Remember, it's just a game. Or is it?
I've been playing Second Life since November 2005. As you probably know Second Life is a huge 3D world where people can do more or less anything they want to. There comes a stage though, where Second Life is no longer a game. Think about it, it's not computers your talking to in-game. It's other, real people, from all over the world. There are no levels, just like real life, everyone (excepting staff) are equal.
There is a huge population, over 215,747 residents at the time of this post, although only 107,064 have logged in within the last 60 days. People who have met on Second Life, have gotten married in-world, and in the Real world as well. Some have even moved country to be with someone they met over this program. This is a lot more social then a game.
Money is a big one. At the time of this post, $31,437.00 has been spent today using Second Life. Yes, that's right, USD. Not L$, the Second Life currency, real money, and it's only mid-day. Some MG residents make enough money off Second Life to make it there full time job. Soon the money I make off Second Life will be used to pay for the internet access for my whole family.
All the definitions of 'Game' that I've looked at clearly state that there HAS to be a winner, or it is not a game. That's why I, and others, strongly believe Second Life can no longer be called a game. Second Life has resulted with people getting married in real-life and in-game, people making real-money, and making friends!
With the huge range of things you can do in Second Life, there are no real rules, another thing that every 'game' has. Being able to talk to friends from all over the world within Second Life makes you feel your a lot closer to them than if you did it using an IM program. Being able to build with amazing tools, script, upload textures and make animations make this resident created world a great place to be!