SLENTRE.COM

By Ariel Otafuku

Second Life, since my first arrival in 2004, has grown and diversified in so many ways. For example, the club industries have created a unique niche in Second Life (SL), and have become a breeding ground for all sorts of social and cultural creativity. I have been active in the club scene ever since my first week in SL and I have loved it all. I have performed jobs as dancer, escort, DJ, mid-management, general management, and even owner. Over the course of these years, I’ve watched the clubs bring together people from all over the world and those associations often became partnerships that matched creative talents and open businesses, taking the club scene to higher levels. As I write this article, I stand at The 5th Element, otherwise known as GOL, while log-in’s are suspended, users cannot change tags, cannot teleport (TP) anywhere – but I can stand here and tell you how this institutionalized club and sex scene within SL can actually help you make a real life (RL) income.

All transactions are also down as I write; however, during a usual shift when SL is behaving, I would be beating minimum wage in RL.

In the SL club scene and its associated world of sensuality and sexuality (which is no different than in RL save for the fact that we are organic in RL and pixilated in SL), things have changed quite dramatically. But even with all of the changes within SL and its internal economy, the club and sex scene will never die – that is, unless, the “gods” program more restrictions into the Terms of Service (TOS). When I first started working in clubs in SL, I was stunned and amazed by how much money one could make. Dancing on a stage, escorting, and sometimes just standing in one place, I watched those Linden Dollars roll in. As noob as I was at the time, it took me a while for it to dawn on me that I could convert those dollars into RL money. My first check for Linden Labs was about $2,000 USD. I was like, “OMG! I can make rent!” LOL! Today, the competition is thick in the SL market place and the RL economy is not helping. Today’s clubs are plentiful and there is a surplus of those wanting to role-play (RP) and be the dancer, the escort, and anything else one can do to make money in the club and sex scene in SL. More often than not, the clubs and the sex scene go hand-in-hand and even the most novel ideas idea can be sparked by an SL education.

What makes up the scene that predominates in SL? First, let’s dissect the “scenes” and “jobs” into individual parts, starting with the question of how it all begins – the dream and how to make it happen. I first met with Kelley Griffith, a SL educator at GQ START. I feel that a new-comer can come into SL and get an “education” from those who are more experienced with SL and who might have some skills to pass on that will help the novice achieve some self-actualization here. Some of those people will open-up clubs and other places for fun. Kelley might be one of those first points of contact that helps one gain the confidence and the skills to start building. Her education business has been open for a year now and she has been educating over 1000 students, with over 500 in her student group. However, her organization is not out to make money. Her paycheck comes from “intrinsic” happiness and she states, “…what we do really wasn’t and has never been about money…although we always keep our eyes open so we can grow and expand…we do accept donations…”. So what you do in SL can provide you with a RL intrinsic value you can cash even though what you are doing in SL does not give you the ability to process credit. But now that you have been educated on building and you have the desire to make your mark in SL, let us put the fantasy into motion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you find the right place and own or rent the land, it’s time to make your dreams come true. Many of us come to SL because we can do things in SL that we cannot do in RL; like owning erotic clubs or businesses. I spoke with Jinx Paz, who owns LE CIMETIERE, about her experiences owning a club where you can dance and interact with great people and BDSM yourself up. Her place has been around for almost three years and all the money she makes goes back into her sim. Her inspiration for building LE CIMETIERE came from her, “…dream of a New Orleans vamp sim that is more than just a club…one that every one is welcome to and our motto is ‘a home of outcasts among outcasts’. If you put into the Search the phrase “BDSM” you will find a lot more than 100 possibilities to choose from. If you choose “SEX” you will find just as much. Jinx is like so many of us, we are here to have fun and find some meaning for ourselves here.” Not only does she have a great club; she also has great DJs who play great music. Now being a DJ is a mobile way of making money in the club/sex world here in SL. Jinx’s DJs make approximately $3K an evening.

Isabelle Santos spins all over SL and has a great time sharing her tunes with other SL users. And she doesn’t just spin great music; you should hear her voice! I asked her how she feels about being paid to DJ in SL. She got into the business after dancing and “found myself becoming interested in DJing. I would listen to DJs perform at different events, and I thought ‘Hey, why can’t I do that?’” Many of us do sit here in RL and ask ourselves the same question. But you can. SL is a world where anything is possible. Isabelle allegedly makes decent Linden Dollars (LD) and processes her credit to get the RL money, saving to one day start her own SL clothing line. Of course, clothing and the clubs/sex universe go hand-in-hand in SL. When you come across the sex scene, you also find shops galore. So perhaps some day while Isabelle is DJing, watching her tip jar fill-up, her LD balance will also be increasing from clothing sales. As a comrade DJ, I would suggest that if you really want to get into DJing seriously, invest in a high-end graphics card (if you don’t, you will soon see why) and SAM from Spacial Audio. This allows you to dance to your own tunes while other avatars from around the world are dancing with you.

