[NSFW] Oculus Rift "Adult Game" coming soon

[ This mini-article of mine is simply this link, followed by a lot of speculation about not just what Virtual Reality can mean for porn in general, but also the impacts of Virtual Reality on society, some of the possible dangers, but also some of the possible benefits.

I try to make my speculation avoid the topic of sex as much as possible. And I'm also trying to avoid describing anything sexual in too much detail, since I think we all know what sex entails. So, I try to keep this as "reader safe" as possible.

To Moderators/Admins (and concerned users) reading this: This topic does not link to any sexual/pornographic images or videos, nor does it describe sex explicitly. It does mention sex and Virtual Reality, however I strive to keep it appropriate. It does mention some really bad ideas of possible dangers from Virtual Reality, like how an "virtual reality adult game simulator" could be used to create "rape simulators", or to simulate underaged 3D characters. However, this article does not encourage that; it simply warns that there is such a possibility with Virtual Reality, and that legislation will need to regulate this, as there are legitimate concerns to be raised by Virtual Reality in regards to "adult games". I also have explained that the link to the page I'm linking to also does not contain any sexual images I found, but I try to also explain that one shouldn't take my word for that, since I haven't explored that site entirely, nor do I feel inclined to do so. ]

As for those who spotted the pun in the title... it wasn't intentional. (Sorry if it seemed that way.)

[ EDIT: The game is titled "Wicked Paradise", for those curious. ]

So, here's the link: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/17/oculus-rift-erotic-adventure-game-announced

I'm not surprised, really. We've had porn on computers for years, and we've had "adult games" for years too. With adult scenes and "adult activities" becoming more and more as a widely accepted part of gaming these days (enough so that there were some pretty interesting moments in "Metro: Last Light"), the idea of a Virtual Reality "Adult Game" was only a matter of time. This was simply the next logical step in that direction.

(If I'm not mistaken, this was covered in movies too, at some point. I think a Schwartzenegger movie that has a scene that mentioned something about that; I think it was that one where he goes to Mars, or where he works for a company that clones animals and people. I'm unsure; my memory is hazy regarding those ancient movies.)

Their official website is something I'm not going to put a link up to here, so far. But, for those curious, I didn't see any "adult images" on their official website, so no worries, but don't take my word for it. It seems the game is mostly in planning, so I haven't seen any character images on the site, nor on their Facebook page.

[ Below: Speculation/Analysis about the future possibilities of Virtual Reality. Stop reading if you're not interested in speculation about the future, dangers and benefits that might come from virtual reality, etc. ]

Now, from what I can gather, this may indeed end up being something really interesting; at least in theory. Because although the concept of an adult game might not be everyone's cup of tea, I'd reckon that the technology could be used to make a more realistic (and interesting) version of Second Life. More like a 3D version of Skype, where you are rendered in 3D accurately. (With Activision's facial rendering 3D engine, a person could scan his/her face, and by using voice recognition and movement detection, a person could have his 3D model move his lips synchronized to his speech.)

This does open a whole new world for tele-presence. This would create something really interesting. Imagine, you could just get up out of bed without putting on any work clothes, put on the Oculus Rift, and give an amazing presentation through tele-presence in real-time (well, almost).

This means you could change the clothes of your "online avatar" easily. Need a business suit for a presentation? Go for it! Now you wouldn't just have a webcam and a screen. You could actually have a whole body that's rendered in real-time.

By using something like the Virtuix Omni, the Oculus Rift, and something similar to the Kinect 2.0 (in regards to motion detection, depth perception, etc), a person could move around a company to talk to employees (your boss no longer needs to go to work). Secretaries no longer need to show up, because they'd just have a screen, remote control of doors, managing phone calls via Skype. Tech support people would no longer need show up at work, because they could just do everything from home.

All that needs to be done is to log onto a secure computer using the proper credentials and software, and you're in!

Engineers could now offer 3D virtual reality tours of unfinished plants, using the Oculus Rift and Virtuix Omni together, essentially letting you set foot inside a virtual building that doesn't yet exist in the real world. Want to tour a design for your business build you're planning on building, before it's actually built? Great, now you can. Want to tour a house before buying it, without actually stepping foot inside it? Now you can (virtually) tour an apartment in New York all the way from your home or office in San Francisco (or even Tokyo). Just go online, download the files, and tour the house yourself!

