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Loraan Fierrens · 05-14-2012, 06:32 AM

Do what I did... do other things.

A couple of years ago, my bunny Georgie died. It was surprisingly difficult for me at the time, and pretty much everything turned gray. Second Life in particular seemed pointless. I got rid of my land and went on my way. I would only log in occasionally, maybe a couple of times a month. I did other things though. I read, I tinkered, I played other games, whatever.

About a year later, I guess, my interest in Second Life returned. It was different though. I'm no longer interested in Second Life for itself but for what others do with it. So I really only use it for three things now: as a creative outlet, as a place to see what other people are doing creatively, and to meet up with a couple of common interest groups. I suppose you could say four things, since I also play dress-up with my avatar a lot.

So, I would say go and do whatever interests you. If that entails not logging into Second Life for a while, just don't do anything dramatic or irreversible like deleting all your inventory or burning bridges while leaving groups or whatever. Other than that, do what you want to do. Second Life is, after all, just a thing; and there is no one right way to use it (or not). Your interest in Second Life might renew, might change to other aspects, or it might not.

As a side note: one thing I find fascinating about Second Life in specific and virtual worlds or online games generally is that this is even a question. I've yet to see anyone say something along the lines of "what do you do when you lose interest in Messenger." Even today, despite not having played for months, I still miss WoW. I haven't added any more time to my account because I know I'll just get bored with it in a day or two, but I still look over my room mate's shoulder from time to time and sigh a little at the sight of Orgrimar. These "places" have such a stickiness for us.

**Jackal Ennui** · 05-14-2012, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soen Eber

I'll stay because of friends, but increasingly we're scheduling time together instead of randomly meeting. I'm also losing interest in scripting and building, and want more and more to work on "real" things like PHP and lamps stacks and MySQL, and getting out to exercise and see movies, so this isn't a bad thing.

Any advice anyone can give who has been in the same situation?

Take a break. SL isn't going anywhere. In the 7 years I've been in SL, I've taken two year-long breaks - it's a great way to get some distance and fresh perspective.

I'd also suggest finding some out-of-world way of keeping in touch with the SL people you're fondest of - be it email, facebook, plurk, whatever. Plurk works well for me, though it's got a bit of a reputation for being the fashionista hell-hole of SL. This would remove the "obligation" of scheduling meetings, while not loosing the friendships.

DrFran · 05-14-2012, 08:00 AM

Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun.
I share a sim that I am still building, we just got beta pathfinding, so I watch that starting to happen. Mesh is a lot of fun.
I go to events that are held by people who are now friends.
I am heavily involved in Relay for Life.
I do lament the loss of SL9B as a community event, and several other one-time all SL events.

Am I alone in the wilderness? hmmpf, maybe it's because I don't much mind being alone, but...I rarely am here.

Ceka Cianci · 05-14-2012, 08:11 AM

summers i usually take off anyways and go to our boat..
then when it gets way to hot i usually come back..
winter i can handle being inside more..but summer ..there is no way i am sitting around on the computer hehehe

not when there is jet skiing and water skiing and the redneck yacht clubs all over the place to hook up to..

Craig Morgan - Redneck Yacht Club - YouTube

when i come back i feel pretty refreshed and lost in sl again hehehe

Hitomi Tiponi · 05-14-2012, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrFran

Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun.

You are not alone. The majority of those who feel the same way have no interest in visiting forums such as this or the official forums, because they'd rather spend their time in Second Life. It is why the posters here are far from being a representative set of the Second Life population, but may be the most vocal.

Ceera Murakami · 05-14-2012, 08:16 AM

Right now, I largely find myself just marking time - waiting for things to either change for the better, or fall apart completely.

At one point I was a very active content creator and builder. I created entire sims full of content for commercial clients like universities. I had over a dozen stores in malls plus a main store of my own where I sold clothes, furniture and other stuff. I was one of the very first texture artists to join Textures-R-Us and sell my textures through that store, as an associate. At my high point, my in-world activities netted me enough money to pay tier on over 1/3 of a sim, and to cash out enough that I could buy things like computers and flat screen TV's with the profits.

