Germans launch Second Life newspaper

Author: Ryan Garside
Published: 8th November 2006
Comments (14) Digg Stumble
The Second Life tabloid will probably report the virtual gigs bands like Duran Duran are performing.

The Second Life tabloid will probably report the virtual gigs bands like Duran Duran are performing.

In the 19th Century people bought newspapers as a way of filling them in on the daily goings-on of the world. In the 20th Century the internet was created and people began to get their news through the tubes. Now, in the 21st Century, an ingenious German has decided to fuse the two previous methods together. Using the ever-growing game of Second Life as a platform, you will soon be able to subscribe to the first ever virtual tabloid.

The newspaper is being launched by Axel Springer (the German equivalent of News International), the publisher which creates German top-seller: Bild, and will include virtual news about the goings on within the game. With over 1 million subscribers and around $500,000 being spent daily in Second Life there is certainly potential for the virtual tabloid.

The newspaper will be launched in December, most probably via a subscription service and will cost between 10 and 15 Linden dollars, which on current exchange rates equates to little over a few pence. The quality of the paper should be pretty high too, with plans to construct an online editorial office in-world with a real editor-in-chief. Reporters will then be hired from within the Second Life community. Dirk Meyer-Bosse, a spokesman for the new venture described it as: "A colourful tabloid, with snippets about show business and human interest tales from the avatar world."

Should bit-tech buy an office in Second Life? Let us know in the forums.
MSI Wind U100
Quote DougEdey 8th November 2006, 13:06
Am i the only person who doesn't understand what the point in second life is?
Quote mikeuk2004 8th November 2006, 13:31
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougEdey
Am i the only person who doesn't understand what the point in second life is?

You not as i was going to ask the same question. I dont get it. I downloaded it and checked it out and just did not get it. I dont get why people pay for stuff?? is this where EA got its idea for Micropayments?????

Its not that its even coded well. I played 10 mins and found it so boring and buggy and stupid.

I tell you the world is crazy.
Quote aon`aTv.gsus666 8th November 2006, 13:49
I think it's for people unable to communicate in real life. You know those guys, (unfortunately) often Computer Science students, who will never ever be able to talk to a human being (especially the ones without a penis) without stuttering, blushing or saying really stupid things like 'lol' or 'rofl' which you just don't use except from chatting over ICQ, MSN or a game. They might be able to get a virtual relationship to someone... poor world we're living in.

Before you ask, yep I study CS and no, I don't have a 'Second Life'.
Quote Zidane 8th November 2006, 14:14
oddly enough, i said the same thing about WoW.....

i guess its horses for courses.
Quote DougEdey 8th November 2006, 14:19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zidane
oddly enough, i said the same thing about WoW.....

i guess its horses for courses.

It's alright, I don't get WoW either really.

I generally don't understand games when they become a replacement for Real activities.
Quote xrob 8th November 2006, 15:23
what the hell is it?
why would people pay for something that looks equally as crap as the sims? theres some strange people in this world.
Quote aon`aTv.gsus666 8th November 2006, 15:27
Some?
Quote Hans Voralberg 8th November 2006, 18:21
Well 1mil in 6bil people is not a lot is it ? I dont get the point of the Sim either, it's a big Sim ?
Quote M4RTIN 8th November 2006, 18:31
i downloaded this a few years ago on my mac... it made no sense, i just wandered about there doesnt seem a "game" as such.

i can never see the point in computer games that arent games at all, thats why i dont like any rpg's with all the waling about and silly hairstyles.. and orcs wtf are they about [/tangent]
Quote mikeuk2004 8th November 2006, 20:16
Its supposed to be some kind of chat room thing but it seems over complicated and I just find it so much easier to just use MSN and yahoo and be done with it.

I see no point in making it 3D and introducing Avators and wandering around a crap world looking for some other bored sad geek to chat too. The buying and selling of virtual items makes no sence to me and just how do people make real money??? I believe its just one big scam. Even the BBC has a world or island or something so I seen on TV.

Instead I just load up msn and chat to my real friends and use TS if we are lazy typing.

Quote:
Small islands are priced at US$1,250 for 65,536 square meters (about 16 acres), monthly land fees for maintenance are US$195.

Large islands are priced at US$5,000 for 262,144 square meters (about 64 acres), monthly land fees for maintenance are US$780.

People realy do pay £600 for a 16 acres island???? with £100 a month maintenance fees??? man I refuse to buy WOW because of its monthly fee, and its peanuts compared to island hire in Second Life so I can chat to other freaks who have money to waste.

If yahoo or MSM tryed to charge me monthly fees for anything id laugh and say goodbye.
Quote Zut 8th November 2006, 23:21
I dont see the point in a 'game' that has no objectives, no story, no characters, and no actual gameplay to speak of.

Is there actually anything to do at all in this game? Or do you just wander aimlessly and talk to people who are similarly bereft of anything better to do with their worthless lives.

Edit: OK I just created an account and played it a little. I didn't quite think it would be so bad. The graphics are terrible but it still runs like a pig (on a 7800GS) no doubt because of the ill designed crap that people create. Everything takes an age to load; for the first five minutes in any new area you dont even see any textures, and all the objects appear one by one, very very slowly. The whole thing seemed extremely awkward and boring.

Plus the two most popular locations are a brothel and a gambling place. So its basically like the web, except more difficult to use.
Quote r4tch3t 9th November 2006, 04:00
Okay from these responses, I think that Bit should not have an office in second life, we all seem to hate or find no point in it.
Quote Cthippo 9th November 2006, 08:46
I can't say as I've ever tried it, but having formerly been a regular in a Yahell chat room, I understand the appeal. First off, for a lot of people, real life sucks, and living a virtual life is much better. Another reason it's so opoular with some people is that it is their only link with the outside world. In the chatroom I used to live in there were a number of regulars who were either stay-at-home moms who couldn't leave the house all day because they had to watch the rugrats or else people who lived in small or remote towns and for whom it was a three hour drive to meet someone new.

You can feel superior all you want because you deal with the real world, but I certainly wouldn't begrudge people something that makes them happy without hurting anyone else.
Quote TGImages 9th November 2006, 14:27
Agreed... what's the point?

I don't have enough time in real life to try and develop a second parallel life... and you're going to charge me for it too? I look at this "business" following the AOL path. Rapid growth, lots of press, then once you get past a certain point the numbers start going the other way.

Granted I have not tried it however based on the descriptions and what I've heard from those who have used it I don't see anything that would interest me in it.
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