introduced me to Second Life. Little did I know that the goofy avatar name I chose when signing up would become an important part of my identity in both my online and professional life. Now, not only is it my career, but it has become an indispensable part of my life. The connections I formed within my first year kept me logging in almost daily and the platform itself fostered my creativity. Even now, every morning, I wake up ready to see what Second Life will throw at me.

My first days were spent mostly socializing and getting to know the community. Slowly, I realized what an incredibly

creative space it is, so started my journey into fashion and lifestyle blogging. For years this was a hobby that gave me the opportunity to scratch those creative itches and helped me develop my personal and professional skills while connecting with other members of the community. Some of my most memorable blog posts are the weekly blog challenges, like when I asked people to walk around with the Flat CEO of Second Life or share their shape numbers. I was then asked to also create some tutorials which started my journey into video blogging.

Still, Second Life continues to color and shape my creative

journey, and I'm forever humbled by our inspiring community. Now as an employee, I get to feature and encourage their creativity, just as they did mine.

When I was hired by Linden Lab in 2019, having been a Resident for a dozen years, one of the biggest challenges I encountered was how the community treated me now that I was an employee. I still find it difficult to manage this at times, but working at Linden Lab has shifted my entire outlook on what it really means to be passionate about one's career. The people I get to work with every day are nothing short of amazing. Each of them is passionate about the

world that we have the privilege of stewarding and care deeply about the welfare of the community.

The first week I was hired, Oz Linden teleported me into a meeting with around 50 to 60 other Linden employees. I was so incredibly nervous when he introduced me. Then, he cracked a joke saying how I was there to style up all their avatars, causing the entire room of Lindens to break out in laughter, including myself! That one moment made me feel like I was home, a feeling that has stuck with me after four years of working in this unique culture we have at the Lab. I truly believe that being a Second Life Resident and working at Linden Lab has profoundly shaped who I am today.

Till this day, I continue to login to my Resident account whenever I feel that creative itch and shoot a quick image or goofy dance video, and it gives me such satisfaction to take a break from “work” and share a piece of me with the world.

In my opinion, Philip Rosedale is a true visionary. I am in awe of his ability to conjure up, then bring to life, a world of creative expression. His vision for an open sandbox has given countless individuals an outlet to genuinely express themselves in ways that may not have been available to them in the physical world.

The future of sl

a sneak peak from the desk of the toosl office

Written

by

Hayden Dethly

Photography by Hayden Dethly, Sie Cloud, Taylor Wassep and Trouble Dethly

It is hard to believe that Second Life® has been with us for two decades. Throughout these years, we have witnessed so much change in this virtual world that it is interesting to look back and see how far it has come.

From layers to sculpts, from sculpts to mesh, to bento, to animesh, to bakes on mesh (BOM) and so on... Whether you are a long time resident who has witnessed each evolution, or maybe you joined last week, it is impossible to deny the uniqueness of Second Life.

It is a place of creativity, a blank canvas, a world where you can do anything you dream of and live the way that you want. Unlike many other games, our metaverse is completely built by its residents. There is no limit to creativity which is why it has remained relevant for twenty years and continues to flourish.

Reminiscing about the early years is just as important as looking into the horizon for the future. Twenty years is a monumental milestone, and with this momentum it is incredible to imagine how much more Second Life will evolve. Wanting to know more about the future of SL, we reached out to some of the people behind the magic of our beloved virtual world.

Keep reading to find out what Patch, Grumpity, Mojo, StyFy and Brett Linden have to say about Second Life as well as a small look into the future of it!

I'm excited to see how Second Life will continue to evolve as a platform that brings people together in meaningful and authentic ways. In the physical world, it can be challenging for people to find like-minded friends who share their niche interests and passions, but Second Life has already emerged as a welcoming gathering place for thousands of micro-communities. Where else can you find furry wrestling, mermaid role-playing, and post-apocalyptic art exhibits? I hope that both Linden Lab and the community continue to work together to help newcomers more quickly discover and connect with these wonderful (and sometimes wonderfully weird) communities.

I am really intrigued by how Second Life will evolve as our virtual lives move even closer to our real lives. For instance, the breakthrough when our real world facial expressions and body movements align directly with our in-world selves. It’s hard to imagine given how amazingly beautiful the current graphics are, how much more amazing they will become as technology continues to improve. Will we start to see truly virtual vacations? And, of course, as we are able to access our virtual worlds more broadly across our full real world lives – such as through our phones. Will a Second Life Mobile redefine social media into a virtual world-centric platform? I can’t wait to see!

Our world is a shape-shifter ing from serious to blink of an eye, making amateur tinkering ation in the same space. amazed at how closely profound depth coexist future is where we engaging with these natures of Second perience - for those here, as well as for It will come in the form forms - like mobile, whatever else fitsevolution of technology experience. But most ly, it will come through boundaries of imagination er-created world.

As we ApproAch second Life's 20th birthdAy And Look bAck into whAt hAs mAde this virtuAL worLd so gre At, we cAn't heLp but wonder whAt's next. whAt do you see As the future of sL?

Brett Linden VP of Marketing Grumpity VP of Product

StyFy Linden Chief Marketing Officer

shape-shifter movto irreverent in the making room for and flawless crespace. I’m always closely silliness and coexist in SL. The make the path to these complimenting Life easier to exthose who are already for Residents-to-be. form of more platmobile, VR, web, and - as well as in the technology and user most importantthrough pushing the imagination in our us-

It's been an amazing honor to participate in helping chart the future of Second Life. It's an amazing achievement that it has stood the test of time. I believe that's in large part because it's not static and continues to innovate. There are so many exciting developments coming over the next few years. Mobile in particular I believe will be a game changer for the platform. Our embrace of Khronos standards and full GLTF support I hope will be welcomed by the creative community and make it even easier to create and build on the platform. The launch of PBR materials and mirrors is going to bring even more beauty to already amazing virtual worlds.

Virtual worlds are social platforms, and as time moves forward I feel that incorporating ways to stay connected within Second Life on our new mobile app will be key to how we realize the benefits of being able to share our experiences and creations more broadly. Second Life has also always been known for its extensive user-generated content. In the future, we will have improved and more robust capabilities for content creation, allowing for more diverse and engaging environments created by Residents.

