Isolation and addiction in Second Life edit
Another controversial point about second life is the notion that users can be potentially mentally and physically addicted to the game. There are many different posts on a variety of different forums with relating posts of users being addicted to second life, from all age groups. An addiction is often caused by the addict missing something in their current life, so with a game like second life, where nearly anything is possible, it offers an easy escape from reality for some users. While large groups of people believing that children are most at risk to this level of addiction, adults have been found to be the most severe cases.
As well as the second life forum having posts related to users being addictive and asking for advice, several other PC related forums have users asking about addiction and second life whether its regarding them or a friend or family member. These posts are often answered by previously addictive users. Interestingly enough, the users who offer their advice to these cases treat it like any other addiction and tell them they have to wait till the user in question admits their own addiction.
Case Study Kim Yoo-chul and Choi Mi-sun edit
The most famous of all cases regarding addiction to second life came from South Korea where a couple were sent to prison when their child starved to death while they played virtual world across the road from their apartment in an internet cafe. Most shocking of all about this case was the couple in second life, were raising a virtual baby as well. The couple originally said their child had passed away in the middle of the night. It was only after police inspection that they noticed the child's level of dehydration. The couple by this time had tried to escape but was later caught and charged with child abuse and neglect. The couple in question have said they have not got into a games room since the incident.
http://www.news.com.au/world-old/korean-baby-dies-as-parents-kim-yoo-chul-and-choi-mi-sun-raise-virtual-bub/story-e6frfkyi-1225837180407
Forums where cases of addiction has been seen
http://community.secondlife.com
http://www.olganon.org/
Meaning of "ownership" in Second Life edit
Any user who uploads, publishes or submits any content keeps the intellectual property rights of that content, however both Linden Lab and other users gain their own rights from your content. Linden Lab receives a content license from anything a user uploads to the server. In the terms of service: [act 7.2] it states; "you hereby automatically grant Linden Lab a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sub-license able, and transferable licence to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the content solely for the purpose of providing and promoting the service".
[Section 7.3] A user who uploads their content to a public area also gives a content licence to other users as well. Which allows other users to replicate and record for use in Machinima (as outlined in [section 7.4] 'Snapshot and Machinima Policy').
Regardless of what rights and licences are given, Linden Lab takes no responsibility for the outcome of any dispute between users or the server regarding content. In the terms of use section 10.2, it states; "you release Linden Labs (and its officers, directors, shareholders, agents, subsidiaries, and employees) from claims, demands, losses, liabilities and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind nature, known and unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with any dispute you have or claim to have with one or more users, including whether or not Linden Lab becomes involved in any resolution or attempted resolution of the dispute". In the next act (section 10.3) it repeats a similar passage but regarding the responsibility of Linden Lab during any data or technical fault.
http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php - terms and policies
http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php#tos7 - section 7
http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php#tos10 - section 10