Second Life getting stiff — gambling, various sexual acts banned, new corporate rules…

So much for Second Life, the virtual world, being a place you can escape real-life constraints.

Second Life, the San Francisco company owned by Linden Lab, has banned “broadly offensive” sexual and other acts between avatars. It has also banned gambling.

Now, IBM is posting rules of conduct for its more than 5,000 employees who inhabit Second Life and other virtual worlds where Big Blue hosts meetings with clients and partners. Guidelines including things like “Be a good 3-D Netizen,” and “especially sensitive to the appropriateness of your avatar or persona’s appearance when you are meeting with IBM clients or conducting IBM business.”