Grumpity Linden Product

Patch Linden VP of Product Operations

Mojo Linden VP of Engineering

GRUMPITY linden

Over the years there have been several virtual worlds that have come and gone, what sets Second Life apart?

It would be hubris to say that we know the magic formula, but several aspects are key to the amazing longevity of Second Life.

Content: We are truly a user generated world, which means that our residents are our partners in making it amazing. Early on we embraced this idea philosophically, and creators really do own the rights to their creations, which led to a meaningful model of both intellectual and financial incentives to innovate.

Economy: Our business model assumes that in order for us to be successful, our residents need to be successful, and this helped keep us on track through many twists and turns of the past 20 years.

Community: No company could come up with the vibrant array of interests and activities within Second Life. All we can do is make the space for people to bring their true selves, their hopes, imaginations, and creativity - and watch the fireworks.

Freedom: Despite having grown up and matured from the wild west of 20 years ago, Second life is still a place of free expression and exploration. Accepting and welcoming a diversity of interests and cultures still sets us apart from many other attempts at a virtual world.

At this current time, is there anything you can share about what we can expect to see in the coming year? Like some sort of roadmap of future plans for 2023/2024?

Of course! I know we are all excited for the advent of a mobile viewer for Second Life. We tried, at various times over the years, but this is the first time

I see an app that I truly believe will deliver the essence (though not the full featureset) of SL to a mobile phone. We are expecting to make a beta version available before the end of the year.

We’ve been working on several new features that are going to be dropping really soon, including a new onboarding experience with an easier way to customize your (new & free) mesh avatar. We will continue work in that direction, so that avatar customization is not such a daunting task when you’re just starting out.

There has been a lot of work done to improve graphics performance, reduce lag, increase FPS. As the first of PBR materials work drops, we look forward to seeing what creators will do with them. I can’t wait to have reflection probes (mirrors by another name, really) out on the main grid! The next phase of work to fully support GLTF is already on the way, and we are so excited for the moment when we can put these easy creation tools at your fingertips.

We are working on upgrading your experience on the web. Land ownership, Events, Destination Guide, and of course Marketplace are all on the list. There are also a lot of things on our roadmap that you may never notice. Upgrades, compliance with new laws & regulations, stability, performance. The results of this work are often not glamorous, but it is half of what keeps SL going 20 years from its tumultuous and improbable start and will keep us going for the next 20.

Longer term, we would like to continue expanding Second Life’s reach to meet our current and future Residents on the platforms they use. We plan to expand tools for creators and customizers, simplify the way for new Residents and expand the possibilities for those of you who’ve been with us for a long time.

Mojo linden

Second Life has been around for 20 years now and it's quite impressive how it has maintained graphic quality and performance. What have been some of the challenges of keeping SL 'up-to-date' with modern hardware and keep it running smoothly as technology advances and changes?

It is a huge challenge to keep a code base that is 20 years old healthy and maintainable. A fair amount of our engineering effort goes into updating existing systems to work on updated platforms. The migration from our own data center to AWS was a huge and difficult undertaking that we have only begun to take advantage of. Many systems have been rewritten more than once and even have been ported to new languages. Databases have been upgraded. All in all there is so much that goes on that is never seen to keep Second Life in good health.

Along with all that is unseen, there is so much we want to do to give our residents new experiences and features. We look at the innovation and progress in graphics in particular and want to make sure Second Life is the place you will look your best!

What is the ETA for the Mobile App, and how relevant or useful do you think it will be to draw new users to SL?

Mobile is a big project and we hope to have a beta to share by the end of the year. It's an ambitious project, so we are taking it in stages and think it will be ready sometime next year to help us acquire new users. I certainly believe that it will help bring Second Life to a much wider audience of people who perhaps don't spend much time on their desktops. I also think it will drive engagement for us all who aren't always near our PCs to keep connected.

PATCH LINDEN

Second Life is built on the premise of "your world, your imagination,” where almost all content is entirely user created. How profound of an impact has the contributions from the Second Life community been in the growth and continued growth of Second Life?

Contributions from the Second Life community have had a profound impact on the growth and continued success of Second Life. The community’s creativity and innovation are at the heart of what has driven the development of diverse, immersive, interactive experiences that we can all enjoy today. Our Residents have been nothing short of remarkable, breathing life into the pixels that propel Second Life, from grand celebrations to intimate gatherings, from virtual marketplaces to bustling clubs, the Second Life community has contributed to imagining every nook and cranny of Second Life. Our Residents have infused the world with creativity, diversity, and a strong sense of community, making Second Life a thriving and engaging platform for our users.

Recently, there have been many strides made in regards to content provided from Linden Labs. What else can we look forward to with avatar improvements, the future of Linden Homes, Community Hubs and the New User Experience?

We are on course to release the new user starter avatars and we are beginning to do

work on continuing to enhance the avatar customization options in Second Life, offering more advanced features, shapes, wearables, accessories, animations. There will also be new technologies to enhance the capabilities of what we have today coming from the GLTF work being done.

Linden Homes will also continue to be at the forefront of our roadmap to provide updates to the current homes along with new, interesting, innovative architectural styles, environments, and landscapes that will offer Residents the opportunity to live in even more diverse and immersive settings.

We hope that Community Hubs will be bustling centers of camaraderie and connection! We envisioned these vibrant spaces as the heart and soul that will foster communities and become immersive, interactive, environments pulsating with life. You may be able to engage in captivating events, revel in live performances, discover hidden treasures, and forge new friendships as the Community Hubs become tapestries of shared experiences and encounters.

A reimagined New User Experience awaits, meticulously designed to guide a new user gently into Second Life. With intuitive, interactive tutorials, Resident helpers and greeters, along with a nurturing environment, a new user will embark on their journey of discovery with confidence and delight.

styfy linden

As vast as the Second Life community is, there are still those who are unfamiliar with this platform. What can we expect and look forward to in terms of the future of Second Life marketing to make Second Life more widely known to people outside of this genre?

