Sex Scandals hitting second life hard
Second Life by Linden Labs is being hit hard by a number of sex scandals ranging from child porn to virtual rape, to unwanted sexual contact between avatars. Real world situations in a simulated video game is causing consternations within the second life community, and rising talks of having a police force for second life.
In addition to playing host to legitimate gamers, Second Life has quickly become home to various sexual deviants and sickos. Cyber sex is reportedly one of the most popular activities in Second Life, with the virtual world playing host to numerous sex clubs and bordellos. There’s even a shopping center where you can browse for available escorts. Source: Techblorg
Calls for a police force, and the involvement of a real police force investigating issues in second life are going to cause changes in how things are done in second life. Or do enough damage to the game that no one wants to play there. This is not a child safe environment, so parents should be seriously considering letting their kids participate.
The interesting part is that second life has zones that are marked adult only, and you have to register as 18+ to get into some of those areas. But using a video game to work in a fantasy environment is really nothing new. With the mods for the Sims and Nintendogs, as well as accidental sexual situations in GTA and accidental nudity in games like halo 3, the boundaries between human sexuality and video games is so distorted that there are very real emotional and psychological effects.
The recent case of virtual rape that is still waiting to go to trial is one of those issues where the psychology of the game becomes so immersive that people who have bad things happen to their avatars react like those things happened in real life.
The more realistic these games get, the more the influence that they have on people when something goes bad.
Not that video games are bad, they have a purpose, a great way to explore alternatives or just relax. The mixing of game play and reality in the case of second life and other on line games like second life blur the distinction between reality and game play. If you can make money in the game, have a successful business, have embassies for real countries, businesses, and entertainers, what is the real difference between what you do outside the computer and what you do inside the computer.
This ought to provide a fertile research opportunity for everyone who is interested in the influence that video games have on people and their associated feelings about their avatars. Psychologists, academia and business can all profit from understanding the basic personal interactions between avatar and person, in game and out of game experiences. Moreover, how those lines blur over time.
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