When the copybot issues first came up, I moved away from easily copied items like clothes and furniture, and concentrated more on doing custom building work. The market was rapidly becoming flooded with 'me too!' look-alike content, sold for next to nothing by people who were reselling freebies or were selling content ripped off from other creators. But no one could steal a custom-built university campus, and benefit from it to any real extent.

When LL bought XStreet SL, and later turned it into SL Marketplace, that pretty much killed the last of my in-world stores, as well as my attempts to sell via any of the alternative web retail sites. I couldn't compete with their free marketing, and their system was so screwed up that my own items on SLM rarely even showed up in search or got any sales. With others willing to sell their stuff for next to nothing, it was no longer worth my time to make clothes or furniture.

When sculpted prims came to SL, I tried to learn that new method of building, with very limited success. I was able to make and use simple things like stairs. At one point I even managed to make a pretty nice construction hard hat. But mostly I ignored sculpties and kept working with what I knew how to use well - basic prims and custom textures.

Over time I have watched the texture market get so flooded that I am at a loss as to what new textures I could create to sell in SL, that wouldn't just be my version of something that someone else is already selling for L$60 per dozen textures. My textures are still sold via TRU, at their own in-world store, on their website, and via SL Marketplace. But the income I get now from those sets is a pitiful fraction of what it used to be. Barely enough to pay for a pizza every few weeks.

Now with Mesh, I see yet another sea-change in how content has to be created to be competitive. And try as I might, I just can't seem to create anything in Mesh that works even marginally. That, as well as some real life personal crisis points, pretty much killed my desire to build things in SL. I've halted any further building work.

On a personal level, my real life takes up almost all of my 'private' time now. I no longer have hours and hours of free time that I can spend with my friends in SL, doing adult-rated activities, or even just sitting around and chatting. Most of the people I used to socialize with in SL have left forever, or are only rarely on-line. Most of the time, the ones who are still here are never available when I can scrape together some free time and privacy.

So what does that leave me in SL? Not much. I've trimmed back from over 1/3 of a sim to a 2048 M2 parcel of land. I log in a couple times a week, mostly just to collect the measly L$50 stipend that my three oldest accounts get, and to clear off any messages that accumulated in my absence. Like the OP of this thread, it's often less than 5 minutes logged in, before I leave again.

I've been spending my time instead on writing, and occasionally on drawing furry art, mostly for my own pleasure. It's kept my 'creative juices' flowing, though it brings in zero income. At least I do get some nice feedback from the forums where I post my stories and art.

On occasion I make a new attempt to figure out Mesh. Maybe some day I'll manage to make something as simple as a coffee cup or a simple chair that can be textured properly and doesn't have a LI that is much higher than essentially the same thing made of normal prims. But until I can crack through that wall, it's unlikely I'll make anything for sale in SL again, or offer my services as a builder.

I keep my accounts and my land in SL mostly because I invested so much over the last six or seven years in creating and equipping those characters, and I am loath to just throw that away. And there are still a few people her in SL that I do enjoy talking to and spending time with. I'm not ready to abandon those last few friends yet. So I stay here, a ghost of what I once was, and I watch, and I wait...

KT Kingsley · 05-14-2012, 08:21 AM

Losing interest in SL is commonplace, and not always terminal. If you are concerned by it, you could try creating a new account and building a new alt from scratch.

Kara Spengler · 05-14-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceera Murakami

Now with Mesh, I see yet another sea-change in how content has to be created to be competitive. And try as I might, I just can't seem to create anything in Mesh that works even marginally. That, as well as some real life personal crisis points, pretty much killed my desire to build things in SL. I've halted any further building work.

I know what you mean. Even though now is a perfect time to learn mesh, with many people that do it not doing it efficiently, my heart just is not in it. I would rather support the efforts of people who can use it right by buying their stuff. When I do get involved with mesh eventually I will probably just upload them to my local opensim rather than pay the upload costs.

I am more involved with a bunch of RL things now than I ever was. Suddenly I have all of this free time that I used to not have.