One thing we know is that our best asset for building and growing our community is through our existing residents and communities. We will continue to leverage this strength to find and bring new residents into Second Life. We also know that it can be challenging to transition into being a resident –learning how to build and manage your avatar, finding other residents with shared interests or passions or experiences that especially excite and engage our residents. You will see a lot of focus on helping new residents acclimate and get connected as well as enhanced partnerships to bring new and exciting experiences and events in-world.

Brett linden

With other games doing collaborations with brands, artists, influencers, etc. Is there a possibility of Second Life having their own established entertainment partnerships?

The heart and soul of Second Life will always be with community-created content so we will continue to support and amplify the experiences and creations that organically emerge from the Second Life community. However, there are also opportunities to augment that with some external creative energy - particularly if it helps us bring in people who might not otherwise think about trying out Second Life for the first time. For example, some of the biggest growth spurts in Second Life history came from the early gold rush days when entertainment properties and brands initially experimented. For example, as a news junkie I joined when I heard that CNN and Reuters had bureaus inworld - that brought me in initially but then I stayed because of the larger Second Life community of home-grown creators and experiences.

Over a decade later, the entertainment industry is now a bit savvier about how to build and manage in-game and inworld experiences - so we are excited to see how they might re-approach Second Life with a more sophisticated and informed perspective. We’ve already seen some companies and entertainers giving Second Life a second look - and you’ll see some established brands and well-known entertainment properties in the near future.

THE evolution home and decor of An editorial

editorial piece detailing the advancements made in homes and interior design in Second Life.

Written by Wendz Tempest

Photography by Wendz Tempest

You’ve created an account, you’ve assimilated your avatar to the wonderful world of Second Life® , you might have even customized your look and given yourself a name or maybe a backstory. But something is missing - something close to the heart, so to speak.

You are in need of an abode, a starting point, a fixture of fixation, somewhere you can lay your head at night. Somewhere you can nest in. You need a home, and what a time to own a home in this part of the metaverse!

Fellow residents, we have come a long way in realizing and creating our dream home in SL®, from prefabs to unfurnished fabs, to furnished pads! On a mountaintop, in the deep ocean, on the beachy shores of some tropical regionthe choices and destinations are many and catered to your specific taste and need. Mermaid coves, bright and shining castles, Manhattan skyscrapers, a bottom of the ocean submarine, a sim-

ple hut in Bali, on a boat, on a ship, your own private island and even a neighborhood created and maintained by the Linden Moles themselves… Our imagination and Second Life’s innovative tools are at our fingertips. And this is where we begin.

Let us reminisce about our homes of the past, back to when the basic prim was our first building block and when the words “slice,” “taper,” and “hollow” meant something that wasn’t culinary-related. Twenty years ago, we could not have imagined the breadth and scope of the home and garden explosion that we are now experiencing. We knew so little about the technicalities and logistics of using our viewer to create these spaces; it really was on a prim-by-prim basis. True to its nature, however, our community of diverse residents, using its collective genius, began the tremendous task of learning the ‘curve’ of our given toolbox, creating the spaces and worlds we have always dreamed of. Our own world, within worlds.

Why prims and sculpties still matter

The relevance of sculpts and prim based building is still prominent across the grid. We still defend the necessity to learn how to create through Second Life’s built-in tools. We have erected schools, universities, and communities dedicated to its utilization and yes, craft.

In 2022, Next Level Living - Second Life held a contest for The Most Beautiful Home, and the winning entry was created by resident Erik Kayo. Kayo’s home was one which was predominantly built using honest-to-goodness prims and sculpties. Kayo’s current project, Punalu’u Resort, is set to open this summer and features beautiful homes that are of the same vein, taking much of its inspiration from the black sand beaches of Punalu’u, Hawaii. Each home in Punalu’u is also a testament to Kayo’s talent and knowledge of using and implementing advanced lighting and materials using texture, bumpiness, and specular mapping.

Innovation using 3D building tools

On August 23, 2011, we welcomed an entirely new way of building in Second Life. Up to this point in time, a resident’s primary source for building had been from the viewer itself. The following quote taken from Madeline Blackbart of the New World Notes blog gives insight to the advent of mesh and the utilization of third-party resources:

“If you think about it, building with prims could have been a difficult task, but they gave us easy to use tools. The problem isn't mesh, it's that Linden Lab didn't build a mesh editor into the client.

[I]t wouldn't have to be as good as Blender, just good enough to let entry level people create basic to intermediate things. Would it be so impossible to have an editor with primitive shapes and allow them to be merged and extruded? That at least would get people farther than they are now."

(Source 2019 Madeline Blackbart NWN Blog)

Fast forward to post-pandemic times, and we are seeing an influx of housewares and homes, most of which are now designed and created outside of SL. Content creators, both new and veteran, have honed their craft using 3D software such as Zbrush, Maya, 3D Max and Blender as well as Substance Painter and Adobe Photoshop, paying very close attention to details such as LOD load (Level of Detail) and high- to-low resolution textures. Residents are now able to customize and personalize their spaces, their homes, and their worlds.

Have a date, but need space? You’ll be happy to know that gone are the days where poseballs rule the day. Animation engines have advanced to fully timed sequences with seamless transitions, making your interactive experience a true moment in your Second Life. Have space, but need all the things? Most housewares available in the current market are designed with all aesthetics and styles in mind such as eclectic, classic, modern, minimalism, maximalism, baroque, French country, English country, tropical, and even culturally themed assets.

Reflections of the Future - PBR (Physically Based Rendering)

On April 8th, 2013, the Materials Project Viewer became available for testing for normal and specular maps on objects. With Materials being solely a texture-based property, many homes and items on the market were re-textured and re-marketed, giving residents another layer of realism and depth to the world they experienced. Versalace Homes creates custom builds for both residential and commercial use. Their knowledge and use of Materials are evident throughout each home, where surfaces suddenly come to life. What once was a flattiled floor now reflects nearby surfaces with proper lighting, accompanied by all the gloss and shininess one expects. Granite countertops and marble walls receive the glow and sparkle they so deserve.

