{"id":4314,"date":"2014-10-10T23:58:37","date_gmt":"2014-10-10T22:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sl.governormarley.com\/?p=4314"},"modified":"2014-10-10T23:58:37","modified_gmt":"2014-10-10T22:58:37","slug":"linden-labs-next-generation-platform-safe-sex-is-better-than-no-sex-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sl.governormarley.com\/?p=4314","title":{"rendered":"Linden Lab’s Next Generation Platform – Safe Sex Is Better Than No Sex At All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over at New World Notes Hamlet Au has decided to tackle the thorny subject of adult content in virtual worlds. In a blog post entitled :\u00a0Half of Second Life’s 50 Most Popular Sims Now Adult-Rated: A Lesson for Second Life 2<\/a> Hamlet says :<\/p>\n

As Linden Lab develops Second Life 2, there’s an important lesson to be learned here:<\/em><\/p>\n

Forbid pornography and extremely violent content, at least in the first few years of launch before SL 2 achieves mass growth (assuming it does). It’s inevitable that Oculus Rift and other VR platforms will inspire pornographic content, and many of the games set for deployment in VR are already violent, and that’s fine for adults who want to immerse themselves in that kind of content. But virtual porn in particular has always been an impediment to Second Life going mainstream, hurting its brand, scaring away mainstream institutions, and just generally causing it to be a laughingstock for anyone who wasn’t familiar with how much more non-porn content the world contained. (That is to say, just about everybody.) The alternative facing Second Life 2 is what we see now: A niche MMO where roughly half the active users are mainly getting on to get off.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now whether you agree with Hamlet or not you have to give him credit for having the balls (for want of a better phrase) to raise this subject. I disagree with him and I disagree with him because adult content is already very much a part of mainstream culture. Now before we take one step forward, let’s take a couple of steps back. Back in July Mona Eberhardt posted a blog post entitled :\u00a0Time to stop bashing Second Life for its sexual side<\/a>. Mona opens that post with a rather challenging gauntlet to bloggers :<\/p>\n

I guess you haven\u2019t really arrived as a Second Life blogger or commentator unless you\u2019ve reached the point where you frown upon \u201cpixel sex\u201d, openly sexualised avatars, or the \u201cskanky\u201d nature of female avatars\u2019 attire in SL. It seems to me that coming to view your in-world romantic and sexual escapades (if any) with feelings of shame actually gives you bonus points. And the sooner you\u2019ve denounced your desire to explore your sexuality in-world, the more respect you\u2019re going to garner. Apparently, your opinions can\u2019t be taken seriously if you\u2019re viewed by others as a sexual person.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article is a good read and whether you agree with Mona or not, she deserves credit for tackling this subject. Now it’s clear that Hamlet and Mona are coming to this subject from different sides of the fence but it’s also important to remember that both Hamlet and Mona believe passionately in the concept of virtual worlds.<\/p>\n

Now to me, banning adult content in Linden Lab’s brave new world is going to be a bad strategy. On the other hand I also think that promoting adult content in the brave new world is a bad strategy. The answer to me is all about sitting on the fence and ensuring that safeguards are in place to avoid some of the situations we have seen during the evolution of Second Life.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When I was a lad in Second Life I owned some mature land and some PG land. One day whilst checking out a PG parcel I noticed I had a new neighbour, who had opened a gentleman’s club. To be fair to my then new neighbour, it was rather tastefully decorated on the outside by risqu\u00e9 images, rather than images that would make a\u00a0gynaecologist blush as I’ve witnessed in some parts of Second Life. On inspecting my neighbours parcel I realise, my PG parcel was on the edge of a sim that bordered a Mature sim. I had no grounds for complaint against my neighbour, I did have grounds for a complaint with Linden Lab for creating the circumstances whereby a PG sim bordered a mature one.<\/p>\n

I raised this with a Linden who said she knew about such issues and that they were considering consolidating PG sims. However that’s not what happened, Linden Lab added a new category of Adult. A lot of us at the time (yes I was one of them) called upon Linden Lab to create a PG continent, our calls fell on deaf ears. I’m sure this was due to practical reasons rather than Linden Lab just ignoring us but the issue was plain for all to see, create an environment in which people are not taken by surprise (unless they want to be of course).<\/p>\n

Linden Lab’s next generation platform should include content ratings from the start, not just on land, but also on products. Therefore if a product is not of a suitable rating to be rezzed on land of a certain rating, it won’t be rezzed. If someone does not meet the criteria to visit land of a certain rating, they won’t be able to go there.<\/p>\n

People are going to engage in adult activities in a virtual world, as they are outside the virtual world. Adult content and adult activity are mainstream, if they weren’t the human race would be in mortal danger. The problem that many in the early years of Second Life experienced was finding adult content when they weren’t looking for it. That’s the issue to tackle. Linden Lab have made great strides in that direction with search requiring people to opt in to discover adult results. Linden Lab’s brave new world has an advantage in so much as they can avoid some of the glaring issues Second Life suffered, they can prevent the issue of PG sims neighbouring mature. Linden Lab have experience of this.<\/p>\n

Linden Lab have been extremely brave in their embracing of adult content and with their brave new world in embryonic form, now is not the time to lose nerve. Sex sells, but there’s more to virtual life than sex. Linden Lab should welcome all, but allow people to find the experiences they desire in a sensible manner. This is really about respect and giving people the tools to enjoy their own freedom. Linden Lab have been good at this in the past, they should be able to embrace these concepts in the future too.<\/p>\n

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