What Do Adult Content Creators Think of The Lindens' Amsterdam Idea?

We have a pretty good sense of what SL bloggers and readers think about the Lindens' coming "Adult Continent" policy, but what do adult content creators destined to be exiled there make of it? Jago Constantine is the owner of a furnishings emporium charmingly known as The Museum of Sex Furniture, where the sofas and so on come embedded with all the prerequisite coital animations. On his blog, Sex Aficionado, he offers his initial take on it. (Warning: Not necessarily worksafe reading. Site auto-launches a music widget, so not necessarily worksafe listening, either.) It's a very thoughtful analysis that considers many pros and cons, but he ultimately calls it a good idea:

"It will make it easier to merge the teen and regular grids," he writes. "It will give Linden Lab an excuse to clear out some inactive parcels on the mainland which hold adult content and resell them. Proximity of adult parcels will boost traffic for adult content providers and provide easy access and choice to adult-content consumers."

On the other side of the ledger, I have seen many Adult-oriented entrepreneurs and consumers offer highly negative reactions. I put it to my readers, whether you fit in that category or not: Leaving aside the health of Second Life in general for a moment, is this a boon for the buyers and sellers of virtual sex and violence?

Image credit: Photographer Eddi Haskell, from his blog.

Comments

[Mitch Wagner]

Whether SLamsterdam is a good idea depends on what the Lindens are really doing:

If you think this is a subterfuge to suppress adult content on the grid, then SLamsterdam is a bad idea, and likely to alienate part of SL's core audience.

But I believe the Linden announcement and take it at face value. I think they're just trying to create a red light district, to make SL more attractive to business and other people squeamish about adult content. A secondary effect of that will be to create a zone where people interested in adult content don't have to worry about shocking the neighbors.

In that case, I think SLamsterdam is a great idea.

OTOH, I do think you had a great insight the other day, James: SLamsterdam might backfire and *call attention* to the adult content, the way that a similar effort has in RL Amsterdam.

[Jago Constantine]

Thanks for the link! Can I mention that the Museum of Sex Furniture is an actual museum of Second Life sex artefacts and not an emporium (although we do have a gift shop).

What's the saying about the Chinese having the same word for crisis and opportunity? As Homer Simpson would say, what we have here is a crisitunity. There are a lot of advantages to having an adult contentinent.

Indeed, if the Lindens show some initiative, the continent can be made attractive enough that people will *want* to move there. The carrot instead of the stick approach.

How about an adult section in the showcase? Make it opt-in and age verify. Surely there are some great non-sleazy adult builds out there (including museums) ... off the top of my head, Codebastard Redgrave's Rouge sim.

[dandellion Kimban]

Jago is probably right. Gathering all the adult shops near the adult places will be good for the traffic and sales. Sure, resellers of the freebies and crappy stuff will suffer because competition will be near-by and visible. But who cares about freebie resellers anyway?

[Ciaran Laval]

It's not just freebie resellers though is it. Clubs in SL often make money off adult items, Strokerz for example has a grid wide affiliate scheme, as does Kinky-O. Now clubs who are getting income via those affiliates are in quite a quandry.

The same can be said for adult areas that rent mall space, if the clubs are side by side why is a content creator going to need so many rentals? They're surely going to cut back.

My main concern still sits with estates, still no confirmation from LL whether a whole island or estate will need to be flagged, if it's an estate the fallout could be bad.

I don't really do adult content, but some of my tenants do. I'm still not sure what's going to happen there, whether I'll have to swap plots or be offered a new plot, I don't really want to lose my existing mainland plots.

[BadMove]

This whole moving the teen grid into the adult space will be a serious and neglectful mistake by Linden. There are enough issues with adults needing to trust whom they speak with in SL even now. Let alone if it's possible for minors to be given permission to log into the main grid.

This whole thing could lead to legal issues as well. Not to mention the bad publicity Linden will receive when "it" hits the fan.

Just moving adult content to another area or "continent" within SL is not going to keep minors from viewing adult material in SL. And that is a problem. It will be up to the adults to whether they want to continue using the service full well knowing that the LL TOS would include all ages on the main grid.

Linden had it right the first time stating 18 or older on the main grid, and not allowing adults on the teen grid. That is the way it should be. But as they have in the past, they tend to know how to make poor decisions on a timely basis. Second Life main grid will never be a place that a minor should be visiting.

That's my opinion.

[Jane2 McMahon]

Teens are already visiting the main grid. Just as I don't really reside within 90210, which is my zip code for every site that has no reason to know where I live, checking the "I'm 18 or over" box is just that...checking it off.

As far as adults and "trust", maybe they shouldn't be doing whatever it is they want to do if they think it might be illegal. (Poseball) buyer beware.

[BadMove]

Jane2 above wrote:

"Teens are already visiting the main grid. Just as I don't really reside within 90210, which is my zip code for every site that has no reason to know where I live, checking the "I'm 18 or over" box is just that...checking it off."

Sorry, that is not how it works. The TOS states 18 or over. Adults only. This protects the adults that believe they are speaking only to adults. Removing this very needed concept will remove adults whom don't care to be chatting with teenagers and children.

Jane2 above wrote:

"As far as adults and "trust", maybe they shouldn't be doing whatever it is they want to do if they think it might be illegal. (Poseball) buyer beware."

No one mentioned doing anything illegal. Adult material viewed by adults is not illegal. However it is not content that should be viewed by minors or those under the age of 18. Merely mentioning that minors should not be allowed by policy to enter and adult site does indeed protect adults in SL whom are there under that assumption that only adults are in attendance.

If minors are logging into SL, they are breaking the Terms Of Service of Linden Lab and have no rights whatsoever to be there, to be chatting with adults, nor to be viewing adult material. With a situation like this, it would be the parents responsible. Not Linden Lab nor the adults that pay for the service.

Linden to a point is no different than any other site(s) that hosts adult material. But the whole issue changes with "chat" rooms, and interactivity. It's one thing for a minor to view adult content by clicking "18" to access images or videos, it's another to click "18" and be chatting with adults.

The separation of the adult and teen grids should not be altered. Not in the networking platform, not with policy changes.

Changing this policy would or will end up having hugely negative consequences. Many adults in SL would not stay in SL if the policy is changed to allow minors on the adult grid. That is a fact. It's not right for adults in the "know" to have to count on technology of any kind to do any sort of age separation, verification, etc.. without a policy that expressly states the same intention. With age verification, credit card verification, and Linden's desire to create an "Adult Continent", the fact remains that if policy is changed, there will be no protections at all with the above mentioned and minors will be able to freely access adult content and carry on conversations with adults. This won't work. It's not wanted by the vast majority of adults in Second Life. If policy changes in this area, mark my words people will leave.

Only reason any of this is even mentioned is the "rumor" that Linden may combine grids and the oncoming configuration of an "Adult Continent".