A plot of land that you can call your own. A couple of thousand square feet of untouched soil, trees and all, where you can let your imagination run wild.

A dream come true, right? Well, sort of. This is “virtual real estate.”

And you can’t even visit ityet.

So, naturally, if there’s real estate to be had (even if it’s virtual), people will pop up to buy and sell it. And real money is being exchanged. Second Life — a virtual world that. The second big way real estate generates wealth is by providing regular payments of income. Generally referred to as rent, income from real estate can come in many forms. SL Real Estate Mogul (name kept concealed to protect this person‘s identity) has sold over $500 million lindens worth of real estate – which works out to be approximately $1 million in real life currenty – for this reason alone this makes real estate the number one paying position in SL. This significantly reduces the tax burden on the money you do make, giving you one more reason real estate protects your wealth while growing it. Each year, on the residential real estate you have. This all adds to the reasons why Second Life is probably the best known of all virtual world games where you can make real money. Pros Some of the advantages you might get from playing virtual world games include the entertainment value, the potential for learning and development, the chance to sample new experiences, and the social aspect.

Genesis City is a plot of virtual land, roughly the size of Washington, D.C., that investors can buy slices of for obscene amounts of money. Even a simple 1,100 square foot plot can go for as much as $200,000, according to Bloomberg.

This bizarre bubble market was born from the promise of a VR future. Ray Kurzweil has predicted that, in a matter of years, physical workplaces will be a thing of the past, replaced by virtual ones. By 2020, virtual reality and augmented reality are predicted to rake in an estimated $162 billion in revenue. So, naturally, if there’s real estate to be had (even if it’s virtual), people will pop up to buy and sell it.

The company behind Genesis City, called Decantraland, had its initial coin offering (ICO) in August of last year. The company offered interested buyers a chance to exchange their MANA (their own cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain) for virtual “LAND” (parcels of 1,100 square feet each or 10 by 10 meters). Its ICO raised a whopping $26 million in just 30 seconds from private investors, enthusiasts, and VR companies. Like all cryptocurrencies, there’s a ledger for the marketplace as the “LAND” changes hands.

Decentraland has ambitious plans to flesh out Genesis City and turn it into a (virtual) metropolis. The community of landowners is already discussing mixed zoning and entertainment districts like Vegas City, an area dedicated to gambling (nothing has been programmed yet, but, hey, they have a constantly-changing map!).

Eventually, users will be able to “go to a casino, watch live music, attend a workshop, shop with friends, [or] start a business” in Decentraland via a web browser or VR headset, according to its official site.

It all feels very much like a well-organized, crowdsourced game of Sim City — except that investors would hate if you called it a game. Instead, in forums on Github, Slack, and Reddit, potential users are already calling Decentraland a platform, not a game — it’s something you build on top of, and can basically be anything (it’s not a 3D space with a story built around it as a game would be).

Oh, and real money is being exchanged. There are real stakes, and no guarantees that LAND-owners will ever see a return on their investments. Or even get to visit that expensive LAND — there’s no stated date when Genesis City will open to the public.

That hasn’t stopped people from forking over truly mind-blowing amounts of cash. Back in January, a plot of LAND went for around $2,000. But just two months later, prices shot up to over $175,000 for the same amount of “land.” And like many other crypto-based get-rich-quick schemes, early adopters were rewarded with very handsome returns on their investment through reselling their own plots. Commercially-zoned plots in particular were generating large sums of money; central, “high-traffic” areas(again, no one has visited) going for close to $150,000 according to Bloomberg, bought by credit company Rivio.

To put those prices into perspective, Second Life — a virtual world that promises to give its users a second chance — sells private plots of 256 by 256 meters for just $600.

As with any blockchain-based exchange, the value is determined by scarcity, and desirability. There’s a set amount of LAND, and every couple of hours or so, it’s being bought or changes hands, suggesting there’s still plenty of momentum. But there’s no telling what will happen to the market once the last plot of LAND is bought.

The real gamble isn’t on Genesis City, on Decentraland, on cryptocurrency, or even really on real estate. The question at the heart of this preposterous bubble is: will people really be hanging out in VR?

Based on the enthusiasm and sheer amount of money being invested here, perhaps the gamble isn’t such a bad one, after all.

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This page includes a helpful compilation of unofficial guides about HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN SECOND LIFE.

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THE USUAL DISCLAIMER: like 'real life', there are more opportunities than can possibly be summarized. There's no such thing as a single formula that works for everyone, but certainly actions worth doing and learning from. Also, unless otherwise stated, these resources are not approved by Linden Lab. We can't guarantee they'll work for your personal experiences and aren't responsible for any risks — if you have success, great! Be sure to thank the guide author(s), and consider sharing your own tips.

Please improve this page with guides you've actually found useful, but don't add any spams/scams/splogs or vague lists without applicable advice; they aren't welcome.

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Ways to make Linden Dollars

The Linden Dollar (L$) is Second Life's currency. Real-life money can be exchanged for L$ (keep reading!).

Here are some of the more popular (not the only) ways to make L$ in Second Life:

Receive your weekly Premium Account stipend - Learn more
Buy L$ on LindeX
Play linden earning games - Land owners enable players to earn linden by hunting for coins and gems, fishing and other games
Get a job - A diverse variety is available, and includes:
- Buy and sell land - Virtual real estate
- Create and sell content - Clothing, gadgets, etc.
- Participate in referrer/affiliate programs - Verify they're legit
- Host and perform at events - Gameshows, rock concerts, etc.
- Sell information - Write/proofread manuals, provide consulting, teach classes — Torley did this
Win prizes at events - By playing a game, luck, etc.
Fill out surveys - Verify they're legit
Sit on camping chairs (generally, a slow, ineffective, and likely net-loss process)

In short, the breadth and depth of options is comparable to your first life. Perhaps even greater, because many things, like the cost of construction materials, are cheaper (prims are free!) in Second Life. A wise general principle: look for unmet wants & needs and fulfill them! If you do or learn valuable skills in real life, you may be able to profit from them here, since your abilities are transferable, e.g., if you're an art student, start sketching clothes.

In addition, more well-established 'real-world' companies like some of our Solution Providers are hiring for positions in Second Life. Roles like Community Manager, Virtual World Evangelist, and others are becoming more popular. Keep your eyes out for jobs that leverage Second Life's unique opportunities, and be aware that the skills you learn inworld could be useful outside of SL, too.

And remember: Second Life, like soylent green, is made of people. REAL PEOPLE!!!!

How To Make Money In Real Eatate In Second Life