Houlihan- Second Life has the cache, geocache, that is. Geocaching is a treasure hunt on a global scale. Hunters use GPS coordinates to locate caches hidden by other cachers. They then log those finds and continue the hunt.

Nichiren Dinzeo, Founder of Geocaching in SL, felt the transition from caching in real life to caching in SL was a natural move with many positive points. "The first and foremost goal of our group has been to establish a high quality geocaching sport modeled after the successful global real world sport of geocaching while also tweaking it to accommodate the in-world technology available to us."

Dinzeo and his team have spent time and energy over the last six months and have modified the sport to provide an interesting and fun experience for hunters and land owners. "The sport itself has become a foundation for many of our other goals which include building a geocaching community, preserving Second Life history, being a portal to some of the greatest places in Second Life and offering SL residents and land owners a means to connect.

Second Life residents can travel to Houlihan, pick up their in-world GPS unit and locate their first cache. The GPS unit is a held item that beeps with increased frequency the closer to the cache. They can then log into the geocaching website and log their find.

 Johann Richter, a geocacher in SL as well as in the RL, finds geocaching a great way to explore new areas. "A good example is the Isle of Moonlight, which has a castle and a 10-15 minute train ride throughout the sim." Richter says it's another way to see the talents and design skills of SL'ers.

 Geocaching in SL relies on the participation of land owners who allow placement of a cache. Land owners can include ‘swag’ items in the cache so that hunters receive a treat when they find the hidden treasure. The group offers a few incentives to hunters, such as ranking and cold, hard lindens. Dinzeo says that the land owners who have included prizes have done a good job of it.  However, slgeocaching.com has recently moved to a new ‘swag’ approach where all caches hidden by the team are Cash Caches meaning the ‘swag’ is in lindens.   Each cache will have a "Cache Code" found inside which can be redeemed for Second Life currency.   To increase the excitement further, “we typically pay L$100 for a First to Find (FTF).  That is, whoever finds the cache first received L$100 and all other finds earn $5 Lindens. Being a premium member helps out here because we announce cache alerts realtime to members of Geocaching in SL group." Dinzeo adds.


There is a nominal fee to join the Geocaching in SL group, but participants don't have to be a group member to get started on the hunt. Dinzeo explains the entry fee, "The cost to join is L$150, which can