Overly Sexual?

[KezarBane]

Hello everyone! I am new to the game, today was my first time logging in, and after having a look around a few noobie areas, etc, I realized how overly sexualised the game is. Everything from places to visit, clothes to buy and how characters dress and act.

I was just wondering if the 'adult' content is a vital part to the game? If one was to try and avoid the adult content, is it possible to do so?

I am not critising or condeming it just incase people flip but just curious. I do understand that the majority of the player base seem to be over 18 but are the people under 18 also exposed to this?

If anyone is wondering I am 18 so this is legal for me, but as I am doing a challenge known as 'NoFap'  this game doesn't make it any easier :matte-motes-crying:, but it seems fun so I ain't leaving.

Also, how do people feel about the adult content? Does it bother you, or make the game more enjoyable, etc?

[Syo Emerald]

Second Life is not a game. Your understanding of it will increase after you realized that. Its more of a virtual world, where everybody does what they want to. Everything you see is made by other people, not by the company who runs Second Life. Since I don't know what you would call "overly sexual" I can't really answer to that in particular.

 

[KezarBane]

By game I meant as something people use for a form of entertainment, and it's virtual, but I do realize that it's unique as anything seems to be possible in Second Life.

By overly sexual I mean the nudes in shopping areas, the outfits which some people would categorize them as being 'sluty', the adult areas which seems to be a lot of them, etc.

[Sassy Romano]

Under 18's are restricted to General rated regions.  I hope that answers the question about content.

How do I feel about it?  I'm an adult thus can make adult type choices.

Just for reference, the under 18's have absolutely no difficulty finding proper sexual content via Google.

I forget the actual break down but I believe that Adult rated regions are about 7% of the whole of SL.

[Ceka Cianci]

If you are trying to cut down on the adult content you run into,you can adjust your viewers filters.

  you have the options of General or Moderate or Adult.

 

in the preferences in the upper left menu of your viewer, that option will be under the General tab in your preference tabs.

it will be the colored options of  G,M,or A.

Choosing General allows General content

Choosing Moderate allows General and moderate

Choosing Adult is Adult content and all of the above.

:smileywink:

[Syo Emerald]

Ok, I understand what you mean.

Second Life has a 3-steps rating for their regions. General, Mature and Adult. Each of them have their own set of rules, which are a guide to what behavior is allowed on them. If someone who is under 18 joins Second Life, they are restriced to General rated sims. In this areas its not allowed to run around naked, for example. This might not mean that it never happens...but at least its reportable.

The adult content in Second Life is huge, I agree with that. There is a whole continent called Zindra, which contains just Adult rated sims. But thats caused by Second Lifes userbase, which is nearly completely over 18. Many people here have in fact already left their 20s and 30s behind them.

To understand why the adult content and the skimpy clothes come in such masses, its necessary to understand what Second Life offers to many people: Freedom and safety. Second Life can be seen as a huge fantasy playground. You can create a lot of awsome stuff, you can meet people from all over the world, build yourself a castle....
You can be pretty, if you want to. You can wear beachclothes all day or clothes that would be horrible uncomfortable in RL. Many people want to have an attractive avatar here.

I bet you would call at least a fair amount of clothes I have in my inventory "slutty". Short skirts, tops that show clevarage...I don't know. But I can just say I wear my clothes because they look good on my avatar and because I do not have to care about anything else besides how it looks like.

Adult places...remember that I said Second Life offers a safe environment? Many use this environment to explore sexual fantasies. Ever thought about bondage? A total game of trust and a kink that requires some efford in RL, but here in SL its no problem to dip a toe in the water and see if its something for you. Many people live out fantasies here....some of those fantasies are having a nice house with beachview and much more contain sexual fantasies or romance.

[Marianne Little]

You can be as sexual as you want to be in SL. But many want to be more free in SL as they can be in RL, where a more wild look will make it hard for you. Try to get a job with crazy hair colors, many tattoos and piercings. Here is a way to express what you wish you could try, but dare not in RL in order to live a more easy life.

