Facts and figures about the online virtual world Second Life circa 2009.
Average daily number of Second Life users: 300,000
Total hours spent “inworld” in 2009: 481 million
Total number of hours spent “inworld” since 2003: over 1 billion
Second Life currency: Linden dollar (L$)
Average daily exchange rate of Linden dollars to U.S. dollars: L$256 = US$1
Linden dollars in circulation: L$6.95 billion
Number of Linden-to-U.S.-dollar currency-exchange companies: 2
Total value in U.S. dollars of Linden dollars traded at exchanges: $116.5 million
Size of Second Life economy: $567 million
Growth of Second Life economy in 2009: 65%
Growth of U.S. GDP in 2009: −2.4%
Gross resident earnings: $55 million
Combined income of top 25 earners: $12 million
First Second Life millionaire: Anshe Chung, land baron
Biggest Second Life virtual industry: Real estate
Real-world equivalent of land in Second Life: Rhode Island
Second Life eCommerce market: XStreet
Sales in user-generated virtual products in Second Life marketplace: $6.1 million
Sample of products available: Royal castle with “full privacy,” Xplicit sex bed with 251 “passionate and sensual animations,” set of 205 different kitchen and appliance textures
Real-world companies who have done business in Second Life: American Apparel, Adidas Reebok, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Starwood Hotels, IBM, Reuters
“Live” concerts, listening parties, and meet-and-greets held by: Jay-Z, Duran Duran, Suzanne Vega, Talib Kweli, Chamillionaire, Regina Spektor