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Friday, April 23, 2021

Apps, Consoles and the Future of Role-play in Second Life®

Role-play games are on the rise. Most recently, Roblox, a metaverse gaming platform, is bringing new players to its role-play communities at a fast-growing rate. This may be alarming to other virtual platforms as Roblox hosts over 115 million monthly active users and continues to grow in popularity, continuously beating concurrent player records. Available in mobile devices, consoles and PCs, I can't stop questioning if this plays a big role in their success. To this day, Second Life® residents continue to wait for an official app for both Android and iOS and cross-platform play alternatives are non-existent. Perhaps it's time for the Lab to take a deep dive and refresh their priorities? Imagine playing Second Life® in your console – how amazing.

Truth must be told and residents should also be held accountable. The sexually explicit content in Second Life® is a major road-block for the growth of this virtual world to other platforms and devices, and it's something "local" residents may not be ready to give up on. Having a large impact in Second Life®'s economy, it is clear the adult content in our virtual world is substantial, but there are always consequences to a virtual lifestyle many of us decided to embrace – a prime example is of Twitch, a popular streaming service, prohibiting Second Life® content due to its adult nature. So where can we find a middle ground? Can Second Life® grow to other platforms without sacrificing its adult content?

But hear me out when I say someone in their mid-20s or 30s probably won't find Roblox all that fascinating. The platform's cartoonish graphics has enticed a new and much younger generation of players – 67% of users are under the age of 16 and only 14% of Roblox's users are over 25 years old. Now imagine yourself role-playing with a 15-year-old? Yeah, I don't think so. To this day, Second Life® continues to be my outlet of choice to engage role-play with other adults – and I'm not talking about explicit adult content; just a plain “How do you do?” ending with an exciting and unexpected plot twist. From stunning fantasy worlds to top-notch writers, I believe the quality of role-play in our virtual world is refined and often worthy of a New York Times Bestseller – if the players around you are able to craft a detailed narrative with twists and turns, you get yourself a round trip to an adventure of a lifetime. I'm satisfied, but something is missing: more players and the ability for us to role-play on an app or a console.

It is food for thought. Meanwhile fellow residents, let's us role-play.

If you are looking for a role-play home, I highly recommend to visit the regions listed below. Some are brand new and looking for residents to join and others are currently recruiting new players. Check them out!

Lundy Tudor - Tudor Era Historical Role-play

Realm of Zephros - Medi/Fantasy Role-play 

The Last Dragon - Game of Thrones Role-play

Citadel : The Legion Chronicles - Sci-fi Role-play

Elyona: A New Dawn - High Fantasy Role-play

Norvillian - Gor (Evolved) Role-play

Bosk Horn Wagon People - Gor (By The Book) Role-play

Outpost of Laura - Gor (By The Book) Roleplay

City of Treve and Village of Minus - Gor (By The Book) Role-play

"Searching - Blondes" from Stealthic (L$300)

"Amunet Color #06" Face Tattoo from Nefekalum Tattoos (L$112 - We <3 Role-play Event *April Edition* Includes Unisex Material Enable Face Tattoo in 9 Color Options. Includes Omega, Lelutka Evo and Catwa Materials HUD and BOM Tattoo Layers)

"Althea - Beige" Outfit from Belle Epoque (L$228 for Single Color Pack or L$990 for Fatpack - We <3 Role-play Event *April Edition*. Includes Gloves, Skirt and Top for Legacy and Maitreya. Available in Beige, Black, Brown, Lavender, Mint, Navy, Olive, Pink, Plum, Red, Sky and White)

"Folium Sandals - Gold" from The Forge (L$250. Includes Sandals for Maitreya and SLink Feet. Available in Brown, Silver, Black and Gold)

"Astrid Headband - Gold" from Rainbow Sundae (L$150 - We <3 Role-play Event *April Edition* Includes Headband and Texture HUD with 2 Leather Texture Options, Full Bright Options and Specular Options. Available in Gold and Silver)

"Druid Staff " from Simply Shelby (L$124 - We <3 Role-play *April Edition* Includes Staff in Regular and Small Size Versions with Hold Animation and Texture HUD with 5 Gem Texture Options for 5 Surfaces)

"Control" Pose Set from Fashiowl (L$190 - We <3 Role-play *April Edition* Includes 12 Bento Animations, Scanner and Adjustable Options)

Location: La Vallee

Second Life® and Linden Lab® are trademarks of Linden Research, Inc.

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