Sex sells, so the things you first will find in SL is sex. It is lots of demore casual clothes, but the sexy things is what's going to be where new people explore first. 

I like to wear sexy and roleplay clothes in SL because I can. I can't wear a latex bustier and six inch spiked heels in RL... plus that I'm not slim enough. :matte-motes-frown:

[Aislin Ceawlin]

That is SUCH a cute outfit, would you mind telling me where you got it???

[KezarBane]

Makes sense that people want to express themselves more freely on SL than they can in real life and thanks for letting me know about the options to choose what kind of content you want . 

[Marianne Little]

Sure! It is from ColdLogic and the boots is from Gos. The blog is here: http://coldlogic.wordpress.com/

Men have their casual, realistic clothes in FateWear. No crotches hanging down to the knees and tattered stuff.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Unless you are talking about avatars running around naked, the nudes you see in shopping areas are probably skin stores.  The skin you get on a starter avatar has painted on underwear.  You'll find that it will show under even some modest clothes, particularly summer clothes. Many people want to get a skin that is more natural to RL skin, in other words naked and more realistic looking, even if they do dress modestly all the time. The pictures you see in shopping areas in skin stores are displaying the skins.  People want to see what they are getting after all.

People do dress sexy in SL but not everyone does.  There is plenty of regular RL modest type clothing available if that is your preference.  But in a world where you are forever young and can have a perfect body as well as dress how you please, its only natural people dress accordingly.  And lets face it, young and perfect bodies are going to be sexy even if they are fully covered.

As time goes on and you spend more time in SL it won't seem so 'in your face' as it probably does now.  You may even find yourself dressing a bit more edgy than you do in RL, and there is nothing wrong with it.  It is one of the things people enjoy about SL.  Even so, decide what you are most comfortable with and don't let anyone tell you that you have to change.  It is your SL after all.

 

 

 

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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KezarBane wrote:

Hello everyone! I am new to the game, today was my first time logging in, and after having a look around a few noobie areas, etc, I realized how overly sexualised the game is. Everything from places to visit, clothes to buy and how characters dress and act.

---

Hmm...odd.  I was in SL for 3. 5 years before I saw much sex related stuff.  What'd you do...seek to find it?  *laughing*  

Most of the grid is fairly PGish.   So, how'd you happen to encounter all this "sexualized" stuff?!

Also, in your viewer under Preferences, you can set to "PG only", "PG and Mature" or, "PG, Mature and Adult".    So, just set your Preferences to "PG only".  Problem solved.    (You won't be allowed to TP into any Mature or Adult type places

 

[LaskyaClaren]

I think I understand where Kezar is coming from. To someone who is new to SL, a great deal of what those who have been around for a while take for granted can seem very sexualized. After all, their most important terms of reference are RL standards, which are clearly quite a bit different.

Walk into any M-rated club in SL on an average evening, and you'll see male and female avatars very scantily dressed by RL standards, and often engaged in dances that look more like heavy petting that tripping the light fantastic. I don't think it's difficult to understand why that might surprise or even shock some newbies.

Kezar seems to be pretty accepting of this. And over time, that female in the corner wearing a thong or teeny tiny skirt while she grinds with her topless boyfriend probably won't seem quite so odd.

[Celestiall Nightfire]

---

LaskyaClaren wrote:

Walk into any M-rated club in SL on an average evening, and you'll see male and female avatars very scantily dressed by RL standards, and often engaged in dances that look more like heavy petting that tripping the light fantastic. I don't think it's difficult to understand why that might surprise or even shock some newbies.

---

I disagree.  My experience of being in SL for years, yet rarely saw anything like what you're referring to.  I also have an account from 2010, and she didn't run into any adult fare, or scantily clad people either.   (Until purposely seeking it).  

So, how is it that a newbie today happens to see all that (sexualized) on day one?  It means they sought out places that where they'd see it. 

