When she first came to Second Life, her story seemed so strange, and so unbelievable (and unsettling to some), I was reluctant to even reveal her SL name. She said she had come here on orders from her boss, the head of a Chinese Internet gaming company, for the sole purpose of acquiring Linden Dollars to convert into US currency-- a worker for a fabled virtual sweatshot. Inspired by the Hong Kong fantasy classic A Chinese Ghost Story, I chose "Hsiao-Tsing" as her pseudonym, named after the film's beautiful temptress spirit, who reluctantly serves a tree demon that drains the souls of its victims with a giant tongue. In a later update, the story of "Hsiao-Tsing" seemed a touch less stranger-- another milestone of the next global economic revolution.
But that was four months ago, and so much has changed since then. During that time, the largest online world acquired 1.5 million Chinese subscribers in a few weeks, and the Chinese government itself has earmarked $1.8 billion to develop online worlds of their own. And just like that, "Hsiao-Tsing" didn't seem mysterious at all. Just one more explorer from the new China, looking for a place on the digital ocean that's reached its shores.
. . .
"Lian's job is not perfect," Yiren says, sympathetically. "I always helped her."
I ask Yiren if she's knows the kind of work she does.
"A sweating shop. I know it's hard to find a good job to live. It's hard to live in China."
I wonder if Yiren would also want to try and make a living here.
"I want play SL for fun," she answers quickly. "I have job."
liangmj Coffee says, "What's your real job please, Hamlet."
"This is my real life job."
"Yes, so you work for Governor Linden please," she realizes. "Cool."
A tan man named Stevo Pierce has arrived in Belmondo, and has overheard the conversation. "That sounds fun," he tells me, "getting paid to play Second Life." He turns to Ms. Coffee. "When do you next have Slingo game here, Lian?"
"Soon. Need wait more players join."
Stevo Pierce nods. "I have only played it a couple of times, but I am already addicted." In his first life, Steveo tells us, he's a nuclear engineer living in the UK. And I note how amazing it is, me in San Francisco at 3:30AM, him in England at 11:30AM, standing here with two Internet workers from China, where it's dinner time of the next day.
"Wonderful things," Yiren agrees.
Wonderful, but come to think of it, not amazing at all. Just the way things are.