Anyone here who knows the kid community would probably understand the import of the following. This winter was the first time my child account did not bother with going to Camp Hardnock.

Ramen Jedburgh · 05-14-2012, 08:55 AM

Just take a break for a while. Stick with the community if you want (here for example) but just take a hiatus, when you come back (and you will, because SL is digital cocaine) you may find something new to enjoy.

Jack Belvedere · 05-14-2012, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrFran

Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun.
I share a sim that I am still building, we just got beta pathfinding, so I watch that starting to happen. Mesh is a lot of fun.
I go to events that are held by people who are now friends.
I am heavily involved in Relay for Life.
I do lament the loss of SL9B as a community event, and several other one-time all SL events.

Am I alone in the wilderness? hmmpf, maybe it's because I don't much mind being alone, but...I rarely am here.

They aren't doing SL_B's anymore? I didn't realize that. I strongly noticed the loss of an official Winterfest this year, though. I guess I got to do the last one

what are the other events you referred? I am brain dead today.

zaphodzzplural · 05-14-2012, 09:16 AM

Play Diablo III !!

Charlemagne Allen · 05-14-2012, 09:22 AM

Just take a break for a bit?

I usually try to stay offline for a few months of the year, just so I don't start hating SL due to the bugs.

Ewan Took · 05-14-2012, 09:22 AM

Keep posting here and keep up do date with what's happening. Watch the 'fashinonistas', drama queens and property/merchant disputes with a detached amusement thinking 'was I ever that serious about SL?' at the same time as knowing you probably were.

Casey Pelous · 05-14-2012, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khamon

My home desktop melted through the floor about ten months ago. My initial reaction was to consider what model and features I needed to replace it. Then it dawned on me that I'd built it primarily for Second Life. Having access to a small laptop and an iPad, the desire for a bulky expensive desktop, just to run Second Life, seems foolish. I'm spending the money on a good sized harp. That's my answer, get a harp, play!

Was thinking of getting a harp myself! .Something like these ..

pancake · 05-14-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Belvedere

Were you looking for advice on how to re-spark the interest, or how to let it go? To rekindle it, I'd have to say life must first allow it, and I don't know if you can force interest, but it helps if you can come up with a new project that will give you a sense of purpose and desire to be there. I know that's vague, but it's the only thing that usually works when you've lost interest in anything.

I was wondering the same thing.

Soen, are you looking for alternatives to Second Life?
Or are you looking for things to do in SL that will spark your interest?

If it's the later, I have a ton of suggestions but honestly sometimes I think it's best to just tell yourself you are taking a break, even pick a time frame of a month or three, and put it completely out of your mind. I've seen too many who sort of half linger and maintain that "should I log in or shouldn't I?" headspace which I thinks contributes to them enjoying SL even less.

Maggie · 05-14-2012, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrFran

Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun.

No, you are not the only one who spends a lot of time in SL. I have a SL job that bring me a lot of enjoyment, but I'm almost always logged on even if my AV I just parked at the house watching the waves. I'll log in and keep the client minimized. Sometimes I'll park in a club and listen to the live Dj and the music while I'm doing something else on the computer. You can ask pancake and bubblesort the last time they didn't see me online

Quote:

Any advice anyone can give who has been in the same situation?

Soen, Walk away from it or you will grow to hate it. Spend some time in the real world with real friends and people. Play some other games. SL will still be here when you come back.

Wildefire Walcott · 05-14-2012, 09:56 AM

Just like the Stages of Grief, there are Stages of SL Residency. At one time I'd have written the list myself, but I'm now at a stage where I'm not motivated to bother.

