As I've been saying, we should BOYCOTT THE ARCADE. This is a big quarterly gatcha event in Second Life where hordes of avatars will pull the lever on gatcha machines, which are like gumball machines with random prizes, and pay anywhere from $25 to $50 to $75 to even $100 per pull in order to mainly get repeats of common items they don't want, which they'll have to sell for 20% or 50% off or more, in the effort to get more coveted rare items they have little change of getting.
Now the organizers have instituted an even more insidious avatar-sticker to drain accounts, which is a 50-pull prize which is not on transfer so you can't sell it.
What this accomplishes deviously is a flood of the gatcha markets with unwanted dupes that devalues the markets just like the LindEx just got devalued. Deliberate? Any of the same actors?
I've linked my call to a boycott to Arcade NOT because I'm claiming that Arcade merchants and organizers caused the LindEx crash. There's no evidence they did. But they contribute to it by inaction in failing to a) admit there is a problem and b) protest to the Lindens about it. These high-end merchans make so much cash that the loss of $2.70 per 10,000 Linden cashout compared to last month doesn't bother them because they either don't care or they can take some of their thousands of Linden dollars and park them on the LindEx at higher values and wait for a change. That is in part what is contributing to the problem.
The reaction of merchants as you can see on Plurk and Sluniverse is denial, belligerence, hatred of small and medium amateur or common merchants (such fear of competition and class war, I guess), and then claims that it is the buy-out -- i.e. another class of people to blame, not creators and merchants. Of course, as I've explained repeatedly, this is bullshit, as even if the 1000 islands that emerged as grandfathered in the buyout (according to Tyche Shepherd's estimate) were true, that's only $600,000 (1000 x $600 buydown fee) that would have sought to leave SL --- and already left. That might explain the drop of a point; it doesn't explain the sudden drop of 13 or 15 points even as a putative trigger of a panic.
Manipulation of the LindEx is obvious to any naked eye that watches it for 15 or 60 minutes. I see 12 million Linden packets simply disappearing from their positions, and not adding to buy side as they would if they were speculators. It's hard for me to believe that anybody would bother much to try to make cash off the Lindex as the cost in fees and the risk is too great.
eku Zhong is the latest FIC on Sluniverse.com to keep claiming that it's the buydown with no proof because not only did she not participate in the offer, none of her friends did and almost no one on Sluniverse is describing actually using their horded Linden dollars. So you have a class of snotty, snobbish people speculating about what another class of people are doing economically -- a class they loathe and actively agitate against -- and sorry, that doesn't make for good analysis.
eku believes the crisis is "passing" because the LindEx positions fell about 2-3 points today (the higher the number of Linden dollars to the US dollar, the less value they have). There's no evidence this is the end, and if the result means we all fall to 260 or even 255 as "stable," why, we've lost considerable value given that only in April, we were at 248.
So Arcade is about the glut the secondary market -- and that looks deliberate. Creators are uneasy about this market because they sweat and labor over a hot Blender all day only to see an item that sold for $50 go for $1500 on the MP, and maybe change hands multiple times with that cash not going to the creator.
To which I can say, too bad, then stop selling in gatchas and put items in your store in copy/mod/no transfer for a normal price.
The organizers of Arcade have gotten as greedy as ever -- I don't know what they charge merchants and possibly even bloggers (I should say "bloggers" as they are merely PR people, uncritical of the event or its works) to participate, but now they've found YET ANOTHER way to drain the consumer public -- payment of $2500 (!) to have your name put on a plaque onsite -- like you would pay for a pew or statue in a church, for example. This is ridiculous and outrageous.
Don't forget that the expenses these people have is only $195 x 2 for the sims, or $295 x 2 if they didn't grandfather them, which is hard to believe. They ALREADY have donation kiosks on site which many people stupidly pump money into thinking there isn't something altruistic about these merchants and organizers. Of course there isn't.
Any/all of them make literally thousands of real life US dollars from this event from your pulls, and you need to stop, think of your consumer power, and insist on changes -- an immediate end to no-transfer prizes, an end to gouging above $75, and a statement to the Lindens about concern over the LindEX.
