Something that has become really popular in Second Life of late, are shop sponsored free gift hunts. Sometimes it involves just one store or shopping mall, in which several little prizes will be placed around the store for customers to find. But much more fun, and a greater challenge, are the grid wide hunts.
A large group of store owners will get together and hide these little gifts, often specialty items created specifically for the occasion, in many locations all across the Second Life grid. The “Kissing Hunt” in February, for example, involved over 200 different stores.
The way these hunts work is, you arrive at the first location, search for the gift that is hidden somewhere in or around the store, and when you find it, along with the prize inside, you are given a landmark to the next store in the hunt. You continue from one store to the next, following the landmarks, until you reach the end. Then you spend the next several days digging through your new found treasure in your inventory.
It’s great fun, though often a headache with lag. Some store owners are very skilled at hiding these little prizes, while others tend to just set them out anywhere and make it easy. You never know from one place to the next how it will go. You can guarantee however, that along the way, you will find many stores you never knew existed and a ton of things you’ll want to come back to check out again.
Do yourself a favor and try to go with a little money, because many of the store owners are also dropping prices and having impromptu discount sales during the hunt.
The best way to find out about these treasure hunts is to keep track of fashion blogs and watch for posters advertising them in some of your favorite stores.
There are two grid wide hunts starting up soon, “Spring Is In The Air” hunt (click here for a link to their site), and the “Bunny Hop” hunt (click here).
The one going on right now, from March 1st through March 30th is the “Twisted Hunt” (site here). The “Twisted Hunt” includes 103 different stores, some of them specializing in products of the more … well, twisted variety. There are some simpler items being given away as well, clothing and home furnishings, though. And most of the stores are offering items for both men and women, or even unisex items, so that the guys don’t feel left out, as with shopping in Second Life, they so often do.
Start by searching for 'DV8' under 'places' in the Second Life search
In order to get started on the “Twisted Hunt”, search for the store DV8 and teleport to the hunt starting point. There you’ll be able to pick up a notecard explaining the hunt and join the Twisted Hunt group.
Unless you really dislike people and prefer to search alone, I recommend joining the group. While there is a lot of chatter … a whole lot of chatter … it is useful chatter. People are using the group to give each other hints and help one another find the prizes in each location. So even if you’re not interested in chatting back with anyone, if you just keep track of what is being said, you can pick up some clues that can make things a bit easier for you.
There are rules for the group however. If someone asks for a hint, what they want is just a hint, not the answer. Do not give out direct slurls or landmarks to the hunt gifts, give clues instead. I got a couple of creative clues from people while I was hunting. In one location someone said to me, “Think of shoes.” So, silly me, I go wandering off to find a shoe rack display or something. But noooo. I ended up finding the gift hidden in plain site on the floor of the store. Shoes = floor, get it? 
Another clue giver told me, “Don’t lose your head.” and I ended up finding the prize hidden near a headless manequin. (no I’m not going to tell you which stores these were, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself)
Another thing, bitching and moaning and insulting store owners in the group IM … really, just don’t please. The other night, one guy actually complained that the store owners were, “screwing us by hiding the prizes too well”. O.0
What? Let’s get this straight. You’re bitching because the people who are giving you free stuff, expect you to actually look for it? Are you high? It’s a game moron. It’s not charity. These people aren’t doing this because they owe you anything. It’s supposed to be fun.
That’s the other thing. Don’t complain in the group IM that you’re not having fun. If you’re not having any fun, then stop stupid! Go do something else that is fun. It’s Second Life, it’s not your job. No one is making you do this.
And finally, do not insult the store owners or their merchandise in either the group or in the stores themselves. Not everything that is being given to you …. let me say that again … given to you … is going to be to your liking or your particular tastes. But believe me, if you give it a chance, you will find some pretty cool stuff. These store owners put real effort into this, and some of the items being given away are one off items, made especially for the hunt and won’t be available later.
For the most part, say 98% of the people in the group, are nice people having fun and helping each other out. The other 2%, the bitchers and whiners, are generally slapped down fairly quickly. Don’t be slapped down. Jump in, find some cool stuff, and just have some fun.
I’m only on number 41 of the “Twisted Hunt” so far and there are 103 stores, so I’ve still got a ways to go. But I’ll share a few of my favorite prizes I’ve found so far.
Give a gal something she can run folks over with ... can't miss with that. This was my favorite prize of the day.
Some unusual items from Burning Chrome
I love these boots from Self Expressions!
The pink hair is from DV8 and the cute outfit and top hat are from Sn@tch. Unfortunately Sn@tch appears to have dropped out of the hunt, but you never know, they may come back.
This little latex number is from Fatal Error
This cool bone ring was from House Of Creations
Anyway, that’ll do for now. I’ll let you go dig up your own treasures. I still have some digging of my own to do.
Have fun! and Happy Hunting!
