Avatar of the Year, Second Place: Anshe Chung
by Alphaville Herald on 01/01/06 at 10:12 am
Second place in the Herald’s coveted Avatar of the Year award traditionally goes to the avi who has had the most impact on the virtual world’s economic scene. Last year’s winner, Sir/Father Callahan, was a master of the simolean trade in TSO, as well as a collector of rare cannons and press secretary for the corrupt administration of Mr-President. This year, our second place award winner has made a similar transformation, from self-proclaimed “business girl” to budding political activist. You may admire her or you may just find her omnipresent signs annoying, but either way, there’s no avoiding Anshe Chung.
Said to have earned the equivalent of $100,000 or more in Second Life’s real estate business, Anshe has been featured in The New York Times, the L.A. Times, and Fortune magazine, among other dead-tree publications. (Of course, all of these stories cam after the Herald profile of Anshe earlier this year.) But since her rise to the top of her heap of Linden$, Anshe has taken it upon herself to make an impact on the political scene as well, speaking out against P2P teleporting and the Ginko investment bank, as well as getting involved in the budding lobbying efforts that residents have mounted in recent months.
In all, few avatars have had as big an impact on the Grid and the news over the last 12 months as Anshe has. Of course, one av has created bigger waves. To find out who (as if you don’t already know), stay tuned for the Herald’s first-place award, coming to you in a week or so.
Cocoanut
Jan 1st, 2006
I would add that she is also without doubt THE most famous SL resident. (Though I may change my mind about that once I find out who your number one is – who could that be?)
coco
Cocoanut
Jan 1st, 2006
P.S. Oh wait – I’m thinking I know who it is. That individual, though, isn’t nearly as famous as Anshe. (Not that fame is your yardstick here, I’m just sayin’.)
coco
Aliasi Stonebender
Jan 1st, 2006
No disagreement from the “obnoxious smartass” (i.e., me) corner, however much I disagree with her views on things. Anshe’s journey is strictly small potatoes to what I hope to see in SL in the future, but she’s that important “first super-successful businessperson in a frontier society”.
TrannyPet Barmy
Jan 1st, 2006
ANSHE RULES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE LOVES ANSHE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TrannyPet Barmy
The REAL ONE
Prokofy Neva
Jan 1st, 2006
Anshe’s “Turn Your Back on Governor Linden” was the most successful ad compaign of the year, at so many levels. May Anshe live and prosper. Thinking of her historical accomplishments as something that is “small potatoes for the future” is truly a hobbled tekkie-wiki point of view, Aliasi, I wish you folks wouldn’t keep throwing me these soft balls so I don’t have to keep reciting my cliches so much anyway. Anshe is about the only thing you can really say scaled in SL in a big, successful way that helped the world grow.
It sure wasn’t stuff like game dev free sims and physics, as Jeffrey Gomez can tell you.
Antje
Jan 1st, 2006
Oh my god! The suspense of who will be number one is KILLING ME!
(barfs a little)
Avah (Fallen Hasp)
Jan 2nd, 2006
I was indifferent to Anshe until I read post after post with bitter SLers sexually harrassing her and using that fact she is female to insult her and act vicious. Well after that, I am now Anshe’s biggest fan. And that says quite a bit coming from me because im not an ass kiss, nor am i easily impressed. As far as im concerned Anshe can take all your money, rip you off, steal your land or whatever else any man would do if they were half as clever. And the way Slers behave id say they deserve it bit of it. If i had the ability/maturity/organizational skills I would do the same damn thing. Im green with envy and only wish i could be so successful that everyone seethes with hatred. Thats funny. Anshe, you go girl.
Rancid Unsung
Jan 2nd, 2006
ooo…ooo…I know…I know….the spinster from hell???
RB
Jan 2nd, 2006
“and press secretary for corrupt adminstration of Mr President”
I think you’ll find that and multiple other acts of apparent controversy were a much greater reason for the award than any everyday dealings of $ or items.
- RB.
Harlequin Salome
Jan 2nd, 2006
The Herald is really showing its colors here. First the griefer plastic duck, who got it because “With a resume like that how could we deny him?”, said resume beinbg a list of griefings. Now Anshe who I agree with RB. If she hadn’t have been trashing the Lindens, never would have been considered.
Guys, muckraking is okay, and sometimes an administration needs bashing, but get real. Just because someone trashes the Lindens and the game grid doesn’t mean a thing. *shrugs* Who is gonna get the AV of the year, now? The W-Hats collectively? Maybe Prok? Hell, offer it to “The Griefers”. For all the stories I’ve seen about how bad griefers are, ya’ll (Especially uri.. I respect your work, but your opinions here are way off, I think) seem to love griefers, and I dunno why.
marilyn murphy
Jan 2nd, 2006
i love anshe. she deserves first place frankly. her activities, not mere words, affected many more people than your first place choice.
anshe is not just talk. i admire her industrious nature, her business acumen, and her avatar. lol. i have cringed at times when she speaks up. if she just stuck to business i think she would be better served. on the whole, shes the avatar of the year.
Aliasi Stonebender
Jan 2nd, 2006
Prok, Anshe is small potatoes compared to eBay, Amazon.com, or Coca-Cola. Nothing “tekkie wekkie” about it, just honest statistics.
Gramma Moishe
Jan 2nd, 2006
Geez, could it be possible that Uranuses Sore will suppress his worship of Provoking Nebbish and choose someone else?