I'm happy to see that most authors aren't charging $100, but way too many charge $75 as "the new normal" instead of $25 or $50. Here are those charging $100 that you should boycott at least at the level of quietly never pulling their levers even if you don't want to join my group and publicly boycott this event.
Please don't tell me that because these creators have lingerie or shoulder pets that are "more complicated" they get to charge $100. Others with the exact same kind of lingerie and shoulder pets are in this same Arcade and charge $50. Don't pay $100 to these gougers. If they want to sell items like this, they should put them in their store on copy/transfer and not be so greedy. I should think transfer/no copy clothing items are the worst because you could easily edit them and ruin the item and lose your $100.
As for these much-touted no-transfer prizes for a whopping 50 pulls -- twice as many as at Epiphany, Fantasy Collective, or whoever has done this redemption/prize thing for pulls -- they are as disappointing as you'd expect -- as they were at Epiphany, etc. as well.
The only two stand-out items that I might regret a boycott over are the phantom's organ by Fancy Decor and the beauty kit by tres blah. But I have a perfectly good organ already that I purchased for under the $2500 that I'd have to shell out for Jake's organ, nice as it is. And the problem with beauty items I've found is that they are hard to re-sell.
Same with food items (which is what tres blah's item is, honey, etc). This gatcha round has WAY too much food (because of the summer picnic themes) that cannot sell. Look, I've shopped extensively and know this market well now. Food does not sell and people are forced to mark it down to $15 to unload it. None of it dispenses, like KitchenKorner old-school food items do. It's only decorative and I think most people feel a little cheated if they get nothing on a click. I buy some of it because it is pretty but hopefully it is on mod so I can at least make something myself or use some old freebie thing I can dispense with it.
Even things that you'd think I'd like, such as Scarlet Creative's "fancy" gazebo and keke's beach hut (which looks like a gazebo) I don't like but then, it's hard for me to ever buy another gazebo, ever, in my life. WAY too many in SL.
Some comments (I tend to ignore clothes and accessories unless really stand-out jewelry so the focus here is on furniture and decor).
Little Bones gets a plus even for $75 overpriced gatchas by making these make-up items animated.
PixelMode's Anahata is just $50 a play, and the quality seems good and texture change on a number of items which is great and thoughtful. Of course, nearly every single one of these items I already have, some nearly identical, from other authors. Morocco and Arabia is a very overdone theme in SL especially with the heavy Gor influence. But since I have a Moroccan build (in Ross, the "Memory Bazaar") I will look for these at yardsales and I will be reporting soon -- I bet-- that I am finding them for half price.
aisling was my first gatcha overspend to get the headdress she had at Fantasy-something (Collective? Gatcha? Garden? whatever) - I finally got it, and along the way I got this body jewelry thing that I sold as a rare that didn't cover my over-pulls. I just tried to get her headdress again and failed. I collect these for my Shaman's Hut, they are perfect, even if men "don't wear them". I just like them. So I get gazillion pieces I don't want which I then simply give away as a present to female tenants as like a chocolate on their pillow or put to sale for $10 in my Flamingo Court office in Grote if you want any.
This one looks like it wouldn't induce me to excessive pulls because I don't want an Indian veil but the necklaces look great and have colour change on a HUD.
You would think because I run so many camps such as in Grote, Zephyr, Cayuga, and Hector that I would love camping gatchas and I often do. I put some of them in the camp store in Grote. But this one by Amala has drawbacks. The tents don't look like you can comfortably actually go in them -- they are sculptures you put out on your lot to give the illusion of a camp. The food items will be going for $15 in no time. The campfire looks to "drawn". So I'd have to see the actual items. The map is the only thing I'd want, I collect those as they make a nice touch to any rental.
anc is a very impressive artist -- an ethereal creature just too good for Second Life (they should be in some better metaversal setting, maybe that will be Sansar but likely not). If you ever go to anc's store, which is all in the dark with things lit up, you will be in pain from the beauty. But the stuff is often incomprehensible like those telegraph poles with the birds and the stairway leading nowhere. I don't know what the concept is here: glass coffins? You lie in them and write death poetry? I don't think so. The flowers are ugly and the birds are ok but then I already have a lot of your birds, guys.
