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Virtual banks sprang up in Second Life that paid interest to Linden dollar depositors. A small amount is given to first-time users, but additional Linden dollars must be purchased monthly to acquire more. Land and objects are purchased from Linden Lab or other Second Lifers using Linden dollars. You can instantly teleport from one location to another.
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Using the keyboard, one can move around at will and even fly over them. The Second Life world is a group of islands in the tropics. The name cannot be changed, but the avatar can be. Launched in 2003 by Philip Rosedale, alias Philip Linden in Second Life, first-time residents make up a first name, choose a last name from a list and choose a graphic identity (an avatar). Playing the game requires a client download for Windows, Mac or Linux. It is a "massively multiplayer online role playing game" (MMORPG), but one that offers users total freedom to create and interact as if they were living another life.
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