At any rate, I'm creeping up on 7 years of residency, and here's how I spend my time in SL now that I no longer have an active SL social life, or any commitment to the grid other than serving my customers:

Shopping sprees! I'll check out the blogs to find out who's making nice hair or clothes or avatars and shop til I drop.
Homemaking! Sometimes I'll buy a little piece of land and landscape/furnish it just for fun. Sometimes I'm the only one who ever sees these little bachelorette pads. I just like playing House, I guess.
Nostalgic teleporting! I've gone through several landmark purges, but if I remember the names of places I used to visit a lot, I'll go there and see how/if things have changed. It can be a little sad sometimes, when you find places are long gone, but it always triggers memories.
World map-hopping! One of my favorite things to do is to open up the world map and teleport to interesting looking sims. I used to go places with lots of green dots, but those ALWAYS turn out to be clubs with campers or bad stores with tons of bots. Now I usually search for empty sims so I can explore all these places folks have built undetected, like a ghost. It appeals to the voyeur in me; I especially love the dwellings where people have obviously had meaningful SL relationships. Family photos on the wall, furnished bedrooms, etc.
Ironic teleporting! Sometimes I will intentionally search for the most awful sounding places on the grid. This can be hit or miss. It's usually just boring if there's no one else to enjoy it with or to mess with. If you go the sexy route, there's always at least one newbie guy avatar with a color-mismatched dick standing awkwardly nearby, and those chats can be amusing. But many of the sex places are just kind of sad, and not very imaginative.
Road trip! SL vehicles are still a generally unsatisfying experience, but sometimes I go to the mainland and fly over the paved roads. It's a neat way to cover a lot of ground and find a bunch of bizarre private builds.

SL's far from a major part of my life anymore, but it still provides endless entertainment when I give it a chance.

Khamon · 05-14-2012, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Couldbe

Khamon has smarts, I think I'm a slow learner.

Yeah well it took the Khamon half a decade to realize that SL was just an occasional entertaining blip on his radar no pun intended. Anybody interested in ten-thousand meters of virtual land in the NW corner of Taber?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aribeth

Ooo - what kind of harp, and how much? I've wanted one for years now, but its hard to find the wire stringed celtic harps, or it was.

I started this thread in the hobby section a few days ago. Don't want to OT this thread to badly. moderator kitteh does not approve

**Cindy Claveau** · 05-14-2012, 10:21 AM

My obsession with SL probably came to a halt two years ago or so. I took an extended break, then started edging back into it a little.

With that new perspective, it struck me that:

* The longer you're absent from SL, the more people on your friends list just disappear and the more old gathering spots either move or are closed down.

* "Playing" in the world was a whole lot simpler in 2005 than it is today. Higher PC requirements, fewer search results, a search that sorta-kinda worked... sure we had more serious griefers, but you could spot them a mile away (or 512m if you prefer).

* Someone, somewhere will always come up with a new idea that blows your mind. At one time, Starax held the high ground with his wand. Today there are things in the world that give Starax a run for his money.

* If not for friends, SL becomes pretty bleak for me. But I'm just as guilty as anyone. I have a real life that's pretty busy and interesting, family that needs me and other games that pull me away. I'm probably just as guilty as those friends of mine who disappeared and never came back.

* SLU. It's my "home" now.

Ceka Cianci · 05-14-2012, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitomi Tiponi

You are not alone. The majority of those who feel the same way have no interest in visiting forums such as this or the official forums, because they'd rather spend their time in Second Life. It is why the posters here are far from being a representative set of the Second Life population, but may be the most vocal.

we can post from in world..most of the time my sl is going..i'll usually have a prim or two with this forum and the main site forums going..if there is a topic that is a good one i may just go to my browser..

for the most part though.i'll be working on my sim or shopping or something in world..
it's just easier to be able to have all that stuff in one place for me..
i'm not logged in right now doing it..
mainly because i am doing a lot of google stuff with a bunch of browser tbs going..i would probably crash with that many going in sl hehehe

Imnotgoing Sideways · 05-14-2012, 10:38 AM

Any time I find myself drifting away from SL I start gravitating to spending more time at NCI. Keeping up with the come&go of the newbies, sandbox regulars, and oldbies in need of help can easily fill a day.

Charlemagne Allen · 05-14-2012, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildefire Walcott

Just like the Stages of Grief, there are Stages of SL Residency. At one time I'd have written the list myself, but I'm now at a stage where I'm not motivated to bother.

