Similar to how some men roleplay as female avatars in MMOs to meet the real life woman of their dreams, or to explore their gender dysphoria, some women roleplay as male avatars for reasons of their own. In Rebecca's case, for instance, to experience the dynamics of heterosexual flirting and seduction from the male point of view:
"I used a few other lines the players of my past had told me: 'I have been out of Second Life for awhile because I had been in a relationship earlier a woman who ended up cheating on me and broke my heart". Or, 'I have no money because I hardly come on here, so I have to wear this demo skin.'" The lines worked so well, the woman began giving her free clothes, effectively trying to make Rebecca's Second Life male even more attractive. "I could tell she was becoming attached, so I told her I had to log off."
Apparently crushed by Rebecca's male, the woman persisted, sending her several offline Instant Message. But Rebecca decided not to respond, or explain who she really was. "I think telling her the truth would have freaked her out."
... By being a virtual male, "I learned about some of my own weaknesses at the time, such as my tendency to believe what every male avatar told me, especially if they had a good looking avatar. I think the visual aspect of Second Life somehow tricks the brain into taking our past experiences and cultural expectations and placing these experiences and expectations onto others within Second Life... I think a lot of women have the same type of thinking when they go into Second Life and tend to become attracted to good looking avatars, and overlook the avatars who are not particularly attractive."
Good thing to keep in mind, next time you're in a virtual nightclub.
Does Sexual Content Enforce a Negative Stereotype of Second Life? (Comments of the Week)
Interesting conversation over the SL machinima I posted last week, which I warned readers ahead of time: "While it has no graphic nudity, it's very male gazey throughout and gets decidedly porny toward the end." For the record, I asked the creators if they had a less porny version, but failing that, decided the visual quality was so good, and showed how great SL content can look, it deserved an audience here. Reader Taylor had a terse reply to that:
Reader JohnC pointed out a larger issue of branding:
That's a pretty good analogy. However, Unreal, Unity, and other 3D engines are better able to distance themselves from sexual content created with their tools, since after all, unlike Second Life, that content isn't hosted on their company-owned servers.
Reader Madeline Blackbart points out how this has hurt SL's reputation in the public eye:
Continue reading "Does Sexual Content Enforce a Negative Stereotype of Second Life? (Comments of the Week)" »
Posted on Monday, April 02, 2018 at 01:02 PM in Comment of the Week, Sex and Romance, Social Structures, Social Upheaval | Permalink | Comments (19)
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