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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KezarBane wrote:

Hello everyone! I am new to the game, today was my first time logging in, and after having a look around a few noobie areas, etc, I realized how overly sexualised the game is. Everything from places to visit, clothes to buy and how characters dress and act.

I was just wondering if the 'adult' content is a vital part to the game? If one was to try and avoid the adult content, is it possible to do so?

I am not critising or condeming it just incase people flip but just curious. I do understand that the majority of the player base seem to be over 18 but are the people under 18 also exposed to this?

If anyone is wondering I am 18 so this is legal for me,

but as I am doing a challenge known as 'NoFap'

 this game doesn't make it any easier :matte-motes-crying:, but it seems fun so I ain't leaving.

Also, how do people feel about the adult content? Does it bother you, or make the game more enjoyable, etc?

---

Upon, first, second and third read...your post sounds like you might be conducting a survey.  Are you? 

Also, you're mention doing a "challenge"?  So, is the reason you're in SL...a challenge?  If so...how is that you didn't know about "adult" content? 

[Tari Landar]

---

Celestiall Nightfire wrote:

---

LaskyaClaren wrote:

Walk into any M-rated club in SL on an average evening, and you'll see male and female avatars very scantily dressed by RL standards, and often engaged in dances that look more like heavy petting that tripping the light fantastic. I don't think it's difficult to understand why that might surprise or even shock some newbies.

---

I disagree.  My experience of being in SL for years, yet rarely saw anything like what you're referring to.  I also have an account from 2010, and she didn't run into any adult fare, or scantily clad people either.   (Until purposely seeking it).  

So, how is it that a newbie

today

happens to see all that (sexualized) on

day one

?  It means they sought out places that where they'd see it. 

---

 I've had an account for years and I can see exactly why some might think a lot of whta they see is overly sexualized, compared to things they've either seen elsewhere or even in rl. The things described-the dancing, the clothes, etc.. have been around since my first days in 2004. They haven't gotten any fewer(though they don't make upt he entire grid, either)

I'll take rl vs sl for a moment. Where I live, it's winter. So if you go to the store, outside, etc.. you're not likely to find very many scantilly clad folks. You might, but they're a rarity when these temps dip below 0, as they have been lately. Now, if you go to a club, even one that we'd likely deem "M" in sl, you WILL find women-and men, dressed scantilly clad, grinding on one another, etc.. All clubs? Absolutely not. Many? Absolutely.

Go into sl, however, and unless someone intentionally makes it winter, it's not likely winter. You won't find nearly as many dressed in winter gear(though it exists, of course). But you ARE likely to see folks wearing a bit less reserved clothing. It's not a bad thing, and the OP didn't even say it WAS a bad thing. One doesn't HAVE to go looking for folks who dress a bit less conservatively. They are everywhere. To some that might not seem overly sexual, while to others it just might. Neither is wrong, of course, it's merely their opinion and their perspective.

I have been to numerous clubs all over the grid over the years. Finding one where the dances are less romantic and sweet and more, well, sensual, is extremely common. You don't have to actually look that hard, or even at all in most cases, lol. In fact even some of the most formal and elegant places have dances I wouldn't seem conservative by any standard( doesn't make them wrong, I don't want to give that impression). Most of the pre-made dance machines(ie, couples dance machines) have dances of all sorts in them, and yes a lot f them include dances that are more on the sensual(and more, lol) side than they are conservative. Some of the biggest, best known, most popular clubs(those with high traffic, good atmosphere, etc..) have these same dances...these same people dressing in ways one might think upon first glance as a bit more sexual than most things they'd encounter elsewhere.

