Linden Lab have issued a reminder : New Skill Gaming Policy in Effect September 1, 2014. The blog post also contains a warning that the new policy will be enforced. Skill Gaming in Second Life is basically defined as :
- A game where the outcome is determined by skill, rather than by chance.
- Has the option for payment to participate in Linden Dollars.
- Pays out in Linden Dollars.
- Is legal according to United States and international law.
That’s pretty much the gist of it, so if the game allows you to pay in with the option of paying out if your skill allows you to win, then it’s a skill game. Now if those criteria aren’t met, say for example you can pay in but there’s a random chance of the game paying out, such as a traditional fruit machine style game, then that’s gambling and is strictly forbidden.
Now if you haven’t been paying attention then you may be wondering how on earth Linden Lab know if the game you play or create meets this criteria. Well that’s what the Skill Gaming Policy is for. Games of skill will only be allowed to be played on approved sims. Only approved games, created by approved creators are permitted and they can only be operated by approved operators. This means that if your game meets the skill gaming definition, you will still be breaching the rules of the new policy if the game, the land or the person operating the game have not been approved.
Approved games, operators and sims can be found on the Public Wiki : Linden Lab Official:Second Life Skill Gaming Approved Participants. There will also be a section on the destination guide for Skill Gaming. However as I mentioned earlier, tread carefully because the game, the operator and the land must all be approved for the game to be legitimate.
The blog post carries the following warning for those who are currently operating skill gaming but haven’t at least applied to be approved :
Remember: if you are not an approved* Creator or Operator, you must cease the creation, distribution, and operation of skill games (as defined in the Skill Gaming Policy) by September 1, 2014. So if you haven’t already removed any unapproved skill games from your Marketplace shop, for example, or haven’t yet ceased operating them inworld, now is the time to do so. From that date forward, operating and/or creating skill games with L$ payouts, among other criteria as specified in the Skill Gaming Policy, without Linden Lab approval (and/or outside of Skill Gaming Regions) will be subject to enforcement measures.
*As noted in the FAQ, creators and operators whose applications are under review at the deadline may continue to operate skill games while their applications are reviewed, provided that they have submitted all required documentation and continue to promptly respond to any inquiries from Linden Lab.
The FAQ is well worth a look if you’re unsure about this. Initially there may be some confusion because some places may stay open whilst they are going through the application process and yet they won’t appear in the approved participants page on the Wiki. I’m also sure that some people will not even be aware of this new policy and will continue to operate skill games. However one rule is very clear, Skill Gaming will not be allowed anywhere on the mainland, so if the location is on the mainland, it should not be be operating there come September 1st, even if they have applied for approval.
The enforcement angle will be welcomed by many and this is a policy that needs to be enforced. I know this new policy is going to upset some folk, those who have been happily providing a fun place for other people to enjoy skill games will be particularly upset, as will those who visit those locations. However I still think Linden Lab are doing the right thing by regulating this market. There are some aspects of the policy that I’m still not keen on, but the policy generally seems to be on the right track.
Time will tell whether this is successful or not but the clock is most definitely ticking for those who haven’t applied to be on the approved list.
Well… good to see the Lab is worried about something, since they could care less about SpellFire Weapons being borked and then driving one of the hardest working people I know off the grid.
The situation in Second Life is getting worse by the day. The entire atmosphere in world is very negative and Linden Lab is not doing a thing anymore. Griefers have a blast and less and less people are logging in. It is a shame that what once used to be a great place got completely trashed by the incompetence of the platform provider. When you compare Linden Lab with some other game related companies and how they treat the userbase the difference is really night and day.
Linden Lab and Altberg have shown their real face to the general public and the general public did not like it one bit. They left or are busy doing so. Who would invest in a nice mansion these days when Linden Lab is letting it all go to waste.
No further updates to the approved participants list. So I suppose the policy is a huge fail, since almost nobody participates. I mean there are currently thousants of places with skill games all over SL, not only game places, but especially clubs or freebie locations that use skill games as one source of income to pay for their tier.
So, I cannot confirm that this is true, but I just talked to one of the approved operators and he told me that the process is hugely complex and requires a very expensive attorney. One of the creators of skill games actually paid 32.000 USD for his RLOs.
These naive game creators will spend thousands of dollars to put out a game in SL that LL will eventually steal and resell once it is successful.
Predatory Service Providing at its Finest.
xo
P.S. Thanks Ciaran for being one of the last, legitimate reporters out there.