FTC investigating explicit content in virtual worlds
by Griffin McElroy 
{ May 12th 2009 at 3:00AM } 
Coincidentally, this news comes on the heels of an announcement from Second Life's creators, Linden Lab. The virtual world will soon see a massive redistricting in order to separate the game's adult content from its all-ages content. To put it simply, Linden Lab will soon be creating an "adult content continent" that minors won't be able to access. May we suggest the name "Creepyvania" for this brave new landmass?
[Via GamePolitics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ryan @ May 12th 2009 3:06AM
anyone else think the dude with the mic has mantits? irony?
N-zero @ May 12th 2009 3:23AM
I was thinking the same thing lol
ThornedVenom (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ May 12th 2009 3:09AM
I don't want to imagine a continent of furries.
sam @ May 12th 2009 7:30AM
@Anti-Villian: I agree, that's a serious risk. By the way we're banning all video games that include shooting people, from tomorrow, because they might entice people to do the same in real life. You're cool with that right?
sam @ May 12th 2009 7:31AM
@this one: SORRY WRONG REPLY yadda yadda.
Comtar @ May 12th 2009 3:19AM
George Carlin said once that we shouldn't punish "consenting adult who like to dress up in leather boyscout uniforms and smash each other in the head with Ballpin Hammers while they take turns blowing their cat."
He said there is nothing wrong with that, it's a victimless hobby, and think how good the cat must feel.
To a certain degree, he is right. No one is being harmed in the virtual world... As long as the Second Life creators stick to their plan to separate the kids and family areas from the Adult only areas... leave it alone. If two grown adults want to do weird ass rape room stuff, what's the harm as long as both parties are adults?
Anti-Villian @ May 12th 2009 6:11AM
after practicing in SL some may be enticed to practice it in RL
Nikonov @ May 12th 2009 6:31AM
Not to mention Second Life has a "Teen Grid".
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ May 12th 2009 8:16AM
@anti-villian:
That's a ridiculous claim to make no matter how you cut it. Studies find a healthy fantasy support for sex offenders actually reduces the rates of REAL sex crimes. But this is the whole "porn shop will bring rapists into our community arguement." It's a conclusion based on speculation. Take as an example, the following.
Violent Games are not only on a rise due to their explicit nature but also their sales. Given this information, naturally violence and violent crimes would be on a rise, correct? It's certainly what the news wants us to believe. But check this, violent crimes have been on a steady decline for the past 12 years according to the FBI. In fact, we only recently started to see a rise due to economic conditions. One of the record low years was the same year San Andreas came out (take THAT, Thompson). Some have said because people are able to act out their violent fantasies in a virtual setting, this negates the violent outbreaks in the real world. In fact I LOVE winding down a stressful day with headshots galore.
So take the same model and apply it to online sex applications. Who's to say the "rape scenarios" so common in many of them aren't preventing a guy from living the fantasy, as it were? The concept that someone is going to learn about rape in Second Life and be inspired by it is a sketchy platform at best. And frankly, meeting likeminded individuals (loads of females HAVE rape fantasies) in a safe environment (online) could be preventing these predators from taking what they're craving.
Uncontrol @ May 12th 2009 3:23AM
This comment from the Gamepolitics article sums it up for me:
"I have looked at it like this over the years. The internet is a giant city, there are dangers, and much of it is not kid-safe. If you would not let your child wander around San Francisco by itself, then why would you not supervise them online?"
ill trooper @ May 12th 2009 3:36AM
Someone should investigate how explicitly LAME it all is.
Hoffer @ May 12th 2009 4:52AM
This is what our government needs to waste time on. Not wars in the middle east, not our environment and not our crap economy. Lets waste time investigating Second Life.
BananaBoat @ May 12th 2009 4:56AM
This doesn't surprise me in the least. We've already started scrutinizing games made exclusively for cultures completely other than our own (namely Rapelay. Despicable game, legal in Japan where it was made, taken off shelves due to western outrage) so our own games were a natural next step.
I hope we don't have to spend too much money for them to figure out that there are a ton of furries on second life, and a ton of every other type of fetish imaginable. They could have simply asked anyone that plays (I don't. God no.)
reebo @ May 12th 2009 7:20AM
Ahem.
Fuck the FCC.
reebo @ May 12th 2009 7:22AM
And the FTC, which is what this article is about.
Don't wake and bake, kids.
Skub @ May 12th 2009 7:27AM
Does that minotaur have his left hand directly placed into his crotch?
Reinard @ May 12th 2009 8:03AM
No, silly, that's a pot o' gold.
Or an upside-down Pilgrim's hat.
...Yeah!
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ May 12th 2009 8:07AM
Well this is going to ruin on of my LULZ hobbies. I have a very hideous avatar whom I force sexual and other explicit acts upon others and enjoy the reactions. What is Mark Kirk going to say when deprived bastards like myself start raping in real life because the option of raping Kos-Mos is no longer available to us?
JUST KIDDING EVERYBODY!
playwhutyalike @ May 12th 2009 8:10AM
I'm still waiting for the ever exclusive "Boy Rape Room".
I'm gettin' the banhammer now, I can smell it.
vidGuy @ May 12th 2009 8:12AM
I'm glad LL is addressing this. We need more private responsibility on the internet so that we don't have governments coming in to regulate everything. I'd rather have a separate adult continent than in-game police officers.
playwhutyalike @ May 12th 2009 8:14AM
Somehow, taking away the Rape Room is another impact on the gaming world by casuals.
playwhutyalike @ May 12th 2009 8:15AM
Does anyone else like typing "Rape Room"? I do.
Smithers @ May 13th 2009 2:18PM
How much Rape can a Rape Room Rape if a Rape Room gets Raped by an Room full of Illinois Senators?
There's something wonderfully soothing about the phrase...
Also, lol furries
Mayne @ May 12th 2009 10:05AM
You mean there's content in Second Life that actually falls into kid-friendly territory? I was on there for maybe a day before I quit. Seemed like no matter where I went all I could find were Russian S&M rooms and furry sex lounges. I wasn't disturbed so much as just peeved that those were the majority of the kinds of people I had been interacting with during my short tenure in Second Life...
Markez @ May 12th 2009 11:46AM
I've never touched Second Life. My main exposure to it has been the occasional gamin blog post, and the flying Dwight Schrute on The Office.
How is it there are rape rooms? You can force sex on other player characters in it?
I understand the draw of MMOs like WoW, but is there a goal in this? Or is it a more open and depraved Sims type game?
Rob Accomando @ May 12th 2009 1:49PM
rape rooms? lol
It's Computer graphics though. lol Who cares
Diskoboy7 @ May 12th 2009 2:19PM
What right does the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION have in going after explicit material?
Isn't that a wee bit out of their jurisdiction?
The FTC is supposed to be the "federal version" of the BBB... They are supposed to protect consumers from fraud and anti-trust issues - not play Gestapo.
Mitsuo @ May 12th 2009 3:58PM
KAMINA? IS THAT YOU? What did they do to you? And how are you alive?
Karlaee Dezno @ Jun 7th 2009 1:16PM
And Mr. Straight Up Congreessman Mark Kirk is getting a divorce from his wife of eight years. Maybe he should have spent more time at home and less sticking his nose into 2nd Life?