Welcome PBR

After many years of hinting and testing, Physically Based Rendering (PBR) is now on the brink of public release. PBR is another tool to bring an aspect of realism into Second Life, mimicking real lighting onto objects and spaces. Where Materials were mainly a texture tool, PBR is a computer graphics approach to lighting. That foggy, smudgy bathroom mirror can finally reflect your beautiful self! The city street light glow, the door handle to your pool house, and the pool water itself will display a never-before-seen sense of realism. PBR is a game-changer for Second Life, and it has been a very long time in coming.

Currently, PBR is only available for beta testing; however, many residents have created tutorials on how this tool will forever change how we ‘see’ Second Life.

What home means to me

It is amazing to see how unique virtual assets such as a small picture frame or vase could have such a tangible and meaningful effect on those of us who enjoy interior design in SL. Decorating, landscaping, and terraforming are gateways to imagining and creating our homes and our worlds.

The advancement of home and interior design in Second Life continues to forge ahead, to bring people together and build communities. Innovating unique and new pathways create the world your imagination dreams of. The grander the scale and the more detailed the environment becomes, the more personal your virtual reality experience truly becomes.

THE evolution fashion of

Written by Mrs Sassypants

Photography by Grant Valeska, Mrs Sassypants, Synful Aeon, Taylor Wassep and Uglyduxling

It is phenomenal to imagine that Second Life™ is celebrating its twentieth birthday this year. As a long-time resident since 2007, it has been quite a journey to have experienced the formative years of this amazing virtual world. Despite the different paths taken by each resident, the adventure began the same for all. From landing on a ‘hub’ then flying and walking from place to place, the early years of fashion on Second Life were marked with clothing as system layers. These were edited using the appearance menu, or if one had not rezzed yet, residents could be found wearing a system layered ‘missing’ textured catsuit. There was a certain appeal to said catsuit; I even remember thinking it looked exceptionally cool. So cool that everyone was wearing it, and I wanted to know where I could grab this item! Those who reminisce about these early days can recall a time where even hair could be edited using that menu, having the opportunity to make it long, short, or spiky with a variety of color options. The early rendition of my avatar could have easily been mistaken for the spawn of the infamous “Ruth.”

If there is one thing Second Life has been known for, it is the endless possibility and the idea of “your world, your imagination.” Store gifts and “Freebie” places functioned as a lifeline for inexperienced players and were often the first introduction to avatar fashion

and customization. There is a level of gratitude that still exists for the creators who left freebies at their stores or designated regions packed with all the items one could wish for to begin a happy and adventurous Second Life. There was such a joy found in going through the copious amounts of goodies to put together outfits that looked fantastic. There were the system layer jeans with sculpty cuffs that residents could wear whilst strutting around with the clicky stilettos and the sexy walk free AO’s. A certain satisfaction was gained in how realistic you could make your avatar look. Satisfied, that is, until the arrival of shoes with sculpty feet that looked far prettier in comparison to the blocky system ones to which we were accustomed. With the evolution of sculpted body parts that were color customizable using the RGB system, avatar creation jumped to a whole new level. Hands that were shaped in numerous ways now afforded avatars an air of elegance. They paved the way for pictures taken in Second Life to subsequently having an added touch of realism. It felt like one could grab our flexi-prim skirts and twirl around with them or, indeed, take our pretty sculpted toes and bury them in the sand whilst wearing our favorite sandals. Little did we realize and know that a new development was upon us that would change how avatars looked in Second Life forever.

Mesh, in its early years, was a huge learning curve for residents and creators alike. Residents found freedom from wearing a sculpt or prim whilst wearing “glitch pants” to mimic the look of a skirt. Though revolutionary to our world of fashion, mesh was by no means perfect. It was still new and required mastery of new software that was necessary in order to create it. With mesh, one could create a whole skirt in generic sizes to fit the various shapes and sizes of avatars in Second Life. The only caveat was that basic shape adjustment skills were required for achievement of the desired fit. To get the perfect fit, new wearable alpha system layers that removed the avatar's body from sight when wearing the clothing items were introduced. The birth of mesh clothing in Second Life was initially met with mixed feelings. Some residents were quite happy to remain using their system layered clothing pieces – a comfort and something with which they were familiar - whilst others totally embraced the evolution of mesh and the re-learning of how to dress and style your avatar accordingly.

Clothes began to look more realistic and aesthetically pleasing, bending and twisting with avatar movement. Never again, when you sat on a piece of furniture, did your flexi-skirt fall through the seat to the floor, leaving you with only your glitchpants showing (which, in retrospect, looked like you were wearing leggings or cycling shorts at the very least). Now, your clothing bent with your body, and avatars were able to sit upon their clothes as one might in real life.

It was just a matter of time before the evolution of mesh clothing transcended to mesh body parts. Those of us who were lucky enough to have experienced this era must remember the introduction of mesh breast attachments, which shot avatar customisation up to another level - one that had not been seen since sculpted hands and feet hit the grid running. Female avatars now had a choice to wear a more appealing bustline, and even better than this, they were re-sizeable, too. This allowed residents the option to be able to choose between a larger or smaller bust and still maintain an attractive outline. Here, we saw the beginnings of what we now know as “bakes on mesh;” however, in this instance, textures were applied to the mesh with a hud. It felt nearly a step backwards in moving forwards with similarities struck between glitch clothing and sculpts of years gone by, but now with the advancement of mesh, appliers and mesh attachments replacing the layers and sculpts. Mesh body parts moved south briefly, enabling avatars to have an almost semi-mesh avatar and then, in 2015, that pipe dream of having a full mesh avatar became a reality with the launch of the first mesh body to hit the Second Life grid.

2017

The introduction of a mesh body was a dream come true for everyone in our amazing virtual world. No longer did residents have to depend on attaching body parts to their system bodies in order to achieve a sense of realism. Avatar shapes could be edited while wearing the mesh body to retain a sense of individualism. Mesh bodies brought along extra bones in the avatar skeleton, called “bento.” This new set of bones gave residents the ability to be able to move in ways that no one in Second Life had ever seen avatars move before. Animation Overriders (AO’s) were now able to have hands that moved, with fingers

twitching. Posing animations could now include avatars playing pianos intricately with their fingers. Second Life had become so far removed and advanced from the world that first met many residents. However, advancement in fashion and avatar creation did not stop there. The more we knew, the more we grew.

