Can Virtual Worlds Survive the Great Recession?
It seems like everywhere you turn these days, there is another story about about old favorite sims that are closing or on the verge of doing so. In fact, New World Notes now has a sim deathwatch tag dedicated to this topic. This parallels what is happening outside of the confines of virtual space. I was shocked to find out that Borders books would be closing its doors and just found out that my favorite independent music store, Criminal Records is now caught in the cross-hairs of its own “sim deathwatch”. As much as I’d like to see Criminal Records saved, there probably isn’t much value to be found for them here on this little blog. Sim deathwatches, on the other hand, do fit the virtual theme here rather nicely.
Are things as bad as they seem? How big is the impact of the recession on Virtual Worlds. Is there anything that we can do to help save our favorite in-world locations and brands? What can location owners do to make their properties more recession-resistant if not recession-proof? “Adapt or die” is a common business adage. Is it possible to adapt when the changes are as rapid and severe as they seem to have been during this recession? I plan on going in-depth on some of these topics in upcoming posts. For now, I leave you with these questions, and would love to hear any thoughts that you have or survival tips that you would like to share in the comments.
[...] Can Virtual Worlds Survive the Great Recession? | The Burbclave [...]
The fact that Linden Lab is breaking even right now and not declining in revenue (although they are declining in land area, which is probably a plus given all the empty space) proves that Second Life is surviving the Great Recession. I would say at least 50% of heavy users are feeling a financial pinch right now, and Second Life Businesses have less business than they should. So rather than pain the performance of Second Life as a negative, lets paint it as a positive. Growth will reoccur once this terrible recession ends.