At any rate, I'm creeping up on 7 years of residency, and here's how I spend my time in SL now that I no longer have an active SL social life, or any commitment to the grid other than serving my customers:

Shopping sprees! I'll check out the blogs to find out who's making nice hair or clothes or avatars and shop til I drop.
Homemaking! Sometimes I'll buy a little piece of land and landscape/furnish it just for fun. Sometimes I'm the only one who ever sees these little bachelorette pads. I just like playing House, I guess.
Nostalgic teleporting! I've gone through several landmark purges, but if I remember the names of places I used to visit a lot, I'll go there and see how/if things have changed. It can be a little sad sometimes, when you find places are long gone, but it always triggers memories.
World map-hopping! One of my favorite things to do is to open up the world map and teleport to interesting looking sims. I used to go places with lots of green dots, but those ALWAYS turn out to be clubs with campers or bad stores with tons of bots. Now I usually search for empty sims so I can explore all these places folks have built undetected, like a ghost. It appeals to the voyeur in me; I especially love the dwellings where people have obviously had meaningful SL relationships. Family photos on the wall, furnished bedrooms, etc.
Ironic teleporting! Sometimes I will intentionally search for the most awful sounding places on the grid. This can be hit or miss. It's usually just boring if there's no one else to enjoy it with or to mess with. If you go the sexy route, there's always at least one newbie guy avatar with a color-mismatched dick standing awkwardly nearby, and those chats can be amusing. But many of the sex places are just kind of sad, and not very imaginative.
Road trip! SL vehicles are still a generally unsatisfying experience, but sometimes I go to the mainland and fly over the paved roads. It's a neat way to cover a lot of ground and find a bunch of bizarre private builds.

SL's far from a major part of my life anymore, but it still provides endless entertainment when I give it a chance.

Get out of my mind, Charles! OUT!

Han Held · 05-14-2012, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrFran

Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun.

No, I spend most of my free time either in SL or on my open sim too. My SL time isn't anywhere close to being constructive; mostly it's filled with RP/Family dramas.

I feel like I'm making progress as a builder (though I'm having a bit of a mental block atm) and that is keeping me interested in SL/etc.

**Siggy** · 05-14-2012, 01:08 PM

I've gone through stages of taking breaks - I still log in daily to deal with biz and maintain what is there... but then again I have a lifetime account so it's not like I'm paying a monthly fee for not logging in either.

I also go through times when I simply don't have time for SL, and I out it to the side... as for what I do when I take a hiatus?

Usually anything I've not done before - some skill I want to learn (often NOT computer related), right now it's making sure I'm there to raise my kids properly, on top of that I've gotten into agriculture in a pretty big way - I maintain my home gardens and learn a lot on an actual farm... right now I'm looking into viable sustainable closed eco-system urban farming (a handful, but for me the next logical step in that study).

Oh, and I troll the fuck out of minecraft (still).

Kirari Kujisawa · 05-14-2012, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann Otoole

Sisyphean.

I spend my time away from SL looking up dictionary dot com trying to figure out what Ann (and a few other's here) are saying...

Sisyphean | Define Sisyphean at Dictionary.com

05-14-2012, 08:00 AM	#28 (permalink)
DrFran Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: New York Posts: 120 My Mood: SL Join Date: April 30, 2006 Business: none Client: Viewer 2/3	Am I the only one who still spends a lot of time in SL? For me, SL remains interesting, viable, and fun. I share a sim that I am still building, we just got beta pathfinding, so I watch that starting to happen. Mesh is a lot of fun. I go to events that are held by people who are now friends. I am heavily involved in Relay for Life. I do lament the loss of SL9B as a community event, and several other one-time all SL events. Am I alone in the wilderness? hmmpf, maybe it's because I don't much mind being alone, but...I rarely am here. __________________ Babcock's Builds...Low Prim or One Prim. Very reasonable prices. (I am soooo not making money on this)

05-14-2012, 08:55 AM	#34 (permalink)
Ramen Jedburgh Ginger Supremacist Heya ^_^ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 1,846 My Mood: SL Join Date: 3/9/2006	Just take a break for a while. Stick with the community if you want (here for example) but just take a hiatus, when you come back (and you will, because SL is digital cocaine) you may find something new to enjoy. __________________ -- Ramen Jedburgh Abusively Cute ^_^