Not surprisingly given the SL wedding season Aria has a bridal gatcha which isn't that inspiring but the colour-change rose looks promising and will likely sell for more than $50 and be the actual rare of this piece. Ugh, yet another dress form/mannekin. You know, I barely find uses for the Soy, Circa, and zillions of other mannekins already foisted on a public largely indifferent to mannekinism. Most people don't really enjoy having a somewhat creepy life-like figure in their bedroom or living room. So unless they make a sewing room (pretend) it's hard to justify. Yet for so many, nothing says "shabby shiny" like a mannekin, especially if draped in cobwebs or a Miss Haversham wedding dress -- which is the look you get with this rare. The other rare, a coral/rose sort of sofa is nice and worth it.
I generally appreciate Ariskea but of course any tiki theme has done literally a million times in SL and this one has no innovations except the hanging "nook" sort of chair. When will SL creators learn that we do NOT want lights on our furniture? They need to make these removable if nothing else.
This is $75, so don't spend your hard-earned Lindens here.
Astralia may win the prize for having the oddest thing but it's compelling -- wearable sushi and a sushi table you can lie on with colour change. $75 so give it a token pull or two and move on but better to boycott and look for doubles on the yard sales.
One thing I really hate in a gatcha is when I have to risk getting 10 bras or panties I don't want to get an item of decor like the elephant here. That means I usually don't come near them. This is why yardsales exist, and why $75 will be a meaningless price very soon.
I'm skipping over items like terminally cute skateboards with animal heads, nekko headphones, totes with stupid sayings on them and I'll leave them for the 13-year-old girls that may be in SL or their male typists who are in their 40s.
Black Bantam always has odd stuff, and some of it NEVER sells at yard sales and I mean NEVER although some is coveted like the weatherbeaten dresser from a few gatchas ago. This driftwood horse is, well, different. The headdresses are worth it for my collection. The poms are very different and haven't seen anything like them in SL. I don't need a chair with a gourd on it, however, it's not Halloween even. And I don't want a poodle.
Beware of this $75 pull as you will be selling these items for $20 or less, believe me.
I bought brixley's kitchen at 6Republic (I think). So now they've put more into a gatcha. It's brown, and not so impressive at first but maybe. $50 a play, thank you brixley!
I'm not a huge fan of Commoner, it's just a matter of taste like anything but it's a little too shiny and celluloid for me. This set is no different. A dress that only one kind of avatar skin thing can wear. Decor items that are the kind that rapidly sink to $20 or $15 at yardsales as they are so "personal". The pink cocktails -- ok, good. Fortunately, $50 only!
This other gatcha from Commoner -- $25 only -- a photo box which is transferable (so not the 50 pull prize) is really great. Personalized as to letter and picture and opens. Very nice -- one of the best things in this Arcade.
I'll skip Contraption steam-punk stuff because none of their stuff from the last gatcha sold for me and I don't like steampunk that much -- if you'd like those rare wands or whatever with the gauntlets, IM me or look on the MP.
D-Labs penguins with animations at $100 a pull just aren't worth it -- put it in your store, D-Lab, not a gatcha. Boycott these in particular. A pergola as a rare is stupid with the gadzillion pergolas in SL.
David Heather is always on the pricey side and these are $75. They also sell for more than pull price often so I suppose it's a good yardsale "investment". I don't like most of what he has but that's mainly because it is "personal" and I can't really put it in a rental (I do anyway in some B&Bs). This antique attic thing has been overdone to DEATH in SL but David has added at least two things I've never seen in SL: a rack of fur coats and a war medals plaque. Great for Russians! I like the travel chess -- also unique -- and I collect antler chairs against my better judgement.
The horse stool chair is actually pretty creepy and I bet we see that gobbled up and then marked down as such things are. Many of the other items like wine glasses or tea sets or picnic baskets have been done before, and better. But a few of the things in here are unique.
this is all I have time for now so I'll be back later.
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