Periodic Existential Threats to SL

So… I was all set to start writing about something else (don’t worry, I’ll get to it soon enough) when I find out SL is having *major* network issues. The grid has been borked for over half a day with no end in sight. Network administrators are scratching their heads wondering where the problem lies. Tens of thousands of people (myself included) start getting nasty cravings for their next SL fix. Jacek Antonelli notes that this is the latest in a month-long series of outages and issues. This leads me to an observation I’ve made. Every few months people fret about an existential threat to SL; however, this threat never fully materializes. Let’s run through some of the problems that could have ended SL life as we know it over the past 20 months:

The Database Breach – Shortly after I joined SL back in August, 2006, came word of a membership database breach. Somebody had cracked the database which contained a listing of all 600,000 avatars and their RL names. Everybody worried that a website soon would appear where you could type in an SL name and find out who they were in RL. Males who were female in SL would be outted, alts and their owners would be discovered, the identity of Prokofy Neva would be splashed across the pages of blogs everywhere, and nobody would feel safe anymore. Oh, the humanity! Time passes, and nothing happens. Shortly thereafter, the population of SL explodes.

Grey Goo Attacks – Self-replicating object attacks start appearing, forcing grid closures to become a regular event. Concerns arise that Linden Labs, already straining to keep the grid running, will be unable to fix the problem. A combination of law enforcement and code changes fixes the problem.

The Copybot Program – The release of libsecondlife enables the creation of a program which can duplicate objects along with any textures and animations. No longer need you fret over buying clothes, avatars, or other accessories since free knockoffs would be plentiful. With no incentives to purchase anything, all commerce would grind to a halt and people would close up shops everywhere. Some stores actually did halt operations amid fears of having their wares pirated. A way to block the Copybot program is soon discovered. For a while you couldn’t go anywhere without being greeted by an endless series of “!quits” designed to stop illegal copying. In the end, it turns out that 99% of the residents prefer to buy their goods legally. Only a very small number of copyright complaints ever get lodged. In all fairness, this was probably the most serious threat I’ve seen.

The Gambling Ban – In a major CYA move, Linden Labs™ bans gambling in SL. No more casinos, no more Tringo, and no more sploders. With all of those Lindens no longer changing hands, the velocity of money would slow down considerably. People would leave in droves. As time went on, Lindens still found a way to change hands. I guess all of the SL gamblers found other interests and started buying considerably more clothing and Xcite body parts. “Games of skill” with payouts started appearing in many fine SL establishments.

Voice – In a major blow to Immersionists everywhere, Linden Labs announces that voice will be available in Second Life. Lots of concern is expressed over how life in SL will be irrevocably altered. People with *very* legitimate reasons to not want others to hear them (transgendered folk come to mind) will feel alienated and leave. In the end, voice gets relegated to a “gee wiz” feature which never seems to work right. Everybody else goes back to their Skype conversations which take place while in-world. And nobody in SL has yet to hear my “Barry White” voice that I get when I’m sick (as Dave Barry would say, “I’m not making this up”).

Amazingly enough, SL still grinds along. The lesson to be learned from all of this is the only things certain are death, taxes, and lots of people thinking that all threats to SL are fatal.