Insurer Opens (Virtual) Island Getaway

Cruising over to Insurance Island might not sound like the most fun thing to do with your virtual life, but Assicurazioni Generali SpA is dedicated to being the rare corporate Second Life island that works, offering a car chase game, and manning the island with real employees. The 176-year old company wants to learn “what a virtual world looks and feels like.”

Dozens of corporations have built Second Life islands, but they don’t usually work out, the Wall Street Journal says. Most offer little but a billboard, and about three of four Second Life denizens avoid the locales all together. But Generali sees it as a cheap way to market to younger insurance buyers, who tend to buy online. (More insurance stories.)