Additional mesh body brands appeared on the grid, allowing creators to move away from standard sized mesh clothing to clothing that became rigged and fitted for specific bodies. Residents did not have to rely upon basic editing skills to

achieve a perfect or near perfect fit of their clothing. With rigging, creators were soon able to design clothing and accessories that fit seamlessly with the corresponding mesh bodies. Mesh heads were fast to follow mesh bodies, leading residents to yet another level of avatar fashion and creation – early ones remaining static in style and being able to be styled using appliers of various skins and makeup. Within a matter of a year or so, bento bones also became available in heads, granting residents the ultimate in avatar customisation – the ability to be able to create the face they wanted, in mesh.

The Evolution of the Avatar

From Left to Right

The Default Avatar

The Avatar with Layered Clothing and Sculpts

The Avatar with Mesh

The Avatar with Fitted Mesh

The Avatar with a Bento Head

The Avatar Today

Within a couple of years, developers enabled what residents have come to know as “bakes on mesh,” or “BOM” for short. Mentioned fleetingly earlier in this article, Second Life developers at Linden Lab had now made it possible for everyone to utilize tattoo layers in very much the same way that residents used system layers way back in the formative years of the grid. Skins, hairbases, eyes, makeup, clothing, and tattoos all could be created upon a layer and worn upon the mesh. This method was familiar to longtime residents of Second Life, but it was a whole new concept and learning curve for those who were not on the grid in the early days of clothing layers and sculpted components.

Something new for everyone, though, has been the arrival of Animesh – the ability to have mesh with movement, or animation as the name would suggest. Animesh in clothing, accessories and body parts gives residents flowing mesh capes or earlobes that move and really does bring us up to date with the development of avatar creation and fashion in Second Life. As we move forward, many residents are aware of a new concept that will soon rocket their experience within their virtual world into the stratosphere. Physically Based Rendering, or PBR, will give residents real reflections. With this innovative technology, glasslike surfaces that offer true reflections will enable the avatar to check out just how amazing they look, providing appreciation for just how spectacular the journey of the avatar has been and the moment to marvel at the road that lies ahead.

Happy Birthday, Second Life!

THE evolution MUSIC of

piece regarding the importance and changes in the music community in Second Life.

Written by Taylor Wassep

Photography by Hayden

Dethly and Taylor Wassep

M“usic gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything,” so said ancient Greek philosopher, Plato - a man so influential in his time that to this day his name graces the form of non-romantic love between friends. For one person, music can be an escape from their troubles. To another, it can be an expression of love and care. And yet for others, music can bear heartache and loneliness. Regardless of the intention behind music, nobody can deny its cultural impact on our global community, which is why it is important that we take time to celebrate the people who both create the music and those who support musical artists.

In our Second Life culture, the music scene has been thriving since the very beginning of our grid’s inception, and we’ve come a long way. Musical performers are no longer limited to a microphone with a poseball, but advancing to this point took years of molding and contributing work into an art form that has near endless possibilities. The music community in Second Life is so vast and so loyal that one would be hard pressed to find residents who haven't been to a concert, club, festival or venue featuring music.

As quickly as the fashion boutiques and social activities arrived on the grid, clubs and venues sprung to life, showcasing again how versatile Second Life was when it came to the creative arts. Throughout the years, a plethora of performances have been found on the grid. From DJ sets to group performances; from tribute artists to music videos; from musical theater to live singers - whatever someone could crave and want to enjoy in their real lives, they could most certainly find here in our virtual world. This June, Second Life will be celebrating its 20th birthday, a milestone with two decades of innovation. Let’s have a look back and see how music in Second Life has evolved during the last twenty years.

Second Life started at the dawn of Y2K, first launched by Linden Lab and led by the astute Philip Rosedale, otherwise known as Philip Linden. Integrated streaming media and performing music rather than transmitting through microphone was pivotal to allowing residents as much leeway as possible for its enjoyment on this digital platform. This idea was further reinforced by Severus Seven, a popular DJ (disc jockey) who streams his sets through the platform Twitch, as well as in-world. Seven believes that the implementation of a music user interface was incorporated for business and creative opportunities.

Instead of singing or blaring music through a resident’s microphone, streaming their sets would make much more sense. It has allowed for clubs and music

venues to have a singular source of entertainment. When live streaming was made available in-world, live singers had no need to worry if everyone listening to their performance could hear them. Streaming in SL expanded residents’ ability to listen to music and share musical experiences with one another. Additionally, streaming artists were able to perform live for those logged into the SL platform while also allowing others not in-world to listen and support them. DJs in Second Life developed their own individual skillsets, personalities, and methodologies. Some pre-recorded their set lists of music and intertwined that with live voiceovers. Others have chosen to mix their setlists live and on the spot, therefore creating an inclusive set which enables residents to feel like a part of the performance.

One of the original goals of Second Life was for the platform to grow into a virtual world in which its residents would possess near total control of what the world would look like. It would be a community created by residents, for residents. It was the hope that people would be attracted to resident-created communities to discover what Second Life had to offer.

Micheal, a virtual and real-world musician, expresses a similar feeling about what draws communities together, especially when it comes to music. For him, the idea of having a “good time” paired with the intrigue of what a virtual venue might be helps create the buzz around musical events.

Creative expression is equally important to the development of a virtual world as it has been to people in their real world first lives. It is no surprise that the rise of music on the grid has flourished into one of the primary attractions here in Second Life.

Whatever avenue a Second Life musician may choose, having the right tools and equipment for the job is essential. Micheal discussed his process for creating and preparing for performances in Second Life. For instance, he hires a musical producer and band to create the arrangements for each of his shows - not only the music aspects, but the backup vocals, as well. Of course, he puts great care into the set-up of the in-world elements, too, such as what instruments might be used to convey a live performance in the real world, along with other elements like backup dancers and staging ambiance. Then, while performing in Second Life, Micheal uses his engineer’s computer to log into Second Life so that he can view the performance using another viewer.

