Saturday, September 7, 2013

Sex and the Single Avatar in Second Life XI – Voyeurism and Exhibitionism in Second Life

 

An exhibitionist is nothing without a voyeur.

S. A. Sachs               


          I’ve been wandering across Second Life (SL) for a while now.  I’ve written about sex inworld.  I’ve visited nudist resorts, sex sims, and BDSM clubs.  Naturally, there’s a lot of sex going on here.  (Come on now, you didn’t expect otherwise now did you?)  I should know, I see a lot of it while I’m walking about.  (Somebody has to go out and get the stories everyone enjoys reading so much.) 
          Seeing all this carnal activity going on (Sounds more sophisticated than just saying everyone’s boinking like rabbits, huh?)  gets me thinking again.  (Significant Other walks away at this point because the subject matter is causing ribald laughter but having me actually think about it is too much.)  What’s going on here?  (Don’t be funny, this isn’t about the birds and the bees.)  People are having sex out in the open and other people are watching them. 
          What we have is the satisfaction of mutual needs.  Voyeurs and exhibitionists are helping satisfy each other’s wants and desires.  To boot, it’s all perfectly legal inworld!  (As long as everyone’s in the proper sim.) 
I’ve never thought about this before.  (Maybe I’ve been sheltered in Real Life (RL).  That changed rather quickly inworld.)  I normally toss out either word without thinking about the other.  But, can you have without the other?  Are they different sides of the same coin? 
I want to look into this and explore the symbiotic relationship between these two different groups of people inworld. 
Let’s start with the watchers, the voyeurs.  Unlike in RL where they tend to hide in bushes or peek through people’s windows (I only know this from what I’ve read.  I do not condone or encourage this activity in RL.)  they can’t hide.  (There are rumors of cloaks of invisibility inworld but I’m leaving that aside for now.)  SL voyeurs just stand around and watch.  Sometimes, people who are deep into in flagrante delicto (no pun intended) actually invite passersby to stop and watch. I’ve received a few invitations myself.  (Don’t ask.) 
There is camming whereby voyeurs can take a look at people just about anywhere, even in buildings, doing whatever people do when they think they’re alone.  Apparently, this doesn’t violate the TOS but is frowned upon by many inworld.  (If camming worries you then you’ll never go inworld nor should you.)
My favorite group of inworld voyeurs are those who hang around fully dressed in clothing optional nudist resorts.  When I ask them why they do this they reply that they’re there for the beaches. I’m reminded of men who say they read Playboy for the articles. 
No one seems to mind.  Law enforcement doesn’t run around throwing blankets over people.  People just stand around watching other people make love.  (I sometimes wonder if they’re playing along at home.) 
Now, for the other side of the coin, the performers or exhibitionists.  Their behavior seems to fall into two categories.  First, just plain old fashioned nudity either alone or with others in public places.  The other is what my British friends have taken to call dogging, having sex in public places.  That’s one of the great things about SL, all the variety.
Where does this all take place?  Nudist resorts, sex sims, in the privacy of residents’ homes, and places where it shouldn’t.  (I once met a resident who told me that she and her friends like to have sex in sims where it’s not permitted for the sheer thrill of doing it.  Sounds a lot like RL to me.) 
How does all this sexual activity take place?  The usual SL means.  Animation Overrides (AO), pose balls, furniture/equipment, and the old reliable cybersex via IM are the usual ways I’ve seen it done inworld.  (If I’ve missed anything please let me know, I wouldn’t want to leave anything out.) 
Hopefully, by now you’re realizing what I have and that is each of these groups satisfies the needs of the other.  So what does everyone think about this?
Well, participants seem to be fine with it.  Voyeurs have a lot to see and probably won’t get bored anytime soon.  Exhibitionists never seem to want for a willing audience. The attitudes are relaxed and the anonymity of SL seems to encourage the practices.  People seem to feel that this is what SL is for, coming in to do things they wouldn’t do in RL.  If others don’t like it then they should go to sims where this behavior is not permitted.  (There are many.) or go to either a Disney website or World of Warcraft. 
One group that does take a dim view of the sexual activity associated with nudity are the traditional naturists who believe that nudity in public places should only be for its own sake.  (There is even a blog for this group.) Sex is not part of their activities.  
My view is that this is SL and as long as everyone is a consenting adult and in the appropriate sim (i.e., maturity rating) then have a good time.  Take care as to who is around so as not to give offence and mind your own business.  One of the things that I like about SL is that it’s big enough that everyone can go off and enjoy themselves without bothering other people. 
So, I’m off my soapbox for now.  Hopefully, this story has filled in some gaps as to what goes on inworld as regards sexual behavior and I haven’t scared anyone off! 
As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 
Below I’ve included a few links to pictures of various locations from Utopia Naked Isle Resort, Paradise Sex Beach, Naked, Naked and Breakwater Beach where voyeurs and exhibitionists can mutually enjoy themselves.  Pictures are fun but, trust me on this, go visit for yourself, see the place, meet the people, and have a great time!  (No pictures of nude people or copulation (boinking if you prefer) are shown, we’re still not that kind of blog.) 
I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

          If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life
please click here. 

 

 



Photo No. 3  Utopia – Hot Tub

Photo No. 4  Utopia - Jacuzzi

Photo No. 5  Utopia – Beach Bed










2 comments:

LukeFlywalker said...

Great posting! Love your insights. I'm a happily married man in RL and so have no need for pixel sex but I guess it does meet a need in some peoples lives. After all there is a real person on the other end.

webspelunker said...

Very true!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

TC

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