Simulated intimacy in SL vs the world ..

[Love Zhaoying]

Here's how I think it would go if LL advertised Slex in Second Life.

New User: This is boring and dumb

Roleplayer: You're doing it wrong.

Established user:  You need to adjust your Hover Height.

Alpha: You haven't done it with ME yet!

 

[Kathlen Onyx]

1 hour ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

 What will change is me logging in less and less the more sex is pushed into my face until I no longer log in ever again. I won't be the only one. 

How is sex pushed in your face? Perhaps maybe on the MP if you have Adult content enabled but, in my experience, I've never seen anything sexual unless I went looking for it. If I wasn't interested in it then I wouldn't hardly know it even exists.

 

[Hunny Bunny]

36 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Here's how I think it would go if LL advertised Slex in Second Life.

New User: This is boring and dumb

Roleplayer: You're doing it wrong.

Established user:  You need to adjust your Hover Height.

Alpha: You haven't done it with ME yet!

 

Not so different from anything else LL advertises really. 🤔

[Luna Bliss]

5 hours ago, Coffee Pancake said:

5 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

I see many valid points here, but I think some of your suggestions miss important realities, and so focusing on simulated intimacy 'too much' would be going about it the wrong way

As oppose to not talking about it at all which has been the policy for 20 years.

LL have been trying to push all the other things you can do in SL forever, it's the never ending quest for "better people" and .. I hate to be blunt, but no one cares. They built an entire world just for "better people" to come for art and poetry and music and education and business, and no one showed up. Sansar had more staff online than users most of the time and still does.

Rather than listening to people and raising the maturity rating for Sansar, even years after it was obvious the platform was dead. LL did nothing so hard they had to sell the nothing and then sell what was left of themselves.

Don't get me wrong, its great that those things can exist here, but few join SL for them .. if anything, they are all things people find here after the initial hook.

As always, Coffee, you've started an interesting and thought-provoking thread.

I don't think LL hides the Adult community out of shame or thinking non-sexual activities are "better" though -- I think they simply don't emphasize it due to shrewd marketing.
BTW, marketers are simply Psychology majors who went to the dark side (haha, that's what I call my friends who did so, but I understand, they weren't cut out to be therapists and needed money). And I may balk at marketing manipulations and make jokes when it's used on me (for example, my joke about a Guru buying LL, as we are being hit with spiritual platitudes atm as a plea for volunteer mentors).
But marketing, sadly, is often a needed service.

The problem is that Western society is simply screwed up regarding sexual attitudes -- still shaming sex and making the famous split between the spiritual and material worlds. It would be making a mistake to imagine this did not exist, taking actions in ways that ignore this reality. We ignore at our own peril. Marketers know (or should know) the workings of both society and the individual within it, and tailor their pleas for whatever their goals are in accordance with this.

But to your point about these other activities I've mentioned as being "better" -- humans do mature (hopefully) over time in the way they express their sexuality or energetically connect to others. When I'm frustrated with my brother I joke that he connects to women like they're a big boob, expecting too much from them and not giving anything in return, which is another way of saying he connects in the way a 1-year old would. As another example of a less-mature type of sexual expression, we all experience those in SL who connect to others like 13-year-old males, and have to eject them from our sims. Eventually, hopefully, they learn to connect their heart to sexual behavior.
So yes, there are some types of sexuality or ways of connecting energetically to others that are "lesser". It's not my place to judge this for anyone however.

Unfortunately, society being the way it is, often viewing sexuality in black & white terms (all good, all bad) and still victims of the spiritual-material split that affects the Western world, thinks all sexuality in a game must be in the most immature crudest of forms. They can't imagine there are real, meaningful romantic relationships here.

So no, emphasizing sexual relationships in SL is the worst thing they could do to attract new customers.
Until society stops bifurcating the spiritual and the material this would have dire consequences via turning people away from SL. We must have empathy for how the general public views virtual reality presently.

At least we have Pride -- contained within a social issue (equal rights) it can be visible without such harm. At least for now anyhow.

[Silent Mistwalker]

2 hours ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

How is sex pushed in your face? Perhaps maybe on the MP if you have Adult content enabled but, in my experience, I've never seen anything sexual unless I went looking for it. If I wasn't interested in it then I wouldn't hardly know it even exists.

