Did you know you can make real money in a virtual world? Ailin Graef, a Chinese-born German citizen, recently became the first person to be recognized as a virtual millionaire, thanks to her success in the online game Second Life. That’s right — she didn’t mine gold or strike oil; she traded in digital land and virtual fashion, turning her avatar, Anshe Chung, into a real-world success story.

Intrigued by this unlikely tale of digital fortune, I decided to explore Second Life myself — part curiosity, part hopeful investor. What I found was something between a futuristic economy, a Sims-style social experiment, and a mildly chaotic carnival of avatars, flying people, casinos, fashionistas, and yes — gunfire.