The responsibility and duties do not just fall on just the artists anymore. There are several people working tirelessly behind the scenes to support and promote the artists they enjoy. Micheal touched on the importance of recognizing those who help artists, both in the real and virtual worlds, reminding us that what a resident might see through their screen is seldom what it appears. This is true, also, for the multitude of other performances in Second Life that deal with music in some form. Communities working together to lift up these talented residents has been a constant theme ever since the beginning of Second Life. The community of musicians and music lovers, alike, is the backbone for a lot of performers here in Second Life. There is a role for everyone who wants to take part, including band members, managers, crew, and more the communal aspect makes it a living and thriving entity.

It would be remiss if the whirlwind story of Keiko Takamura were not mentioned in regard to the evolution of music within Second Life. Takamura is a musician featured on an episode of MTV’s show, True Life. In the episode entitled, “I Live A Life On The Web,” Takamura shows a peek into her life as she pursues music with the help of Second Life. Just one aspect that the show touched on during Takamura’s segment is performance anxiety. With the help of Second Life, Takamura was able to build her confidence and pursue her music, not just in Second Life, but in her real life as well. That is just one of the many examples of residents taking what Second Life has offered to achieve their dreams.

In summary, the ideal of unity within the music community is not limited to any singular area within Second Life. It permeates every pixel that Second Life has created for us. It is the vehicle that helps any resident achieve anything they put their mind to. In Second Life, an appreciation and love for something like music can grow from hobby to career, flourishing on this platform. As we look to the future of music in our virtual world, the possibilities are endless. We just need to allow our imaginations to fly, like Plato told us.

Happy Birthday, Second Life!

OFFICIAL EXHIBITOR GUIDE AND MAP

This year ’ s Birthday theme is Our Fantastic Future. The cornerstone of this idea is what we would define as eco-futurism including sustainability, a focus on our environment, and the next generation of our world. Some might call this science fiction, but what is science fiction except a dream for a possible future? In Second Life we build worlds. Our worlds, our way.

On June 23rd, the 20th annual Second Life birthday celebration ( SL20B ) will be held from June 22nd to July 11th. The following is a guide and map to all the fantastic community exhibits.

For more information on how we are celebrating, please visit the following links:

SL20B Opening Day Post

https://second.life/sl20b

Destinations Category

https://secondlife.com/destinations/sl20b

Second Life Birthday Calendar

http://second.life/birthdaycalendar

SL20B Music Fest Schedule

https://second.life/sl20bmusicfest

Shop & Hop Link

https://second.life/sl20bshophop

SLB Alluring

VELVET THORN FEMDOM COMMUNITY

New Frontiers

Skin - then and now - Images By Calli

SL20B Exhibit by lMondayl

SL20B Exhibit A301

SL20B Exhibit by Irish Breen

Topless Sailors Cruising Club

Triniza the Elven Banquet

SL20B Exhibit by Jazzimus Maxwell Get the Freight Out!

SL20B Exhibit by Rogue Nightingale The Water Slide

Let's choose our Future! By Bella, Dreams and Vita A Higher Spectrum

Victoriana & Co Free Community Forget ME not

SLB bREATHTAKING

SL20B Exhibit by Khepi Silvius

-

When

Asian Pacific Heritage Festival 2023 Boystown Titchy's Dreams @ the Amazing SLB20 Expo!

Conversation of The Sea Conservation by Marcel Mosswood

PLUSIA ON THE ROAD* BY MAREA2007 PRAGA

SL20B Exhibit by Aywin

SLB CELEBRATE

SL20B Exhibit by Wordsmith Jarvinen

Aeropunk Sky Pirates Coalition

Ganymedean Gardens

SL20B Exhibit by Beatriz Tierbal Gor

Toxxnews - SL20B - Avatar's EVOLUTION

SL20B Exhibit by RainbowSails

GYC

The Feline Conspiracy - C.A.T. Augmentation

Progeny Vampire SETITES CLAN RP at SL20B

WAARHEID:

Moya

A-MAZE-ING

Caledon

Tour SL20B Exhibit by Mana Heartsong SL20B Exhibit by angelaThespian

A Town Called Short Leash Vaw

DOMINA Sanctuaire Femdom INMERSIVA Teapot

SLB FABULOUS

SLB IRRESISTABLE

SL20B Exhibit by DragonAngelvs

FEMDOM COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Mad Hatter Tea Party

SL20B Exhibit by artik72

House of V and Noxia

SLB OUTGOING

Epic Center Exhibit

SL20B EXHIBIT: THE MONARCHS

SL20B Exhibition - Nana Saenz

SL20B Exhibition - Andreajonesms Resident or Andrea Jones

SL20B Exhibitor Showcase

Heaven's Keep

ionic : La fiesta del pueblo

Cyber Photographs in SecondLife Special Exhibit

LONDON JUNKERS TSUKUYOMI CHASHISTSU

SLB SPECTACULAR

SLB TRIUMPHANT

The tapestry of time

Moles are a pest in our first life, but a boon in our Second Life. The Linden Department of Public Works has made our roads, our railroad, our oceans and sea, scripts, and even our default avatars.

Who are the moles you may ask? Residents, they are Residents. Linden Lab made a decision twenty years ago to trust its Residents to create content not just for their stores, but also for the “ public square. ” the shared environments of the Mainland and other sites.

But did you know the moles have also recorded our history?

The Tapestry of Time is the natural history museum of Second Life highlights, accomplishments, and other noteworthy events. It is a collaborative effort by the entire team with the facts curated and written by Abnor Mole, and the build created by Ancient Mole.

• The very first avatars were made out of primitives.

• Linden Dollars as currency was introduced towards the end of 2003.

• Buying and renting Land was introduced paving the way for land ownership to become a business model.

• Linden Lab established the policy that residents would retain intellectual property rights over works they create in-world.

• The Second Life Particle System was first introduced in Viewer 1.1 in October.

• The first private Estate was “Cayman“. A separate region just off the mainland.

• The first Second Life wedding was the marriage of Charlie Omega and Lynnix Muse, officiated by Shebang Sunshine.

• Luskwood was founded. The first widely known Furry gathering area.

• The First private island for resident auction was Avalon.

• Uploadable character animations were introduced which resulted in avatars dancing for the first time.

