Virtual Islands Pricey, Too

 

It will now cost you more to purchase your own digital island paradise in the limitless Second Life world, raising questions about how a company should apply real life rules in the virtual realm.

For the uninitiated, Second Life is a massive multiplayer online world, akin to Electronic Arts' (ERTS) The Sims. Players explore an endless, sprawling 3-D virtual world in which their Internet avatars live, interact, purchase land, set up shop and even (possibly) make money.

Property is the one resource that is controlled by San Francisco-based Linden Lab, the creator of SL. While businesses are earning revenue by selling fabricated goods or advertising in the virtual world, Linden's main source of income in SL is from the sale of space on their computer servers.

On Oct. 29, Linden Lab wrote in its blog that "due to ongoing investments in developing and maintaining the underlying technology of Second Life, Linden Lab is increasing prices for new private island sales."

Linden Lab said that the one-time purchase cost of a private island would rise to $1,675 from $1,250. In addition, owners would be assessed a monthly land maintenance fee of $295, up from $195.

In other words, new subscribers would face an annual cost, including the one-time island purchase fee, of $5,215. That means new "land" owners will pay $1,625, or 45.2%, more per year than previous subscribers.

TheStreet Premium Services    For Personal Service: 877-471-2967

Jim Cramer
Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS:
Trade right alongside a Wall Street pro — enjoy access to his Charitable Trust portfolio and be sent trade alerts BEFORE he makes a move. Learn More
New: ETF Profits
ETF Profits:
Get money-making ideas from the hottest investment vehicle on the planet. Our experts show you how to play various ETF sectors to help pump-up your portfolio. Learn More
OptionsProfits
OptionsProfits:
Get 50+ trade ideas a week from the industry's top options experts. Plus — exclusive commentary on market trends and essential trading tools. Learn More
Doug Kass
Real Money:
Our team of professional Wall Street Pros — including Jim Cramer, Doug Kass, and Nicholas Vardy — delivers intelligent analysis, timely trade ideas, and colorful commentary. Learn More
Stocks Under $10
Stocks Under $10:
Break into the market with small- and mid-cap stocks... all $10 or less! David Peltier tells you exactly which low-priced stocks he's buying and selling. Learn More
To begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Dow Jones S&P 500 NASDAQ 10-Year Note
12,890.46 1,351.95 2,927.23 20.47
Oil *
118.75
UP
6.51
UP
1.99
UP
11.37
UP
0.72
10 Yr
2.05%
SPDR Gold
168.02
+0.05%
+0.15%
+0.39%
+3.65%
Data delayed 20 minutes

Top Stories and Tools

Brokerage Partners

After the Bell

Before the Bell

Booyah! Newsletter

ETF Daily

Midday Bell

TheStreet Top 10 Stories

Winners & Losers

We respect your privacy.
Podcasts

Connect with TheStreet