Just over 14 years ago, I found myself bored and depressed in the wee hours of the morning while I watched old episodes of The Office. In one episode, which is likely familiar to many metaversians, Dwight Schrute found himself in a similar situation and found solace in Second Life. Most normal people would have recognized this as a cautionary tale, but I’m not most normal people. Furthermore, I am not normal people. 

Just before dawn, I created an account and began to explore. Admittedly I was captivated by the fact that people had the ability to make money on this “game.” As a ramen eating college student, who studied media and communications, I saw this as a unique opportunity. After all, it seemed that everything in Second Life relied on media in some form or fashion. I figured I could earn some beer money if I played my cards right. 

So I started a business and called it inKLine Media. I found a cheap shop to rent on a sim modeled off of Manhattan that no longer exists and mostly served clothing vendors. I gathered a few office supplies from a freebie spot and placed out a desk with a few other items. Before I knew it, I had erected glorified Kinkos, which offered personalized writing, publishing and imagery. In the meantime, I started to blog on a WordPress site just like this one.

This part of the story is usually reserved for the “waiting period” but surpisingly, that was short lived. With a stroke of pure luck, an interested client wandered in and inquired about our services. She hoped to hire someone to make an inworld book that she could pass along to her customers as a gift. Naturally I responded that “of course we (I) could do that.” She paid in advance, which allowed me to buy the equipment needed and also fund future projects.

The early work was cringe-worthy to say the least but she graciously thanked me and expressed a liking for my writing style. It turned out that the typist behind the avatar planned to run for government office. She wondered if I was interested in writing for her. I said “NO!” and I spit at her feet before I asked her to leave my shop. 

DUH! Of course I was interested! By pure coincidence, or maybe fate, I was quite familiar with the area where she planned to campaign. At first, I had no idea of who this person was. Of course that seemed sketchy. But I was always paid and I was paid fairly. By the time the election rolled around, I had connected the avatar to the person. Ultimately the person confirmed my hunch.

During that election, my client only lost by a couple hundred votes as a write-in candidate. By then, I had established a magazine in Second Life that focused on business. Despite its terrible production quality, it garnered a fair bit of interest in SL. 

Here’s where more waiting would fit the narrative, but my first SL client went on to buy up some media of her own in real life. Soon after that first campaign, she came back and offered me the chance to produce a real-life news show on a real-life radio station in a real-life place.  Once again, it seemed sketchy but I eventually heard my own horrible voice on a radio station. 

This experience eventually led to yet another opportunity working as a newspaper reporter in the area where ‘my first client’ ran for public office. Unfortunately, I had to break away from my first client in order to do so, but she offered her congratulations and wished me the best. 

That job offered me a life experience that I’d never give back, but it only lasted about six months. After that, I moved back to my hometown and found some mind-numbing work in marketing that paid just enough to barely be able to bounce checks. At that point, I decided to pursue a career in healthcare. 

About seven years into my new career, after a long hiatus from SL, I logged back in and received an unexpected message. It was ‘my first client.’ It turned out she had been looking for me for quite some time. During my absence, she was elected. She offered me a part time position on a government payroll and I received the title of Director of Communications.

To this day we continue to work together off and on, but I always cherish the opportunity she gave me, based on what she saw in what people call “a game.” Call it what you will, but this “game” has afforded me a legitimate career. Actually it afforded me two, but we can touch on the second another time. Even more important, it has afforded me connections that I cherish more than any payroll could offer. 

I write this in an attempt to inspire, not to brag. Without a stroke of luck and a community of people that believed in me, I’d be sitting at home watching The Office for the umpteenth time. Well I’m still watching The Office, but I am doing much more rewarding work as it plays in the background. 

Some of that work involves resurrecting inKLine Media. This time I can afford my own beer. So in this iteration, I hope to pay it forward and create the stroke of luck for someone else, whether that my “my next client” or “my next employee.” Hopefully there is no waiting period and they will pen “my next story.”