05-14-2012, 09:16 AM	#36 (permalink)
zaphodzzplural Roth Andretti My Sims are Buggy Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: England Posts: 640 My Mood:	Play Diablo III !! __________________ "...what we demand are rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty- Vroomfondel The blog I help out on http://fictionalinsanity.wordpress.com/

05-14-2012, 09:22 AM	#37 (permalink)
Charlemagne Allen Adorable. Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 6,383 My Mood: SL Join Date: February 2007 Blog Entries: 1	Just take a break for a bit? I usually try to stay offline for a few months of the year, just so I don't start hating SL due to the bugs. __________________ Charlemagne Allen: YOU'RE A RACIST! Charlemagne Allen: I HAVE CHATLOGS! smokergirl Lowenhar: HOMOPHOBE smokergirl Lowenhar: CONTENT THIEF Charlemagne Allen: RELIGION SUCKS DONKEY BALLS! smokergirl Lowenhar: KISS MY ASS YOU CLOSE MINDED HYPOCRIT Charlemagne Allen: YOU WERE AN ESCORT FOR BARN ANIMALS! Charlemagne Allen: ZOMG BIG SIG! Pretty things: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlemagneallen/ Last edited by Charlemagne Allen; 05-14-2012 at 09:44 AM.

05-14-2012, 09:22 AM	#38 (permalink)
Ewan Took Ho hum ............ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,257	Keep posting here and keep up do date with what's happening. Watch the 'fashinonistas', drama queens and property/merchant disputes with a detached amusement thinking 'was I ever that serious about SL?' at the same time as knowing you probably were. __________________ "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

05-14-2012, 06:32 AM	#26 (permalink)
Loraan Fierrens Had enough Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,477 My Mood:	Do what I did... do other things. A couple of years ago, my bunny Georgie died. It was surprisingly difficult for me at the time, and pretty much everything turned gray. Second Life in particular seemed pointless. I got rid of my land and went on my way. I would only log in occasionally, maybe a couple of times a month. I did other things though. I read, I tinkered, I played other games, whatever. About a year later, I guess, my interest in Second Life returned. It was different though. I'm no longer interested in Second Life for itself but for what others do with it. So I really only use it for three things now: as a creative outlet, as a place to see what other people are doing creatively, and to meet up with a couple of common interest groups. I suppose you could say four things, since I also play dress-up with my avatar a lot. So, I would say go and do whatever interests you. If that entails not logging into Second Life for a while, just don't do anything dramatic or irreversible like deleting all your inventory or burning bridges while leaving groups or whatever. Other than that, do what you want to do. Second Life is, after all, just a thing; and there is no one right way to use it (or not). Your interest in Second Life might renew, might change to other aspects, or it might not. As a side note: one thing I find fascinating about Second Life in specific and virtual worlds or online games generally is that this is even a question. I've yet to see anyone say something along the lines of "what do you do when you lose interest in Messenger." Even today, despite not having played for months, I still miss WoW. I haven't added any more time to my account because I know I'll just get bored with it in a day or two, but I still look over my room mate's shoulder from time to time and sigh a little at the sight of Orgrimar. These "places" have such a stickiness for us.