• The Ivory Tower of Primitives was created. It is a tribute to teaching residents what can be built in Second Life.

• Tringo (made by Kermitt Quirk)became a major gaming craze in Second Life, and was later licensed outside of Second Life

• The first Linden official blog post was made by Philip Linden on October 4, 2004 on the first Official Second Life Blog.

• The Second Life Turns One Year Old Event was held and celebrated.

• The first Second Life Time Capsule was opened and Philip Linden held a Speech.

• The first resident to rez a large Skyscraper and hold a party on a private island was Maxx Monde.

• Direct Teleporting was introduced and most Telehubs were converted to Infohubs.

• Fullbright textures were introduced.

• Second Life reached 100K residents.

• With the 1.4 release, avatars gained much in the way of personalization through the use of resident-created poses, animations and Animation Overriders.

• The Teen Grid first opened to the public.

• LindeX currency exchange is opened.

• The Second Life Railroad (SLRR) began construction on the Heterocera Atoll continent, initially using Linden track infrastructure and five resident created stations.

• The First Second Life Community convention was organized by FlipperPA and Jennyfur Peregrine, and took place in New York.

• HUDs (Heads up displays) were introduced.

• On October 18 at precisely 8:05:45 PST, the 1,000,000th Resident joined Second Life.

• Flexible prims were first introduced. This led to Flexi-hair, Flexi-skirts and Flexi-tails.

• The first group continent walk across the grid was led by Hamlet Linden.

• Suzanne Vega performed in August 2006.

• The band Duran Duran established their own Second Life presence and began work on the “Duran Duran Universe,” A four region artistic experience that remains inworld.

• Anshe Chung featured on the real life magazine cover of Business Week.

• For the third Second Life Birthday celebration Lethe Naumova created a Time capsule which includes items from 2006.

• The magazine WIRED featured an article about making a living in Second Life.

• The SL Client was open sourced in January.

• Windlight was released on April 2nd in Viewer 1.19.1 allowing residents to create stunning skies, atmospheres and water for their regions.

• Sculpties were introduced to the grid.

• Voice chat was introduced August 2nd 2007 in Viewer 1.18.1-2

• CSI:New York created a virtual experience in Second Life. Produced by the Electric Sheep Company.

• Simon LeBon wrote a song about Second Life “Zoom In” , released this year on the Duran Duran album “Red Carpet Massacre”.

• The first country to open an embassy in Second Life was the Maldives, followed by Sweden.

• Writers, Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary did a virtual interview in Second Life.

• Media on a Prim was introduced to the grid.

• Scripting performance enhancer Mono was launched.

• The LDPW was created. Commonly known as Moles today, they are residents hired by Linden Lab to create various things around the grid.

• Bay City was the first LDPW project; a planned themed community and opened for viewing on May 8th.

• Philip Rosedale announced his stepping down as CEO, and introduced new CEO Mark D. Kingdon (M Linden) one month later.

• A majority of the Linden Highways and Waterways were created.

• The second themed community built by the LDPW, Nautilus City, appeared in the form of about 80 regions located between the continents of Nautilus and Satori.

• Linden Lab acquired two Web-based marketplaces for virtual goods, Xstreet SL and OnRez. This was the basis for Second Life Marketplace.

• The adult rated ‘Zindra’ continent launched.

• The Linden Memorial Park was created, consisting of twelve regions of parkland to contain memorial builds for residents of Second Life who have passed away.

• In a partnership project between Linden Lab and a resident sailing group, a large area of ocean was developed with sailing related content such as themed islands and undersea deeps.

• For Second Life’s 6th Birthday in 2009, the Teen regions were moved over to the Main Grid, and were attached to the birthday regions.

• The ‘Teen Grid’ version of Bay City was attached to the west of the existing main grid city.

• Ludo Merit created the time capsule for the 6th Second Life birthday, which was a rotating asteroid.

• Jack Linden announced “Mesh Import Beta Starts Today” on the preview/test grid called Aditi.

• The Teen Grid closed.

• Linden Homes were launched, offering premium residents a choice of pre-made home using their 512m2 land allowance.

• Mark Kingdon stepped down as CEO of Linden Lab. BK Linden announced that Rod Humble (Rodvik Linden) became the new CEO of Linden Lab.

• The LDPW pursued a program of improvements and expansions on the SLRR, the SL railway network on the Heterocera Atoll continent.

• Viewer 2.0 was released.

• Linden Lab launched the new Second Life Forums.

• The LDPW developed inland seas areas within the old continent of Sansara with themed content, Mare Secundus and the Sea of Fables.

• Mesh was released on the grid starting a whole new phase in content creation in Second Life.

• Linden Lab launched the new social web profiles, web based profiles.

• Linden Realms was released. featuring 12 regions forming a mysterious island.

• Following the closure of the Teen Grid, its continental landmass united with the main grid early in the year to form the so called Sharp continent. The LDPW overhauled the region’s aging roads and infrastructure.

• Linden Lab introduced the Basic mode in Viewer 2 to improve new Resident experience in Second Life.

• The Second Life 8th birthday time capsule was a rabbit coming out of a hat.

• Pathfinding was rolled out across the grid. This provided a set of functions to enable the creation of the semblance of intelligent movement.

• A lush jungle environment called The Wilderness was created spanning six regions, for Premium residents to use as a social hang out.

• The LDPW created a string of islands on the NE coast of the Satori continent, called the Lilliputian Isles, with their content scaled to ‘Tiny’ dimensions.

• The 9th birthday time capsule was a birthday cake.

• A box office located at the end of a mainland highway in Pyri gave access to a lonely funfair island named Pyri Peaks. However, when residents traveled the Tunnel of Love they got more than they bargained for and were transported into forgotten catacombs riddled with perils and puzzles.

• The Materials viewer was released, enabling residents to add normal and specular maps to their creations.

• The Grid Hunt was an interactive game created by the LDPW. It was a hunt across the grid involving clues and prizes, dealing with puzzles and perils along the way. It included locations both on mainland and inside experiences. The hunt involved our hero Magellan, began from a hub located on a lonely iceberg and was where we first learned of the evil Doctor Talpa.

• The 10th Second Life birthday time capsule was a flower.