 

Advertising. It's everywhere you go RL and SL. Sex sells. I don't need to go looking for it. It's even here on the forum, this very thread. Sex gets mentioned pretty much every day. It's kind of hard to not know it exits when it's right in front of you. People talk about it all the time. It's everywhere you look. After so many decades of it, I don't want to see it anymore. Call it oversaturation. I doubt I'm the only one that feels that way.

[Kathlen Onyx]

1 hour ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Advertising. It's everywhere you go RL and SL. Sex sells. I don't need to go looking for it. It's even here on the forum, this very thread. Sex gets mentioned pretty much every day. It's kind of hard to not know it exits when it's right in front of you. People talk about it all the time. It's everywhere you look. After so many decades of it, I don't want to see it anymore. Call it oversaturation. I doubt I'm the only one that feels that way.

That is true. There are lots of things that are oversaturated. Food being the one that comes to mind.  People are obsessed with Food!

However you can do things that will lessen your chance of seeing some of the content. Not reading or responding this this thread for instance.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Doesn't "Your Life, Your Imagination" cover everything?

[Silent Mistwalker]

9 minutes ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

That is true. There are lots of things that are oversaturated. Food being the one that comes to mind.  People are obsessed with Food!

However you can do things that will lessen your chance of seeing some of the content. Not reading or responding this this thread for instance.

Or not leaving my parcel. That's not a solution. I would much prefer to leave well enough alone.

I'm not the bad guy in this, no matter how hard you try to make me be.

There' no point in trying to lessen what I see. It's already at bare minimum. My point is stop trying to force others to see more of what they no longer want to see.

It' a two-way street.

[Kathlen Onyx]

1 minute ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Or not leaving my parcel. That's not a solution. I would much prefer to leave well enough alone.

I'm not the bad guy in this, no matter how hard you try to make me be.

There' no point in trying to lessen what I see. It's already at bare minimum. My point is stop trying to force others to see more of what they no longer want to see.

It' a two-way street.

But that's not even the point of the post. It's about revamping the animation system so that adult activities (and other things) work better and smoother. If you don't use them then nothing to worry about.

I know the "woo is me attitude"  you often use here.  I was not trying to make you the bad guy in any sense.

[Hunny Bunny]

10 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Or not leaving my parcel. That's not a solution.

There are still plenty of "G" rated regions for you to wander.

[Silent Mistwalker]

It would certainly help if people would stop reading more into my words that what is actually there. And stop giving useless for me advice when it isn't asked for.

I stated my opinion. You don't agree. You aren't going to force me to change or downsize my SL to make you happy. It's already so small I don't log in near as much. It's not up to you if I stay or go. Nothing left to discuss.

[Rowan Amore]

6 hours ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

How is sex pushed in your face? Perhaps maybe on the MP if you have Adult content enabled but, in my experience, I've never seen anything sexual unless I went looking for it. If I wasn't interested in it then I wouldn't hardly know it even exists.

 

The only time I actually run into sex is when I go to adult places that are generally geared toward that activity.  Of course, every dang shopping event does have some adult content but I simply cam right on by.  No harm, no foul.  

Every day I visit a few places on the destination guide.  I've been doing that for probably the last 3 years.  I've yet to encounter anyone having SLex even in more adult type regions such as RP places.  I have to make a concerted effort if I want to see.that.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Rowan Amore

[gwynchisholm]

I’m in the process of debating with myself over buying premium and subsequently buying a plot of land. And holy hell the adult continent is expensive as expensive gets.

I can get a parcel in a moderate region with the features and size I want for like L$12000, cheap as dirt. If I want something spec equivalent on the adult continent it’s ten times that. 
That to me is an indicator of demand, people want more of the adult content in many ways.

[Sammy Huntsman]

12 hours ago, Thecla said:

As noted I think sex in video games is accepted more and more each year. Heck, one of the big complaints about soon to be released Starfield is that you can't bump uglies.

This is why you have the modding community. They are good at doing that. That being said, I just feel like if the video game needs sex in it. Then so be it. But I am under the whole notion, that there is a time and place for it. 