05-14-2012, 08:16 AM	#31 (permalink)
Ceera Murakami Sim Architect / Builder Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Central USA Posts: 345 My Mood:	Right now, I largely find myself just marking time - waiting for things to either change for the better, or fall apart completely. At one point I was a very active content creator and builder. I created entire sims full of content for commercial clients like universities. I had over a dozen stores in malls plus a main store of my own where I sold clothes, furniture and other stuff. I was one of the very first texture artists to join Textures-R-Us and sell my textures through that store, as an associate. At my high point, my in-world activities netted me enough money to pay tier on over 1/3 of a sim, and to cash out enough that I could buy things like computers and flat screen TV's with the profits. When the copybot issues first came up, I moved away from easily copied items like clothes and furniture, and concentrated more on doing custom building work. The market was rapidly becoming flooded with 'me too!' look-alike content, sold for next to nothing by people who were reselling freebies or were selling content ripped off from other creators. But no one could steal a custom-built university campus, and benefit from it to any real extent. When LL bought XStreet SL, and later turned it into SL Marketplace, that pretty much killed the last of my in-world stores, as well as my attempts to sell via any of the alternative web retail sites. I couldn't compete with their free marketing, and their system was so screwed up that my own items on SLM rarely even showed up in search or got any sales. With others willing to sell their stuff for next to nothing, it was no longer worth my time to make clothes or furniture. When sculpted prims came to SL, I tried to learn that new method of building, with very limited success. I was able to make and use simple things like stairs. At one point I even managed to make a pretty nice construction hard hat. But mostly I ignored sculpties and kept working with what I knew how to use well - basic prims and custom textures. Over time I have watched the texture market get so flooded that I am at a loss as to what new textures I could create to sell in SL, that wouldn't just be my version of something that someone else is already selling for L$60 per dozen textures. My textures are still sold via TRU, at their own in-world store, on their website, and via SL Marketplace. But the income I get now from those sets is a pitiful fraction of what it used to be. Barely enough to pay for a pizza every few weeks. Now with Mesh, I see yet another sea-change in how content has to be created to be competitive. And try as I might, I just can't seem to create anything in Mesh that works even marginally. That, as well as some real life personal crisis points, pretty much killed my desire to build things in SL. I've halted any further building work. On a personal level, my real life takes up almost all of my 'private' time now. I no longer have hours and hours of free time that I can spend with my friends in SL, doing adult-rated activities, or even just sitting around and chatting. Most of the people I used to socialize with in SL have left forever, or are only rarely on-line. Most of the time, the ones who are still here are never available when I can scrape together some free time and privacy. So what does that leave me in SL? Not much. I've trimmed back from over 1/3 of a sim to a 2048 M2 parcel of land. I log in a couple times a week, mostly just to collect the measly L$50 stipend that my three oldest accounts get, and to clear off any messages that accumulated in my absence. Like the OP of this thread, it's often less than 5 minutes logged in, before I leave again. I've been spending my time instead on writing, and occasionally on drawing furry art, mostly for my own pleasure. It's kept my 'creative juices' flowing, though it brings in zero income. At least I do get some nice feedback from the forums where I post my stories and art. On occasion I make a new attempt to figure out Mesh. Maybe some day I'll manage to make something as simple as a coffee cup or a simple chair that can be textured properly and doesn't have a LI that is much higher than essentially the same thing made of normal prims. But until I can crack through that wall, it's unlikely I'll make anything for sale in SL again, or offer my services as a builder. I keep my accounts and my land in SL mostly because I invested so much over the last six or seven years in creating and equipping those characters, and I am loath to just throw that away. And there are still a few people her in SL that I do enjoy talking to and spending time with. I'm not ready to abandon those last few friends yet. So I stay here, a ghost of what I once was, and I watch, and I wait...

05-14-2012, 08:21 AM	#32 (permalink)
KT Kingsley Senior Member Praying for intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1,682	Losing interest in SL is commonplace, and not always terminal. If you are concerned by it, you could try creating a new account and building a new alt from scratch.

