gonzo
07-06-2006, 11:19 AM
Wired Mag...
Online sex has always been about real connection in a virtual environment, despite unflattering stereotypes about who has cybersex and why.
But it seems to me that bringing sex out of chat rooms and into animated platforms is also lifting some of the shame and secrecy that has historically shrouded cybersex.
For outsiders, the thought of "sex by typing" makes little sense. Despite evidence to the contrary, text sex is often considered something only weird people (and writers?) do, and the assumption is they aren't capable of having sexual relationships in real life.
But games and role-playing are a familiar paradigm, even among people who don't indulge in either pursuit. And because video game characters are so exaggeratedly physical, it is not a giant leap to imagine them engaged in sexual activity along with traditional pursuits like acrobatics, fighting and collecting things.
The flurry of press about sex and games has focused mainly on a handful of virtual worlds and video games set to launch in this year, from the blend of The Sims and Yahoo Personals in Naughty America's The Game (http://www.naughtyamericathegame.com/) (NSFW) to Red Light Center (http://www.redlightcenter.com/)'s (NSFW) blatantly pornographic online mall. And one big question has been: if they build it, will people come?
My answer is a resounding yes. People will come, if only to see how well the products live up to the hype. The real question we should be asking is: will they stay?
Creating a world where people want to stay -- and pay -- is a huge challenge, in part because it's out of your control. Once you open the platform to the public, it becomes theirs, and the community that forms will determine the fate of your investment.
I talked to two designers whose erotic virtual worlds have been open to the public for more than a year, asking what they've learned from the experience and what has contributed to their success.
Patric Lagny is the designer, programmer and publisher of Sociolotron (http://sociolotron.amerabyte.com/website2/index.htm) (NSFW), an online role-playing game known for supporting sex as well as violence.
"Badgirl" is the CEO and team lead of Jewel of Indra (http://www.jewelofindra.com/), (NSFW) an online environment designed to support sexual exploration and community.
The two titles offer radically different experiences. Sociolotron emphasizes game play and interactive story rather than ILM-worthy graphics, and actively discourages chatting about your life outside the game.
JOI is a 3-D community that offers games in-world. It emphasizes multimedia, beautiful graphics and emergent relationships.
Sociolotron has players; JOI has residents.
Yet both platforms exist because the creators wanted to play in a particular type of environment and couldn't find it, so they built it. Both worlds take every precaution possible, short of home visits, to ensure an adults-only population.
And both creators admit that once the community starts to form, it takes over the product. "The first thing that brings people (to Sociolotron) is the sex," says Patric. "But that's not the reason they stay."
They stay, he says, because of the people they socialize with. "We attract a special kind of person because we have such a heavy emphasis on role play," he says. "The people who stay are a great asset to the community."
Badgirl believes that one of the biggest mistake designers can make "is to tell the residents 'this is what the community is and this is what you're going to do.' The most important feature is the people," she says. "It's their community. It's not your community."
Many of JOI's events and contests emerge from the chat rooms. A running joke about capturing other people's panties led to a panty-collecting game with in-world cash awards and prizes. A new mall that caters only to the Elite Perv Society -- residents who earn a certain threshold of "experience points" by participating in chat -- includes a wedding store for in-world unions.
"This is something that came directly out of the community, and they love it," she says.
In JOI, you're only alone if you want to be. I've experienced first-hand the welcoming hugs and greetings for newbies, and residents go out of their way to show you around, help you set up a house and start earning your jewels. They encourage you to participate in the games and contests.
Online sex has always been about real connection in a virtual environment, despite unflattering stereotypes about who has cybersex and why.
But it seems to me that bringing sex out of chat rooms and into animated platforms is also lifting some of the shame and secrecy that has historically shrouded cybersex.
For outsiders, the thought of "sex by typing" makes little sense. Despite evidence to the contrary, text sex is often considered something only weird people (and writers?) do, and the assumption is they aren't capable of having sexual relationships in real life.
But games and role-playing are a familiar paradigm, even among people who don't indulge in either pursuit. And because video game characters are so exaggeratedly physical, it is not a giant leap to imagine them engaged in sexual activity along with traditional pursuits like acrobatics, fighting and collecting things.
The flurry of press about sex and games has focused mainly on a handful of virtual worlds and video games set to launch in this year, from the blend of The Sims and Yahoo Personals in Naughty America's The Game (http://www.naughtyamericathegame.com/) (NSFW) to Red Light Center (http://www.redlightcenter.com/)'s (NSFW) blatantly pornographic online mall. And one big question has been: if they build it, will people come?
My answer is a resounding yes. People will come, if only to see how well the products live up to the hype. The real question we should be asking is: will they stay?
Creating a world where people want to stay -- and pay -- is a huge challenge, in part because it's out of your control. Once you open the platform to the public, it becomes theirs, and the community that forms will determine the fate of your investment.
I talked to two designers whose erotic virtual worlds have been open to the public for more than a year, asking what they've learned from the experience and what has contributed to their success.
Patric Lagny is the designer, programmer and publisher of Sociolotron (http://sociolotron.amerabyte.com/website2/index.htm) (NSFW), an online role-playing game known for supporting sex as well as violence.
"Badgirl" is the CEO and team lead of Jewel of Indra (http://www.jewelofindra.com/), (NSFW) an online environment designed to support sexual exploration and community.
The two titles offer radically different experiences. Sociolotron emphasizes game play and interactive story rather than ILM-worthy graphics, and actively discourages chatting about your life outside the game.
JOI is a 3-D community that offers games in-world. It emphasizes multimedia, beautiful graphics and emergent relationships.
Sociolotron has players; JOI has residents.
Yet both platforms exist because the creators wanted to play in a particular type of environment and couldn't find it, so they built it. Both worlds take every precaution possible, short of home visits, to ensure an adults-only population.
And both creators admit that once the community starts to form, it takes over the product. "The first thing that brings people (to Sociolotron) is the sex," says Patric. "But that's not the reason they stay."
They stay, he says, because of the people they socialize with. "We attract a special kind of person because we have such a heavy emphasis on role play," he says. "The people who stay are a great asset to the community."
Badgirl believes that one of the biggest mistake designers can make "is to tell the residents 'this is what the community is and this is what you're going to do.' The most important feature is the people," she says. "It's their community. It's not your community."
Many of JOI's events and contests emerge from the chat rooms. A running joke about capturing other people's panties led to a panty-collecting game with in-world cash awards and prizes. A new mall that caters only to the Elite Perv Society -- residents who earn a certain threshold of "experience points" by participating in chat -- includes a wedding store for in-world unions.
"This is something that came directly out of the community, and they love it," she says.
In JOI, you're only alone if you want to be. I've experienced first-hand the welcoming hugs and greetings for newbies, and residents go out of their way to show you around, help you set up a house and start earning your jewels. They encourage you to participate in the games and contests.