[Jaylinbridges]

36 minutes ago, gwynchisholm said:

That to me is an indicator of demand, people want more of the adult content in many ways.

Land prices in Zindra are controlled by land barons that never actually sell the land. They can ask any crazy price they want.  Those same properties are usually for rent for about $1L/prim or less, the same as mainland.  The prices have nothing whatsoever to do with demand for sex.

You can TP to any sex club from anywhere in SL.  No advantage to Zindra at all, if thats your intention, 24/7 public sex.

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Jaylinbridges

[gwynchisholm]

8 minutes ago, Sammy Huntsman said:

This is why you have the modding community. They are good at doing that. That being said, I just feel like if the video game needs sex in it. Then so be it. But I am under the whole notion, that there is a time and place for it. 

I don’t think the desire for sexual content in videogames is really about full on graphic sex, but moreso an acceptance of sexual themes. Kinda like the strippers in GTA V. 
Or also in the realm of nudity in a nonsexual context being prevalent, like Rust or Conan starting your character off with your junk enjoying the breeze. That kind of stuff is an interesting little interjection into the game that serves a variety of purposes from realism to just mild entertainment.

Is there really any reason to go to the GTA V strip club? No. Is it fun to see low resolution virtual breasts in GTA anyway? Yeah.

Which kinda comes back to one of the first things I brought up in this thread, is that due to the limitations of SL at its core, other forms of adult and sexual experiences and entertainment are disproportionately popular. It might be worth exploring that more, a LL sponsored nude beach, maybe adult oriented dance club or whatever. Sponsoring marketplace items around more adult themes like more revealing clothing and such. Not necessarily about just outright sex but maybe some attention to the sexual themes people enjoy.

[gwynchisholm]

2 minutes ago, Jaylinbridges said:

Land prices in Zindra are controlled by land barons that never actually sell the land. They can ask any crazy price they want.  Those same properties are usually for rent for about $1L/prim or less, the same as mainland.  The prices have nothing whatsoever to do with demand for sex.

You can TP to any sex club from anywhere in SL.  No advantage to Zindra at all, if thats your intention, 24/7 sex.

 

I was not aware of that, I just presumed it was more expensive because it was highly desirable. 
Im mostly interested in an adult parcel to not potentially risk the rules. I know moderate is a “behind closed doors” kind of thing going on but the actual location of where I want to put all my cool stuff down isn’t too important. I just want to be certain I’m not going to lose all my cool stuff because someone had “adult content” out in my living room.

Edited June 19, 2023 by gwynchisholm

[Jaylinbridges]

16 minutes ago, gwynchisholm said:

I just want to be certain I’m not going to lose all my cool stuff because someone had “adult content” out in my living room.

You can have anything you want in your home in a Moderate region.  And you can do anything you can imagine in your home in a Moderate region.  You can also be butt naked with stuff hanging out (limp) on your lawn or beach in a Moderate region.  You cannot be doing a sex act in public in a moderate region. That's about the only difference between Zindra and moderate regions. 

The owner of the Moderate region can also have their own rules, since they own the region.  Nothing to do with LL however.  LL will never openly sponsor adult sex in a Linden owned region. The venture capitalists that own LL might want to sell SL to Facebook or Google someday...

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Jaylinbridges

[Polenth Yue]

2 minutes ago, Jaylinbridges said:

The owner of the Moderate region can also have their own rules, since they own the region.  Nothing to do with LL however.  LL will never openly sponsor adult sex in a Linden owned region. The venture capitalists that own LL might want to sell SL to Facebook or Google someday...

The birthday has adult regions this year, so there will be official regions with sex. One reason why I wondered a bit at the timing of this thread, because this is the year they gave people the adult regions they requested. It doesn't look like they were overwhelmed with applications for the adult area though.

[Jennifer Boyle]

3 hours ago, gwynchisholm said:

I’m in the process of debating with myself over buying premium and subsequently buying a plot of land. And holy hell the adult continent is expensive as expensive gets.

I can get a parcel in a moderate region with the features and size I want for like L$12000, cheap as dirt. If I want something spec equivalent on the adult continent it’s ten times that. 
That to me is an indicator of demand, people want more of the adult content in many ways.

