Property Prices Go Up in Second Life, University Receives Grant for Second Life Island

A few tech observers have noted that Linden Labs Second Life has not been making news lately. It did this weekend as Linden raised prices for the less expensive “land” in the virtual world by 50%. “The setup fee for the virtual space will increase by 50 percent from $250 to $375, and the monthly maintenance fees will increase by 66 percent from $75 to $125” as PaidContent reports. The reason for the price increase: the lower priced land is meant to be used as open space, not for condos or shops. And, alas, folks are using it for condos and shops…putting more pressure on servers and making it more expensive for Linden to operate. More expensive properties get “better servers” but open spaces are meant to share servers.

In other Second Life news, Pace University received a Verizon grant to establish a presence (that is its own island) in the virtual world. It’s learning opportunity, notes the university.