The unemployment level is the highest its been since the early 1980’s but…CNN’s SciTechBlog reports that it appears the economy of Second Life is actually pretty stable.

Second Life users can use real money as currency while playing the game. Users can buy and sell using the game’s "Linden" currency (L$). It’s Web site boasts that more than $100 million U.S. dollars of L$ were bought and sold in 2008.

That’s right. One hundred million dollars. 

CNN reports that the number of users with a positive monthly Linden flow has actually increased over the past six months.

A CNN.com "iReporter" interviewed Second Life users (presumably in Second Life itself) for the article, and one told him, "one dollar goes a lot farther in Second Life than real life."

One said she is trying to open an employment agency because, apparently, there are job openings on the virtual world.

The iReporter told CNN, "The economy continues to go down and rarely do we hear some positive news. Perhaps it is Second Life that is giving us that bit of hope."

Well…perhaps…