• Ebbe Altberg joined Linden Lab as CEO.

• Linden Lab announced a limited beta test of an exciting new tool for creators called Experience Keys.

• Linden Lab updated Second Life’s default avatar options with 24 brand new mesh avatars.

• The LDPW created the Portal Park. A gateway hub as a central location giving access to all the LDPW games and experiences.

• The LDPW created the Halloween Ride where residents can access a spooky ride in a coffin through a halloween house and creepy asylum down to what lies beneath.

• For the Winter holiday a four region winter themed experience called Winter Wonderland was created. It included snowmobile rides, ice skating and snowball gun fighting.

• LDPW created a horror experience based in a cornfield.

• Meauxle Bureaux, the home of the Moles, was created. This featured a town hall, marketplace, bar and lots of little homes where the moles live, including some of the Lindens!

• The Marketplace became viewer managed.

• Linden Lab announced 16 new classic avatars featuring fitted mesh items, improved style and more performant rendering efficiency.

• A Dr Phil avatar was created for the American talk show host Dr Phil. Second Life was featured on his talk show about gaming and Virtual Worlds. Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg was a featured guest on the show.

• The LDPW created an experience called PaleoQuest, a dinosaur-themed adventure game. The storyline featured the characters of Magellan battling the Evil Dr Talpa.

• Linden Lab released 10 more new default classic avatars to compliment the ones from 2016.

• The Portal Park was given a fresh new redesign by the LDPW. The design was changed to a beautiful, fantasy style, circular build, encompassing all portals to the LDPW games and experiences.

• Isle of View was created, a heart shaped island with a rich red Valentine’s theme. It included ‘hug booths’, ‘dunk booths’ and romantic swan boat rides.

• Linden Lab decided to develop a feature called 360 Snapshots that will make it easy to capture and share 360º images from Second Life.

• The LDPW created Horizons, a sci-fi retro- themed, adult continent on the Mainland, connected to Zindra. Here you can purchase a parcel and live amongst the Horizons community.

• Project Bento was released. This was an update to the Second Life Avatar Skeleton which is what allows Second Life Avatars to move and come to life, as well as enabling the creation of more lifelike and intricate rigged mesh attachments.

• Tyrah and the Curse of the Magical Glytches. In this game/experience, created by the LDPW, Tyrah and the Curse of the Magical Glytches continues the storyline of Second Life’s beloved Magellan, Punky, Tyrah, and introduces a new character, Ruth.

• Several Mainland Info Hubs got updated with new textures, mesh and complete rebuilds.

• The Halloween Haunted Tour Experience opened its doors to another spooky wing.

• Linden Lab gives Premium Members the ability to view 90 days of their transaction history.

• Project Animesh goes into Beta.

• More new and improved starter Avatars were introduced.

• Linden Lab gave Estate managers the ability to enforce parcel access settings across their entire estate.

• Linden Lab reduced Mainland costs by over 10 percent and announced that Premium members now also get DOUBLE the Mainland allotment.

• Second Life’s 15th birthday celebrated a significant milestone of 15 years since the start of Second Life. Birthday builds were created by the LDPW and other resident groups. Events were organized by residents. The theme for this special birthday was crystals, looking into the future.

• Following The Wrath of Ruth, Linden Realms - The search for Magellan was released. It continues the story of Magellan, Tyrah, Punkee and Ruth in a new stunning scenery, improved Rock Monsters and updated gameplay.

• In November, we unveiled the long-anticipated debut of Animesh, which allows independent objects to use rigged mesh and animations. We’re already starting to see some creative ways to take advantage of Animesh.

• The first of several planned Linden Home updates launches today - with the introduction of New Linden Homes - exclusive to Premium members.

• Your new home may be in the mountains, along the shore, or in a rolling landscape of low hills and river valleys, but you’ll also be part of a large community experience, with navigable waterways, a network of roads, and community areas to socialize and have fun.

• Linden Lab announced Second Life’s 16th Birthday. It was an era that - like Second Life - rocked and rolled!

• So, this summer they are throwing a 1950s themed SL16B with a TON of fun events and happenings.

• As of today, the Bellisseria continent holds 16,000 New Linden Homes, with styles ranging from Traditional, Victorian, and Log Cabin to Houseboat and Camper.

• Several new themes are planned for future releases, giving a wide variety of Linden Homes to choose.

• Linden Lab marked Second Life’s 17th Birthday by highlighting one of the many activities Residents know and love: traveling and exploring.

• The Vacation theme of SL17B turns the SLB grounds into a road-trip experience with beautiful and fun sights, while still bringing the same level of music, events, and exhibitions as always.

• Second Life became a haven for people around the globe looking for social interaction during the Covid 19 pandemic, providing a sanctuary for maintaining their sanity during lockdown.

• In June 2021, beloved Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg passed away. Ebbe touched all of our lives in countless ways and his passing was mourned by thousands of residents across the grid and all over the world.

• Linden Lab partnered with Titmouse Studios to host their Hollywood Smash Party in a faithful recreation of their actual studio.

• Thousands of more homes were added to Bellisseria. Stilt homes and Chalet fachwerk houses joined the others and allowed for Bellisseria to grow in a way that completed a long held dream, bridging the gap between the main Second Life continental masses.

• Residents could now walk, run, fly, drive and sail from nearly any place on the mainland to another without teleporting (ban lines and security orbs permitting).

• We released the Linden Home Fantasy theme. It is designed to appeal to residents with a flair for the magical and mystic side of Second Life.

• In the Fall, we launched the Zenescope regions, partnered with Zenescope Entertainment for socializing and fantasy activities. There were several holidaythemed merchandise releases as well from the Fall through the Spring, such as the Valentine pop-up event and the special Halloween outfit variations.

• Throughout the year we hosted several screening events with our friends at FilmThreat. They showcased documentaries, movies, interviews, and For Your Consideration reels in the theater on the FilmThreat region.

• Sakura, a Japanese inspired Linden Home theme, was released. Along with the Shobu community region.

• In March we released the new Linden Home theme, Newbrooke featuring modern container style homes. Along with a brand new community region, “Newbank”, for residents to enjoy and hang out with their neighbors.