Buying and selling big chunks of land in Caledon appears to be continuing at its frenzied pace. Perhaps it's just my imagination, or perception warped by experience and the passage of time, but it seems to me that there wasn't nearly as much large-scale land churn when I first came to Caledon - say, prior to the Openspace sim debacle. In my experience, there was always a fair amount of buying and selling individual parcels - people came to Caledon and wanted land, left Caledon and sold land, moved to a different part of the realm, or wanted more land (read: additional prims) where they were, and hence acquired parcels as they became available. I don't recall many duchies changing hands, however.
Nowadays, it's practically a non-event. You, too, can be a Duke or Duchess for a week! I've joked about the Curse of Rothesay before - and Rothesay itself was a result of the Openspace fallout - but things have gotten out of hand. In the past week or so: Miss Urquhart sold the duchy of Westmoreland to Mr. Michigan; the Nachts sold the duchy of Cafall to Mr. Goode, and I heard that Miss Marenwolf acquired enough land to merit the duchess title. This follows on the heels of several other island duchies rising from the depths around Caledon, along with at least two others who have become cumulative land-holding lords and ladies.
This is not a criticism, mind you. As a user of the skies and water around Caledon, I appreciate the willingness of civic-minded folk to pay the tier on these open areas, and those who accumulate large land holdings generally use that land for purposes all can enjoy.
It becomes difficult to remember all these titles, however, and which of our fellow citizens is Lady Piddlepuddle this week. (Indeed, if it were not for the name tags floating gently above everyone's head, acting as the electronic equivalent of a loyal aide whispering names into his master's ear, I would often be grasping for names, much less titles.) More to the point, these frenetic land movements may signal an unhealthy restlessness among the natives that does not bode well for the longer-term survival of our fair nation.
Along those lines, I'll note that Miss Virrginia Tombola announced that she is closing her long-standing shop in Eyre, Cheval Verite, and seeking her fortune on distant shores (i.e., leaving SL). Although I prefer the comforts of motorized vehicles - and I prefer transportation that requires no cleanup afterward - Miss Tombola's horses are magnificent creatures, and we will miss both her presence and her talents.
4 comments:
The difference between now and then is economy, I think.
For us, virtual real estate is a cheaper and safer hobby than some of the alternatives I have proposed (M'dear was not keen on us taking up "Couples Rocket Bobsledding")
However, the price of prims is cumulative, and many who stay in SL ask themselves how many prims do they really need for doing as they wish.
As you and the Missus own considerably more property than I, Your Grace, I won't gainsay your analysis. (But really? No Rocket Bobsledding? Do you want to live forever?)
I'm sure the economy plays a part, and no doubt there's a life cycle of players' interest in the world, so some churn is inevitable. The frenzy is a little disconcerting, though.
One thing that just occurred to me is that the sheer size of Caledon now allows new folks easy access to the land market. (And Oxbridge as a gateway channels more newbies into Caledon than when I started.) I was in-world perhaps six months before I approached the Guvnah for land, and even then I wasn't certain it was the right thing to do. Now I see people a week old buying property...and leaving it a week later. That sort of thing didn't happen when there was a waiting list for land in Caledon because the person willing to wait a few weeks was more likely to be in it for the long(-ish) haul.
While I have also commented to close friends about the Curse of Rothesay... I never realized the Curse was common knowledge. I feel a bit better now that the secret can be openly discussed.
I miss our friends, Miss Munro, Miss Tombola, Miss Urquhart, the Nachts of Cafall and certainly the many smaller parcels that seem to empty.
I was glad to hear the vacancy rate is not nearly even 2%. However, we are not in the days of waiting lists.
In any case...I think it is much more 'rearranging the deck chairs' with some advantages being taken for consolidation of prims and potentials.
I look forward to new builds, new ideas and new reasons to party.
I've joked about the Curse for a while now. It would be funnier if it weren't for Laird Merlin's insistence on staying put, in which case the turnover of the parcels would be complete. Ah well. He has a lovely place, with a nice airship moored there, and I wouldn't leave, either, were it my spot.
I shouldn't be surprised that people's interests change, and even someone who buys a great deal of land one month may find that her interests change some months down the road, or she can no longer make the time commitment needed to justify the expense. I should even think that having new people, with new builds and ideas (and reasons to party ;) ) is a good thing. And it is a good thing. It's just hard to remember that some days. :)
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