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BBC to broadcast in Second Life

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UKPosted May 30, 2007 9:14 am PT

British TV institution to make its Second Life debut Friday with a program about the virtual world economy.

In the Second Life economy, more than $600,000 changes hands every day. In-game currency Linden dollars--which can be earned in the game in a variety of ways, including by getting a job or selling unique clothing styles--can be exchanged for cold, hard cash on the company's own version of the stock exchange. One Second Life virtual estate agent recently claimed to have become the game's first real-life millionaire.

The possibility of making real money from virtual creations is the subject of the latest episode of BBC show The Money Programme, and reporter Max Flint explores money-making options in a variety of online worlds--including Second Life and Lord of the Rings Online. The show will also be the first by the BBC to be broadcast simultaneously on terrestrial TV and within Second Life itself.

The Money Programme was first broadcast in 1966, and is a popular finance and business affairs TV show in the UK, broadcast on the BBC2 channel. It has featured guests including prime minister Tony Blair, Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

This episode of The Money Programme can be seen on June 1 at 7 p.m. on BBC2 on conventional telly, and also at the Rivers Run Red Cinema in Second Life (coordinates 200, 123, 45) at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. BST.

56 Comments

  • EmperorChris

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    I have no idae why I pay Sky £40+ each month and have to get adverts on their channels (Sky 1, 2 etc). At least with the BBC you get no adverts.

  • plightstar

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 1:04 am PT

    Actually The License, at the moment is only for the BBC, there are rumors Channel 4 are trying to get a slice of it, but at the moment the BBC gets every penny (excluding TAX)

  • KrazyKhallos

    Posted May 31, 2007 6:51 am PT

    This is like bowling in Home (why should i play with ppl online when i can go with my friends). Why would anyone want to watch crappy BBC on crappy Second Life - its a game for people afraid to go outdoors. I mean, there's not even any good shows on BBC... and if i wanted to watch the BBC I have a perfectly good crappy TV to watch it on... ARGH... AND WHY DO PEOPLE SPEND REAL WORLD MONEY FOR THEIR VIRTUAL WORLD PLEASURE?!?!?! ITS CRAZY!!! CAN ANYONE GIVE ME A REASONABLE EXPLANATION TO WHY SECOND LIFE IS ANY GOOD? >:O

  • almost_famous

    Posted May 31, 2007 5:10 am PT

    diablobasher.....

    Actually the TV license isn't just for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 etc. all get their own little slice of this pie (admittedly not as much as BBC). Truth is many other countries pay a TV Tax and get absolutely nothing for it, I for one am glad I pay this fee and get a decent set of channels and radio in return (8 channels (that I can think of) and loads n loads of radio stations) most importantly WITHOUT ANNOYING ADVERTS (no I don't want a loan to settle my other loans, no I don't want to sue anyone, no I don't want to change my car insurance! Please leave me alone!)

  • diablobasher

    Posted May 31, 2007 4:30 am PT

    And we pay you TV license to make crap like this?! WTF!

    Seriously, stupid BBC, freakin TV license is THEFT, why in the hell cant i watch channel 4 without paying?! They have adverts, they pay their own way, just because the BBC want to leach off the rest of the world and make their rubbish programs. Why should anyone have to pay for that rubbish?!

  • 88_movement

    Posted May 31, 2007 3:39 am PT

    Second life is for geeks you danno!

  • hesel

    Posted May 31, 2007 3:14 am PT

    I can never figure out why Second Life is so good it's basically a virtual life, I can do everything what is in Second Life in real life. Also why do we want to watch this, are license fee is paying for this crap.

  • TTDog

    Posted May 31, 2007 2:59 am PT

    There ought to be a box on the TV Licence fee form which says "Tick here if you don't want your money wasted on programs about people who have no life"

  • ELDDJOC

    Posted May 31, 2007 2:28 am PT

    Isn't there enough already about online freaks ?

    We don't need anymore.

  • e1337prodigy

    Posted May 31, 2007 12:40 am PT

    Might be interesting to watch, got to be better than Big Brother. It's getting broadcasted in Second life too? haha.

  • Proman84

    Posted May 30, 2007 10:36 pm PT

    From Monty Python's Flying Circus to this? For shame, BBC.

  • Pete5506

    Posted May 30, 2007 8:14 pm PT

    Don't need it

  • HuxleyHobbes

    Posted May 30, 2007 6:31 pm PT

    Much as I hate to say anything nice about Auntie, hopefully the increasing levels of mainsteam media involvement with/discussion of virtual reality will start to spur the realization that, within a decade or two, we're going to have to stop seeing stuff like this as "just a game" or anything along those lines.

    Also: I think it's so cool to see in-game co-ordinates for a thing like this. Dun ask me why. I just do.

  • runstalker

    Posted May 30, 2007 6:25 pm PT

    "If i wanted a job in a virtual world id go raid with a guild In Warcraft."

    I'll give you a QFT on that one.

  • Titanfan2083

    Posted May 30, 2007 5:41 pm PT

    second life is so boring...............
    If i wanted a job in a virtual world id go raid with a guild In Warcraft.

  • orangebrat

    Posted May 30, 2007 4:43 pm PT

    :
    Why does everyone have to be a smart ass when they are safely behind a monitor and a keyboard


    Because they know they are "safe" and you can't come and knock them out. If they only knew how easy it was to track someone down they would think twice about their little remarks.

  • orangebrat

    Posted May 30, 2007 4:39 pm PT

    :
    Personally, I'm kind of amused by those who are saying people should quit SL in favor of a 'real job'. I


    And, what is a "real job" and how is a SL job disqualified from being one? And, who are these people and what right have they to tell anyone what a real job is or to go get one? Certain people need to lay off and relax and let people live their lives the way they prefer and not the way they want them to. I sense a lot of jealously coming from those that talk down about it. They only wish they could make money sitting on their ass playing a game. Jealous mongrels always bark the loudest.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted May 30, 2007 4:16 pm PT

    I don't think that it is really necessary.

  • Vulpis

    Posted May 30, 2007 4:09 pm PT

    Whee. Basic lesson--Second Life isn't in and of itself a 'game', it's a communication tool that uses similar technology to that used by MMOs, and it does allow games to be played within it. It's more like IRC or the phone system than a 'game'. Or, looked at in another way, SL is the first tiny (and admittedly *very* first-gen, with all the quality and technical issues that implies) step towards 'cyberspace' as portrayed in popular fiiction like the works of William Gibson and Neil Stephenson.

    Personally, I'm kind of amused by those who are saying people should quit SL in favor of a 'real job'. In case you haven't noticed, there are some in there who are making more real money than they'd likely get from a 'real job'--also, given the increasing amount of corporate representation within SL, creating and maintaining corporate areas may very well *be* someone's 'real job'.

    Meanwhile, as for the progrram itself...I wonder if they'll be covering the whole issue of 'goldfarming'...

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