Hopefully as a part of a regular series of short interviews, we explore some of the citizens of the myriad of virtual worlds out there. Out first is with Stroker Serpentine. Stroker made the news through the sale of the Amsterdam sim in Second Life for US$50,000. The Amsterdam sim is one of the more popular venues in Second Life, built by Stroker and a collaboration of other citizens. We caught up with Stroker to ask a few questions.

1. Not so much a question but please introduct yourself. When did you
start participating in Second Life? How long have to been part of the
experience?

"Stroker" has been a part of the web for almost 15 years now. Bouncing from chatrooms to MMORPG's. I have been either a merchant or lurker since 1990. From CompuServe to CompuPerv.

2. How did you get involved in Second Life?

As with most online communities, the "new and shiny" is always a topic of discussion. I migrated from "Seducity" along with others. Just prior to the wave of "Thereians" and "Sims Online"

3. Second Life has grown substantially in the last year or so, how do
you feel about its growth and the direction its taking?

Growth is good...growing pains..BAD. Instability and user experience is often sacrificed with such tremendous expansion. http://www.projectopenletter.com/Default.aspx

4. You're famous for the Amsterdam Sim and recently hit the headlines
for selling it. How did it start? What was your concept behind it when
you first began building it?

We wanted an erotic virtual destination to call home for our group "Eros". Amsterdam was the obvious choice since my SL business partner lives there in real life. It was basically a tribute to Briggi Bard.

5. How long did it take to design and create?

Amsterdam took approximately six months of collaberative effort. Rafin Grimm and Tala Fate were contributing artisans.

6. What do think were the unique selling points that made it such a
draw to residents in Second Life?

Well, lets face it...Amsterdam is synonymous with sex. 'nuff said :P

7. Were you surprised by it selling for US$50,000?

Actually I was not suprised at the sale amount. Given the investiture of time and effort such a development entails, the "per man hour" costs come to roughly $20-25 an hour usd. It is noteworthy to mention however we have yet to receive a check from the buyer (30 days later)

8. What are your future plans and developments in Second Life?

We are developing a tiny continent of sims that will be group access only. It is called "Eros" The sims that are already in development for this project are "Eros Bangkok" and "Eros Vegas" along with a dozen or two other salacious destinations.

9. As one of the earlier residents do you think Second Life has
changed a lot over time? And In your view does Second Life live up to
the hype that has over time built up?

I am not a technician, so I cannot identify with the difficulties that must be inherent to such explosive popularity. I believe people vote with their feet. It seems there are considerably more new accounts than deserting ones. I pray that Linden Lab never looses touch with its customers. This has been the downfall of many a MMORPG in my personal experiences.

10. What would be your advice to anyone thinking of venturing into
Second Life, especially those who are looking at it from a business
angle?

Explore, ask questions, attend workshops and classes. Be an informed avatar. Don't believe anything you hear and only 1/2 of what you see.

11. This question is optional. But could you tell us a bit about who
you are and what you do in your First Life?

I was a third generation Mechanical Contractor until 2 years ago, when I sold my RL business to persue my SL career fulltime. I guess you could say I never left plumbing :P