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I don't like gambling: not in First Life, and not in Second Life. Gambling is designed to make people lose money to the operators. It's designed to play on desperate hopes and a sense of helplessness, offering an virtually nonexistent way out - one that even to the winners often turns out not to be the font of joy people were looking for in the first place. I'm delighted that Second Life may be looking at the end of casinos.
But...well, there are several buts.
First, it's already supposed to not be allowed to advertise gambling in Second Life, and yet the "most popular places" search turns up more gambling establishments than non-gambling establishments. Linden Labs may make the rules, but they're not a police force, particularly. I don't blame them, and I don't know that I necessarily think that should be their job. Even so, judging from results so far, a rule against gambling may not result in casinos actually going anywhere.
And it felt like a strange way to announce it, the way Linden Labs has announced many things, suddenly saying: "This is already against the Terms of Service, but now we're making an explicit rule and kind of adding a couple of restrictions, so you should really for sure stop doing this now."
But then, what do I expect them to do? Ignore things that are illegal just because they're popular? Let themselves be sued to a pile of virtual ashes? Or do I expect them to gently suggest that down the road they might be locking down on something, and to be clearer and clearer as they go, holding out some of the mystery? Or to solicit Resi reaction to a decision that in the end is a legal one rather than a culture one? I can't think of how they would do it any better, except perhaps to add some regret wording, and even that would be tricky.
And no matter how well they do it, they have to endure a firestorm of criticism every time they institute any new policy.
I guess that sounds like "poor Lindens." Well, yes: poor Lindens. I don't like some of the Linden Labs choices (even though I have to admit I do very much like this one!), but as I've said before, I think they're trying to run a good business in good faith, and that business provides me with something totally unlike anything I can get elsewhere, and it's very rare to find a business of which you can say either of those things, let alone both!
In the end, I'm betting gambling won't go away unless Linden Labs takes a different approach to enforcement. After all, Residents don't have the power to enforce anything (nor, in the end, is mob rule such a great thing anyway, although participatory government might be interesting if it could be made to work), and First Life legal entities can't generally tell who's involved in a particular legal act in order to involve it, at least without forcing Linden Labs to give out personal information. I'd be kind of surprised if all of a sudden they started kicking people out for running casinos or taking back land on which people were running gambling places. After all, it doesn't seem as though they've enforced the no advertising gambling rule, and that's very much in their control.
So maybe this won't mean much of anything. If it does miraculously mean that gambling disappears from Second Life, leaving only things like Lucky Chairs (because they don't cost any money and so aren't gambling) and skill contests with prizes, that might mean any number of wonderful things: ugly establishments that take people's money and their garish ads and listings might disappear. People might come up with more interesting things to do than gamble. People who can't think of anything more interesting to do than gambling might leave Second Life. If it were solely up to me and there were no legal restrictions to worry about, I might not feel it was my right to say no one can gamble in Second Life. But if it turns out that way, it might make a world I would enjoy much more.
^^^\ Kate /^^^
Comments
Of course, I was in support of other unpopular decisions such as the age verification I would like to be able to do things in mature sims without having to look at sexual activity. I don't think that's too mcuh to ask. If I don't age verify and that stuff is moved to sims with "adult content". I don't have to look at it. I also support the banning of "broadly offensive" content such as simulated pedophilia. I believe that it is necessary in a virtual world to have some sort of law and rules. One person's rights end when they begin to trample on the rights of others. I personally will be glad to have second life where I don't have to look at pornography unless I personally choose to and can visit some place that I find interesting without having an ugly lag inducing casino next door.
I'm of the opinion that LL is doing what they have to do to keep their business running and that is going to upset some people but that is the case. The only news they've given lately that really upset me was the introduction of voice, but I have to say after I tried it. I don't mind that either. It isn't the horrible thing I thought it would be. I guess my point is I think the Lindens get way too much crap and too many Second Lifers seem to blow every change out of proportion and scream that the sky is falling. There has been some "crisis" constantly since that stupid copybot nonsense. I even cut them slack on the grid problems. They don't really have a model of a preexisting virtual world to work from. They have to learn from their mistakes.
Anyway that is my take on the state of SL for anyone who cares.
Actually, that's what PG sims are for. If you don't want to see sexual activity or nudity or whatever, you should stay out of mature areas.
I have half a sim in a mature area that I got with the assurance that as long as it couldn't be seen from a PG area, I could put up anything that I wanted and do anything I wanted on my land. This is the same reason why a lot of people got mature land.
My take is that if you don't want to see mature stuff, you shouldn't be leaving the PG areas.
Most people would like to be able to use four letter words when talking, and talk about any subject that they like, so PG land was pretty unpopular. Because of this, the majority of people preferred Mature land where they could swear, talk about anything the wanted, and put up the sort of art that they wanted, and run around naked or have sex if they wanted, so long as it couldn't be seen from PG land. Because of that, a lot of the interesting content wound up on Mature land.
I myself have half a sim in a Mature sim, surrounded by Mature sims, and I bought that land with the understanding that I could do what I liked with it, and I wouldn't be restricted.