There are two forms of dancing in SL. One involves watching your avatar’s legs moving in ways you wish they could in RL. The second involves dancing on stage looking as sexy as you want while making as much LD as you can. Dancing is, believe it or not, a difficult trade here in SL. Why? The job requires you to be BELIEVABLE. I met with Desiree Pera and asked her straight-out why she wanted to be a SL Dancer and she said, “I was interested in the dancing industry because I’m in to BDSM and working in a club where everyone else has similar interests.” Desiree is a dancer at the HOUSE OF V, by the way. E-moting is a very important in this type of SL job. As mentioned, you have to be BELIEVABLE. E-moting is an art that requires the ability to text a client in such a way that the person on the other side can actually feel you. E-moting is even more important as an Escort, but we will get to that later. As Desiree put it, “To be a good E-moter, you have to be good with words, be social, and interact with your audience. The point is to entertain them, and hopefully get a tip for your work.” Desiree does well financially at her trade. However, she uses all the LD she makes “to buy things. I love to buy clothes, hair, tattoos, boots, and such. Plus, I help out friends who need a little linden help sometimes.” Do you have to have dancing experience in RL to dance in SL? It doesn’t hurt but by no means required. After all, Desiree told me her RL boyfriend does not want her dancing in RL. If he will not let her dance in RL, I seriously doubt he will let her do what we are about to discuss in the next paragraph.

I feel that one of the hardest but more lucrative jobs in SL can be Escorting. What is Escorting? Escorting is basically having professional cyber sex. The client should be able to close his eyes and imagine the event as if it’s really happening. I have been there and done that. Sometimes still do. It’s generally known that in SL the clubs require the owner to invest RL money in it semi-regularly. It is really hard to find a club in SL that is self-supporting these days (hint to possible readers that want to open clubs). However, Brieanne Bomazie, owner of XFE, told me, “XFE is self supporting 100%.” Brieanne does so well that she also has money left over to convert in to RL money to use for “gas, food, smokes, groceries. It depends on how much I make per week.” XFE is one of the most well known Escorting houses within SL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What sets XFE apart is the the house uses vocal technology. Voice on SL has really helped the Escorting market because it transcends traditional E-moting, making it more RL. Cyber sex to the third power is “kind of” real – it is not RL, but it may be the next best thing. Most of the Escorts at XFE perform their duties in voice. I have even heard of some Escorts that will perform their duties using both camera and voice. Now this is a lot of bang for your buck; no pun intended. Escorting can have you rolling in the money if you work hard at being the best, and as Brieanne puts it; “This is the only job I have.” Meaning this is the only job she has in RL AND SL.

Being secure in your house and home is a fundamental law analagous to one of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tenets. The same follows for your business. Griefers and content thieves are very strong reasons why you need SL comrades with your best interests at heart. I learned from Maile Michinaga, the Security Manager at THE 5TH ELEMENT/GOL, that “It sounds weird: people see security and expect some mean person behind the avatar – a threatening looking avatar.” She suggested that patience is a crucial character trait that Security person in RL should possess. Just as in RL, you will have to deal with people that may irritate you and worse. Maile has been “stalked and griefed personally [in SL]” and encounters “SL people who takes things to the extreme with a vengeance.” What sets THE 5TH ELEMENT/GOL’s security team apart from other teams is that “we pride ourselves on our training, professionalism, and humility. We’re not here to act as bullies or cowboys. We’re here as representatives for the club and here to work with the patrons when they need help, especially the new SL members.” Maile does get paid well and when she gets paid she “spends it! But most of it goes to the rest of the staff in the club tips.” Maile Michinaga is a great example of the kind of person you can model to be successful in Security line of work.

SL is a world so dynamic it reminds me of the Universe. It grows and grows and no limits to the growth can be seen. Innovations in technology bring people in droves into SL everyday. It does not matter what you do in SL. Even if you do not work, the number one point here is to find some self-actualization that you might not be able to find in RL. In any case, I find my fun working and making money and being productive just like others. What I make covers my rent and furnishings, and I can still process credit and bring some home. Your SL is what you choose to make it. In this article, a few people were interviewed just to give you a taste of what is out there and what you might do to make money here. Many do other forms of rewarding work outside the club/sex scene as well. I hope as you read this article, you will become excited and feel brave enough to go after your dreams here. And have fun watching the LD roll in.