05-14-2012, 09:56 AM	#42 (permalink)
Wildefire Walcott Baby Baroness OMG ICONS Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,501 My Mood: SL Join Date: 2005.10.28 Business: Desperation Isle Estates Client: 1.23	Just like the Stages of Grief, there are Stages of SL Residency. At one time I'd have written the list myself, but I'm now at a stage where I'm not motivated to bother. At any rate, I'm creeping up on 7 years of residency, and here's how I spend my time in SL now that I no longer have an active SL social life, or any commitment to the grid other than serving my customers: Shopping sprees! I'll check out the blogs to find out who's making nice hair or clothes or avatars and shop til I drop. Homemaking! Sometimes I'll buy a little piece of land and landscape/furnish it just for fun. Sometimes I'm the only one who ever sees these little bachelorette pads. I just like playing House, I guess. Nostalgic teleporting! I've gone through several landmark purges, but if I remember the names of places I used to visit a lot, I'll go there and see how/if things have changed. It can be a little sad sometimes, when you find places are long gone, but it always triggers memories. World map-hopping! One of my favorite things to do is to open up the world map and teleport to interesting looking sims. I used to go places with lots of green dots, but those ALWAYS turn out to be clubs with campers or bad stores with tons of bots. Now I usually search for empty sims so I can explore all these places folks have built undetected, like a ghost. It appeals to the voyeur in me; I especially love the dwellings where people have obviously had meaningful SL relationships. Family photos on the wall, furnished bedrooms, etc. Ironic teleporting! Sometimes I will intentionally search for the most awful sounding places on the grid. This can be hit or miss. It's usually just boring if there's no one else to enjoy it with or to mess with. If you go the sexy route, there's always at least one newbie guy avatar with a color-mismatched dick standing awkwardly nearby, and those chats can be amusing. But many of the sex places are just kind of sad, and not very imaginative. Road trip! SL vehicles are still a generally unsatisfying experience, but sometimes I go to the mainland and fly over the paved roads. It's a neat way to cover a lot of ground and find a bunch of bizarre private builds. SL's far from a major part of my life anymore, but it still provides endless entertainment when I give it a chance. __________________ Desperation Isle Estates: Homesteads and full-prim sims for rent. Desperation Isle Productions: Scripted skyboxes for lots (and budgets) of all sizes!

05-14-2012, 10:21 AM	#44 (permalink)
Cindy Claveau E=mc^(OMG)/wtf *SLU Supporter* Free's Sister Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Brownbackistan Posts: 27,438 My Mood: SL Join Date: May, 2005 Client: Firestorm Blog Entries: 16 Awards: 2	My obsession with SL probably came to a halt two years ago or so. I took an extended break, then started edging back into it a little. With that new perspective, it struck me that: * The longer you're absent from SL, the more people on your friends list just disappear and the more old gathering spots either move or are closed down. * "Playing" in the world was a whole lot simpler in 2005 than it is today. Higher PC requirements, fewer search results, a search that sorta-kinda worked... sure we had more serious griefers, but you could spot them a mile away (or 512m if you prefer). * Someone, somewhere will always come up with a new idea that blows your mind. At one time, Starax held the high ground with his wand. Today there are things in the world that give Starax a run for his money. * If not for friends, SL becomes pretty bleak for me. But I'm just as guilty as anyone. I have a real life that's pretty busy and interesting, family that needs me and other games that pull me away. I'm probably just as guilty as those friends of mine who disappeared and never came back. * SLU. It's my "home" now. __________________ "As long as there’s one person on earth who remembers you, it isn’t over." - Oscar Hammerstein

05-14-2012, 10:38 AM	#46 (permalink)
Imnotgoing Sideways - Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Darkly Cute :: Ferguson Posts: 6,915 My Mood: SL Join Date: November, 2007 Business: Darkly Cute Client: NOT the same one I used yesterday... (<.<)	Any time I find myself drifting away from SL I start gravitating to spending more time at NCI. Keeping up with the come&go of the newbies, sandbox regulars, and oldbies in need of help can easily fill a day. __________________ Link

05-14-2012, 01:08 PM	#49 (permalink)
Siggy Now with 40% more Awesome *SLU Supporter* We can't stop here. This is bat country Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 8,269 My Mood: Client: Tenacious - V	I've gone through stages of taking breaks - I still log in daily to deal with biz and maintain what is there... but then again I have a lifetime account so it's not like I'm paying a monthly fee for not logging in either. I also go through times when I simply don't have time for SL, and I out it to the side... as for what I do when I take a hiatus? Usually anything I've not done before - some skill I want to learn (often NOT computer related), right now it's making sure I'm there to raise my kids properly, on top of that I've gotten into agriculture in a pretty big way - I maintain my home gardens and learn a lot on an actual farm... right now I'm looking into viable sustainable closed eco-system urban farming (a handful, but for me the next logical step in that study). Oh, and I troll the fuck out of minecraft (still). __________________ And as it was in the beginning, so too shall it be in the end. That bullshit is bullshit, it just goes by different names.

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