I can see why someone might see that and say "hmm, I didn't realize" or even "hmm, that's not really the kind of thing I'm looking for, I wonder if someone knows of places where these things aren't". Which, imo, is exactly why the OP asked. If you think someone has to actually seek out things that are less conservative to find them, I'd have to wonder how much you wander the grid(not a bad thing, but I can see it just by visiting stores, let alone randomly tp-ing around the grid) It really is everywhere, and it doesn't make it inherently bad, of course. It also doesn't mean the, far less, conservative stuff, will make up the majority of sl. You really have to think of it from a new person's point of view though. Until they know where to look for things, how to find them, how to set their ratings, etc.. they're going to come across things they might not want to. Once they do, they can make their experience reflect what they want.  I don't believe for two minutes that when you came in NOTHING that wasn't conservative was around and you had to actively seek it out, lol. It's been around since my first days here in 2004. It was never that hard to find, and I don't see that changing. As long as you stay off only pg sims, you're likely to find it(at least the stuff the OP describes)

For the OP-Really does boil down to perspective and opinion though, in the end. What some deem sensual or even sexual, others might not. So you'll probably find varying opinions on all lengths of that fence. What you might think of as sexual, others might look at and say "nah, that's not sexual". Doesn't really matter why either of ya feel that way, and neither one of ya are wrong, either. It could be, as someone else said, some of the things you are seeing are skin or shape stores-even fashion stores-where you'd expect to see that kind of thing. That is, you'd expect to see it, if you knew what it was you were looking at. Being new doesn't really afford ya that experience though. So it might take some adjusting, or getting your feet wet within sl, before you can make a good call on what it is you really want to experience(and see, as it were) in sl.

[LaskyaClaren]

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Celestiall Nightfire wrote:

I disagree.  My experience of being in SL for years, yet rarely saw anything like what you're referring to.  I also have an account from 2010, and she didn't run into any adult fare, or scantily clad people either.   (Until purposely seeking it).  

So, how is it that a newbie

today

happens to see all that (sexualized) on

day one

?  It means they sought out places that where they'd see it. 

---

How is it that a female newbie can get propositioned on Day One, without getting much past the welcome areas? It happened to me, and I certainly wasn't advertising. One's first experience is SL, before one knows what one is doing, can be pretty random.

Everyone's experiences, and everyone's standards, are going to be somewhat different, I suppose. Certainly I fairly regularly see very scanty outfits at some of the M rated blues clubs I have gone to. The first time I ever saw a couple dancing to Bits and Bobs Dance 3, or whatever it's called, I was pretty sure they were making out.

Needless to say, I'm more acclimatized now.

Skirts here are, on average, shorter, cleavage is more on display and, of course, virtually all avatars are more shapely, with more pronounced sexual characteristics (wide hips, large breasts, broad shoulders, long legs, and so on). You're right, of course, that to see actual sex you have to be looking for it, but human sexuality, as I'm sure you'll agree, need not imply even partial nudity.

What I do think is perhaps a little unfair is your not-so-subtle suggestion that Kezar was pruriently hunting down obscenity to complain about. Far from being judgemental, Kezar seems to be cool with it. Why accuse him of motives for which there is no real evidence?

[Madelaine McMasters]

Welcome to Second Life, KezarBane!

Imagine walking through real life and seeing what everyone else is thinking.

Second Life - "Your World, Everybody Else's Imagination".

I believe that's your explanation.

;-)

[Syo Emerald]

M rated clubs in Second Life are not that much more sexualized than any real life music video today. And since SL and music videos are both showing idealized worlds it doesn't suprise me. I would say the way people dress in those clubs reaches from normal to sexy. Simply a way people would like to dress, when they would have the age, body or both in RL to do so (or the ability to stop some clothes to be uncomfortable).

 

[LaskyaClaren]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

Imagine walking through real life and seeing what everyone else is thinking.

 

---

Very true. And sometimes that's uncomfortable, of course. But one gets used to it.

Mostly. :-)

[LaskyaClaren]

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Syo Emerald wrote:

M rated clubs in Second Life are not that much more sexualized than any real life music video today. And since SL and music videos are both showing idealized worlds it doesn't suprise me.

 

---

I think that this is a really excellent point!