Avah (Fallen Hasp)
Jan 2nd, 2006
Im gonna hafta agree with Harlequin on this. This entire contest seems in bad taste. How can you celebrate avatars who grief and cause havoc? Arent you encouraging the behavior when you celebrate it? Plastic duck is just a griefer. He isnt worth mentioning at all. Anshe? Her works are impressive but does that merit avatar of the year? I can think of a few people in Second Life who deserve to be on your list. Like Brace Coral. You should celebrate kindness and generosity, not terrorism and tenacity. Well, I thought this contest was a joke at first. Your idea of sarcasm. Now im starting to wonder. Hell, i think Uri should be on the list before these people. Being outspoken isnt cause enough to make a person avatar of the year imo. Anyway i cant join you in celebrating people who deliberately cause suffering for others online. I wouldnt want to be on a list with plastic duck. It would offend me. And it cheapens the entire meaning of being avatar of the year.
Urizenus
Jan 2nd, 2006
The Avatar of the Year goes to those avatars that has changed the news for better *or worse* during the year. Just for the record, Hitler and Khomeni and G.W. Bush all made TIME’s man of the year.
Prokofy Neva
Jan 2nd, 2006
um Aliasi? What are you smoking, hon? Where is “Coke, amazon.com and ebay” inside the world of SL (other than the ebay guy’s venture capital? I don’t see them. Do you? Are they coming in a year? Oh? Where? Will they have 100 or 500 servers like an Anshe? um…not so sure. Will they be forced to turn to Anshe’s and wannabee Anshe’s to reach the highly niched audiences that will exist by that time? Maybe. I dunno, I think your notions are tekkie-wiki in that you just assume you’re correct that SL=the entire Metaverse. Maybe it doesn’t.
Place you bets lady and gents, place your bets. My own bet is that Uri will declare the number one avatar of the year to be Lazarus Divine as avatar of the year because he represents enormous impact socially and economically and for extra bonus, you get anti-Americanism and a campaign against the war in Iraq. What’s not to like! And it’s that perfect sort of annoying Chomskian thingie that Uri tends to love lol. Well, am I wrong? Then the list might be appropriate if it has Laz and Duck on it but then Anshe doesn’t fit except that she constituted a powerful economic challenge to LL this year too by threatening to cash out and go to IMVU.
One Song/Mr Fariplay
Jan 2nd, 2006
So far, I agree with the Herald’s decision place Plastic Duck at no3, Anshe Chung at no2.
You guys gotta remember Avetar of the Year, is awarded to avetar’s that caused the most change in virtual news, regardless if its for better or wrose, you get kudos for either direction, or even both directions at the same time.
Plastic Duck for instance, is quiet possibly the biggest griefer of all time in any MMORPG. And shes opened up interesting issues involving Linden Lab, such as their handling for people that harmed their game in anyway, by taking it to real life and such.
Anyways not gonna go on too much you guys have read the stories.
Anshe Chung is probably the pro gamer that has earnt most money is an individual than anyone else in any other MMORPG.
The way she made that money is questioned by some of you. Some say she does it by monopolising the land market and setting her land to exploratory pricing.
Either way, as far as I know its not illegal to be a monopoly in SL, or someone who takes advantage or a market in the ways Anshe has.
Anshe has commited some very bold, great, and risky moves, in order to achieve what she has in SL. Regardless of the business ethics involved, I’d say it takes someone with a lot of balls to do anything like Anshe has, and not to be sexiest, a woman having as many balls as Anshe has, thats quiet admirable.
I also would like to say that I’m a fan so far of both: Plastic Duck, and Anshe’s causes. I like to believe that in every bad there is good, and in every good there is bad, I don’t often observe things merely in black and white, 0 or 1, like most coders probably do.
Congratulations to them for both their well earnt placements under Avetar of the Year!
Happy New Year all!
Avah (Fallen Hasp)
Jan 2nd, 2006
“you just assume you’re correct that SL=the entire Metaverse”
Second Life is history. Its only a matter of time.
Well if Time magazine thinks its ok to put Hitler on their cover then I guess it must be ok. *blank stare* gawd . .
I honestly dont think anyone was impacted anything at all this last year. Anything at all.
Avah (Fallen Hasp)
Jan 2nd, 2006
oh please give me a break.
TrannyPet Barmy
Jan 3rd, 2006
OBVIOUSLY, i should be #1, if Spastic Fucker got #3
MOAD – need i say more.
there is no doubt on this one.
TrannyPet Barmy
The REAL ONE
Plastic Duck
Jan 3rd, 2006
Avah stop shitting on Anshe’s parade.
Can someone please award Fallen Hasp with something silly so that she’ll shut up already?
I think she’s really bitter that LL banned her from the game and she has nothing to show for it
Also if it’s that neg rate you’re so angry about then I’m truly sorry about ruining your Second Life experience and I hope you have a better life next time.
Felorin
Jan 11th, 2006
I don’t think Anse Chung is the record holder for most money made in an MMORPG, not even close. I know one fellow who made $30,000 in one month on Star Wars Galaxies, and I’m sure he’s not the top virtual currency/item trader out there. And that’s another US-based game – the biggest market for making money in online games is South Korea, though China is fast showing signs of surpassing it (if it hasn’t already). One Korean fellow invested $12,000 to buy a castle in Lineage a few years back, and made back his money and turned a profit within the first month.
– Dr. Cat