I have lived in Zindra since 2009, when I received the parcel my house is on directly from LL when they opened Zindra.

I hardly ever do anything that would not be permitted in a moderate region, other than occasional outdoor sex on my pool deck or beach.

I really, really wanted to live in Zindra. The main reason was liberty. In Zindra, I never have to worry about the rules. It's like the difference between having a POA and not having one.  I can do whatever I want, confident that I won't get into trouble.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Jennifer Boyle

[Lewis Luminos]

1 hour ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

I hardly ever do anything that would not be permitted in a moderate region, other than occasional outdoor sex on my pool deck or beach.

 

With careful land settings you can do that on Moderate land too.  Limit access, either with group only access or a security orb, and untick the "Avatars can be seen by other avatars outside the parcel" and that is effectively "behind closed doors" - you've just moved the "doors" from the boundary of the house to the boundary of the parcel. So your outdoor sex is no longer public. 

Yes, there are ways for a determined peeping-tom to circumvent these settings, but it has to be a deliberate act on their part, which means the responsibility for them seeing anything naughty is on them, not you. Your activity is still not public.

What I think is not allowed, is leaving adult rated furniture outside unattended on moderate land that does not have limited access.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

5 hours ago, gwynchisholm said:

I’m in the process of debating with myself over buying premium and subsequently buying a plot of land. And holy hell the adult continent is expensive as expensive gets.

I can get a parcel in a moderate region with the features and size I want for like L$12000, cheap as dirt. If I want something spec equivalent on the adult continent it’s ten times that. 
That to me is an indicator of demand, people want more of the adult content in many ways.

Adult is most desirable, makes you wonder why LL won't finally finish building Zindra.

Bottom line, they are embarrassed by  adult content, even though that's what keeps Second Life alive.

What I find really funny, is they put Zindra wayyyy off by itself, I guess hoping maybe people won't find it.

Nope nope, nothing here lolol

😂

[BilliJo Aldrin]

2 hours ago, Jennifer Boyle said:

I have lived in Zindra since 2009, when I received the parcel my house is on directly from LL when they opened Zindra.

I hardly ever do anything that would not be permitted in a moderate region, other than occasional outdoor sex on my pool deck or beach.

I really, really wanted to live in Zindra. The main reason was liberty. In Zindra, I never have to worry about the rules. It's like the difference between having a POA and not having one.  I can do whatever I want, confident that I won't get into trouble.

I got the majority of my Zindra property from a new land flipper, but he wasn't very good at it, he only listed it for $5 L per sq m. I bumped my tier that month just to get it.

Oh there are rules even in Zindra, I know because I broke them 😂

Edited June 19, 2023 by BilliJo Aldrin
changed mainland to Zindra

[BilliJo Aldrin]

24 minutes ago, Lewis Luminos said:

With careful land settings you can do that on Moderate land too.  Limit access, either with group only access or a security orb, and untick the "Avatars can be seen by other avatars outside the parcel" and that is effectively "behind closed doors" - you've just moved the "doors" from the boundary of the house to the boundary of the parcel. So your outdoor sex is no longer public. 

Yes, there are ways for a determined peeping-tom to circumvent these settings, but it has to be a deliberate act on their part, which means the responsibility for them seeing anything naughty is on them, not you. Your activity is still not public.

What I think is not allowed, is leaving adult rated furniture outside unattended on moderate land that does not have limited access.

I had adult content on moderate, it was an AR waiting to happen, so I finally jumped to Zindra.

The prices there are insane, and won't get any better unless the size of the continent is increased dramatically.

Some people (SL Karens) will look for any excuse to AR you. 😁

That's one reason i avoid general sims, someone could derender your clothes and report you for being nude on a general sim

[shireena1]

2 hours ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

That's one reason i avoid general sims, someone could derender your clothes and report you for being nude on a general sim

Actually, if you have a maitreya body and clothing to suit, if someone tries to derez the clothing, you just see the alpha layer.

Well, in my viewer anyway..🫣

But if you have just logged into the sim, you may see nakie avs till everything rezzes tho.

Edited June 19, 2023 by shireena1
added stuff