Now however, LL wants to make SL more mainstream, and I think that they've realized what you have, that all of the interesting content has wound up in mature areas, and that the mainstream types that they want to bring in are not going to find anything interesting outside of the Mature areas. But instead of encouraging people to put more of the interesting content in PG areas somehow, they want to change the restrictions on Mature land, to turn it effectively PG so that their new mainstream customers won't be subject to Mature stuff on Mature land.
Personally, I object to this. For one, it's unfair to force me to turn my Mature land into effectively PG land for the benefit of their new mainstream users. For another, not even everyone who *lives* on my land now is going to be able to get verified under this new procedure that they've been talking about. A lot of people aren't about to give up their Social Security numbers to get verified, and it's actually against the law in a lot of non-US countries to ask for the equivalent there.
Regardless, it's not going to work to keep anyone from seeing anything, since there's nothing that keeps people who *aren't* on "adult" parcels of land from seeing what's out on land that *is* set to adult.
Anyway, with as long as it's been with no word on this adult verification thing, I'm starting to wonder if LL is actually going to do it, or if they're just going to let it slide now that the heat has died down.
What annoys me is the fact that at times there have been sex clubs next to my church etc. In my opinion, this is extremely inconsiderate of other people and it should be handled a bit better by Linden Labs. I am for some sort of zoning in SL. However I don't think "If you don't like it, stay on PG sims." is really a fair answer to me given the state of the way things are on sl. People act like SL is about sex and only sex and those who want to do sexual things are more important than anyone else sometimes. I do Bible Studies in SL, but I'm not going to go into a sex club and start quoting scripture to people. However I routinely have had my Bible Study interuppted by naked or people or have had to put up with the fact that the church is next door to a penis store. I just think people should be a bit more considerate of others.
But y'know, I can't think of any reason to go to a PG sim.
And the reason is pretty similar to my attitudes in real life. I think consenting adults should have the freedom to do consensual naughty things and say bad words. I like that kind of atmosphere better.
Actually though, calling it gambling is somewhat inaccurate. I don't think that there was actually much of an element of chance in most of the slot machines, etc. that you found at most casinos. The money went to the owners, and it might pay out a few $L once in a while to keep people interested, but I suspect that most of the gambling was rigged.
The main problem that a lot of people are seeing, including myself, isn't that LL is enforcing laws that they should have, or going after things that could maybe get them in trouble legally... they're wording it in such a way that people are really wondering what is going to be left once all the dust is settled. Your World, Your Imagination is being hemmed in by (so long as you follow these increasingly restrictive rules to please corporate investors and avoid possible legal action against us). If it was /just/ following legal issues and protecting their own assets, I would have no complaints about anything here. But they're also listening to various moralist groups on what is 'right and proper'. But I don't want other people's morality forced on me, any more than they want to see things they object to. The grid's big enough for everybody, honestly. Let's live and let live so long as it's legal.
Fortunately, I think the gambling restrictions are a bit clearer than it might seem, although it would have really helped to explain everything more clearly and with more examples.
As far as I know, Sploders are part of the ban, because they involve an exchange of Lindens (you give some Lindens to the Sploder and it may or may not give some back) and because they depend on chance (unless, as Jack suggests, they're rigged, which is of course far worse). I'm not sure why you consider them "borderline gambling". Isn't the definition of gambling that you put something of value into the game and you take your chances on what will come back to you?
Prize giveaways are not banned because there is no risk to the person who gets the prize. The definition of wagering, which is what they're banning, is that it involves risking something of value.
Playing Yahtzee and Tringo for money are banned now, as I'm understanding it, because they depend on chance for their payout - even though they involve skill, too.
And people can still compete for money in things that don't depend on chance, contests of skill and that kind of thing. All those silly (but sometimes fun) "best in red"-type contests are doubly safe because there's no wagering involved and they don't depend on chance.
You mentioned that Linden Labs is taking cues from various moralist groups. Can you tell me more about that? The only moralist group I happen to know about who has tried hard to influence Second Life lately was that French group who took them to court and lost, so they definitely can't be counted as an influence - but there's a lot that goes on that I don't know about, and I'm very much interested in that subject.
^^^\ Kate /^^^
Which is why I'd be in favour of zoning in SL. Seems to me, it would be easy enough to implement - LL could designate some of the new sims "commercial" and some sims "residential", just like they label some PG and some Mature.
I understand the need for the ban on wagering due to US laws, just not sure why it took LL so long to enforce the policy - didn't they invite the FBI in to take a look at things a long time ago, and the only change made was to ban advertising? That seemed odd, why not put the policy in force then?
Feels like each month, more privileges are being revoked, and soon the entire SL grid will be G-rated. Not even sure if it feels like Our World, Our Imagination these days...
~ Wrath
That said, LL has to obey the laws. If they don't, we could lose more than a bunch of casinos in SL. If anyone doesn't like this change, contact your representative in Congress, not LL. Get the laws changed first, THEN complain to LL.