 

Arguably, SL can be a bit like a music video (or art installation, or historical documentary, or whatever) that one can walk into.

But I especially like your point that both SL and music videos are particular articulations of popular culture.

[KezarBane]

No I am not conducting a survey or any form of research, and I don't know why you would even think of that lool. I just logged in and visited the Freebie galaxy and the first thing I saw was half naked girls, I was like okay whatever. Then after walking around for a bit I see nude pictures on several floors, I just found out they were showing what skins look like. Then on the destinations tab I saw adult destanations, etc.

I'm an not condeming it in anyway, I just found it abit odd because I knew that everything was player made, so I got the idea that it was an overly sexual 'game'.

[KezarBane]

@Tari Landar, your post does make a lot of sense since on a general day to day basis I live in London which is cold during most a the year, so everyone is covered up, etc. That could be the reason as to why I got the impression that everything seems to be overly sexual. 

[Tari Landar]

---

KezarBane wrote:

@Tari Landar, your post does make a lot of sense since on a general day to day basis I live in London which is cold during most a the year, so everyone is covered up, etc. That could be the reason as to why I got the impression that everything seems to be overly sexual. 

---

That makes perfect sense. Even if you see it everywhere on tv, movies, whatever.. if it's not something you're likely to run into more often in rl, you might wonder when you see it in sl.

I think sometimes people forget that not everyone comes into sl with the same impression, or even ideas about what it is they'll see. Nothing wrong with that of course. But I can fully understand why someone who sees women dressing in, well, skimpier(even if not sexual) clothing than they normally see would think that kind of thing. That's where our perspectives and opinions come into play. Right now my av is wearing a long double shirt and jeans-clearly not remotely sexual, lmao. But normally, she wears what amounts to a bra and shorts. Some might say that bra is sexual, in some manner. It wouldn't offend me if they did think that. It doesn't mean that's the impression I intend to give, it's just their perspective. And having a different opinion is rarely, if ever, a bad thing.

I do think once you wander sl some, visit some more places, and get a good feel for what it is you are looking at, your opinions on what you deem sexual, might change too. They don't have to of course, but they just might. I know what I personally think of as skimpy, others might think beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I happen to love those grinding on each other sorts of dances-well with hubby of course, haha, but I can see why someone who walks into a M club and sees it might say "woah". Some of them ARE very sexual and sensual-regardless of the intent from those dancing. They most definitely are dances that are everywhere. Even some of the more sweet and romantic ones, still have moments when the couple look more like they've long since forgotten they were dancing in public

[Lindal Kidd]

Well, here's the thing.  Second Life is made by its residents.  Residents are people.  People are sexual creatures.  Because SL is a place of freedom and safety, we tend to make that more visible than what you'd see in Real Life.

But it's an interesting window into how people think.  It's clear from looking around SL that people think about sex a LOT!  Not everybody, not all the time...but yes, there's a lot on display!

But even given the above, Second Life is a place of enormous variety.  You can find people wearing staid Victorian garments in Caledon, or complete nudity at The Wild Coast and other nudist regions.  You can find elves, trolls, or dragons on a fantasy sim, or aliens out of Star Trek and Star Wars.  You can find suburban houses with white picket fences, or futuristic modern homes, or medieval castles (many complete with vampires.)  In the region just north of where I live, there's a WWII aircraft carrier and a squadron of naval aviators.  Notice that none of the above involves sex...well, at least not directly and overtly.

My own sim, Masocado, is a Moderate region.  People live here, and they do all the things that people everywhere do...including have sex, in private.  In public, they decorate their homes, have parties, chat with friends, sail their boats.  You know...life.  Idealized, but that's one of the nice things about SL, we can live whatever life we want to.

And as for that challenge, "NoFAP"...what, did someone tell you you'd go blind?  If you hang around SL a lot, and you are a person who responds to visual stimuli, you're gonna have a hard time meeting that challenge.  But don't worry, it's a normal, healthy response.