Virtual real estate - a passing fad?
For so many years, electronic game makers have tried to create realistic lifelike gaming experiences on a PC. Do you old-timers remember the game Myst? One of the most ballyhooed of these experiences is Second Life , the virtual life experience where people literally live online through characters. What makes it important from a dirt perspective is that Linden Labs and developers sell virtual patches of real estate -- yes, your own little virtual universe -- not to mention all kinds of other items. Some big companies signed on to the idea thinking that it could be a good promotional opportunity. Personally, though I have been a computer junkie for many years, I never got Second Life. I did check out the website but never registered. Maybe I am too old to get it. Or, perhaps that fad -- not to mention Second Life itself -- is peaking . Revenues are down. Even at peak times, with 8,000,000 registrations, apparently no more than 40,000 people are there at once (which I thought was...