Peering Inside: Second Life's driving principle
There are a lot of competing interests in Second Life -- users, businesses of various sorts, marketing and image companies. There's a lot going on.
Ultimately, if you had to sum up the driving principle behind Second Life in a word, it would have to be continuation (or longevity, if you prefer).
The show must go on, as they say, whatever problems and vicissitudes crop up. Second Life's operators, Linden Lab are primarily focused on the continuance of the platform.
Given the choice between upsetting thousands of users, and disrupting hundreds of inworld businesses - or closing down, Linden Lab will always bet against closing down. That's business.
Back in 2006, Second Life moved to open registration -- no longer requiring a (sometimes unavailable) credit card for identification at signup. Signups and then premium accounts surged, a slew of social and cultural problems impacted the grid and the overall operation of Second Life ultimately broke even.
'Broke even' -- that means 'not going bankrupt and closing down'.
It isn't that Linden Lab doesn't care about your personal circumstances or experiences. It isn't necessarily that they do care all that much about ageplayers doing their own thing in quiet corners of the grid. What it is about is Linden Lab making sure that Second Life is still here tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, and they will do whatever it takes to ensure that.
Even if you don't like it. Even if I don't like it. Even if the corporations don't like it. Even if none of us like it, we pour on the hate and half of us quit; so long as Second Life remains a going concern.
If it keeps Second Life going and avoiding bankruptcy, it gets done. No amount of discussion, debate or howling changes those decisions - because that is as nothing to the howling there would be if Second Life announced closure instead.
Open registration, island price rises, bans on ageplay/wagering/interest payments. Linden Lab's primary responsibility to users is to still be there tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Nothing we say, and nothing we do dents the drive for continuance. Outside of those areas, Linden Lab seems to be a lot more negotiable, but continuation is the line that can't ever be crossed, and won't ever be compromised.
You might consider Linden Lab to be risk-averse, even timid (they certainly give that impression) -- but at the end of the day, any risks they might take are ultimately with whether your Second Life will still be here tomorrow, and that isn't something they take lightly.
Everywhere in the news, you read about businesses who say that they are "betting the company" on some risky strategy or venture. I doubt we'll ever see that phrase from Linden Lab.
