While Linden Labs seem to be doing a solid job of keep Second Life running from a technical perspective, an increasing number of tertiary which could eventually move to the foreground have begun to highlight the potential problems with running a persistent universe based on the 'real world'.

A TechCrunch report highlights the dissatisfaction of gamers who make a living from Second Life when faced with down-time - which can literally hit their bottom line. A six hour outage yesterday saw forums and blogs alight with criticism of Linden, the protracted down-time causing more than a little consternation in some quarters.

The report describes the as a frontier, the Wild West, where a little organisation can go a long way and cause a lot of trouble - with rules and systems of enforcement and control found severely lacking. The 'island' created by the Australian Broadcasting Commission for dancing and entertainment, for example, was literally brought to its knees on Tuesday by rogue elements in the game world.

The Second Life Liberation Army have also carried out a number of well-orchestrated assaults on the game's various institutions. Attacking Reebok and American Apparel in-world stores as well as storming the stage at the Second Life World Economic Forum. Then there's an increasing numbers of reports about various real world police investigations in the game - with Holland looking at whether 'virtual rape' is a real world offense, while looks into the increasing prevalence of 'age play' in the title. The FBI are also monitoring reports of illegal gambling in the game, too.

With an increasing number of potential pitfalls now growing in significance, the report asks how long it will be before 'something gives' in Second Life. We'll keep you posted.

By Luke Guttridge