Of course, sex was just one step for the Oculus Rift. There will be more things that will happen using the Oculus Rift. There might be some really good ideas, like the ones I've mentioned. And obviously, there will be some really bad ones.

Examples of really (really!) bad ideas that might happen with the Oculus Rift: rape simulators, underaged 3D pornography simulators, terrorist training simulators, etc. These are some of the really (really!) bad ideas that will happen with virtual reality technology. Because virtual reality opens a huge can of worms, about what's ethical and what's not ethical. Much like how videos, sound and drawings have had to cross this barrier before, so to will Virtual Reality have to cross it. (Note: some countries and/or religions still aren't comfortable with the idea of pornographic images or videos. And with state censorship, like how China can block images or videos of politically sensitive topics, so to would censorship become a part of 3D Virtual Reality.)

I think there will eventually be regulations on what virtual reality can or cannot do. And I feel there will be legislation on this, to regulate it and punish those who break laws about this (although, once legalislation passes to keep people from abusing this technology, it will become more easily accepted by mainstream society). For example, it's very likely China could (likely would) censor any virtual reality simulators of politically sensitive topics (like the guy getting run over by a tank). It's likely the US would block terrorist training simulators using the Oculus Rift (or possibly infect those programs in such a way that they'd send out "homing signals" so the US could find them if need be).

This does open a huge can of worms. And honestly, I think it'll be great. Much like how videos changed the way humans interact with the world, now we're in one those huge steps too.

We might see some really interesting things. Maybe virtual reality movies (where you're looking through the eyes of a character, or you are like a third person camera that can look in any direction whilst following the characters). Maybe song albums that have virtual reality 3D clips featuring the band, or a story (think of a virtual reality Interstella 5555 by Daft Punk, for example, where you could roam around the world as a floating camera). There are also other interesting possibilities; like being able to explore in 3D areas of interest to you. How about Google Earth? Or walking through the street of some area you wanted to visit, like Rome, Athens, or Tokyo? How about a private tour of the USS Enterprise-D with a virtual Commander William Riker, or a virtual Captain Jean-Luc Picard (the nerd in me is screaming "awesomesauce" at this idea, whilst the jock in me is giving myself an atomic wedgie) ? Want to experience a virtual reality version of your favorite anime or sci-fi movie? Or how about experience a virtual reality version of Woodstock? Want to see the fall of the Berlin Wall in 3D?

There are limitless possibilities here. We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Much like how audio and video opened a whole new world of possibilities once we learned how to record and reproduce them, now we're entering another such stage.

There are a few steps still to come in virtual reality, that we've not yet crossed. One of those is the ability to control the sense of touch. Although the ARAIG does show potential, it isn't really doing all that much. It can't simulate heat, cold, and so forth. In that sense, it's still limited.

Checklist of Virtual Reality senses we've covered thus far:

- Hearing: Virtual Surround with Studio-Quality/Audiophile-grade sound: Check! (Razer Megalodon, Razer Tiamat, Steelseries 3H, Creative Tactic3D Wrath, Corsair Vengeance 1500, etc.)

- Sight: Virtual Reality for Vision: Check! (Oculus Rift!)

- Scent: Truly Dynamically-Generated Scents for (almost) any virtual environment: Nope. (3D printers that could synthesize the molecules and then spray them would be a nice possibility, but I don't think we have anything that's practical and/or that could generate the required scents to be truly dynamic, instead of just a static set of scents for a particular playback.)

- Touch: Near-perfect Virtual Reality suit for touch immersion: Nope. (The ARAIG is taking it a step closer. But it's not close to near good enough for real immersion. It's like the difference between black and white TV and the Oculus Rift with a GTX 780.)

- Taste: Near-perfect virtual taste device: Nope. (I'm not sure if I'd really want this anyways. Honestly, I prefer real food.)

There's something to be said about how far we should take virtual reality. The idea of "Virtual Reality Sex" is an interesting one, yes. But we've got to remember, it's not all that different from pornography already; it's just that much more immersive for the user/viewer/player.

Obviously, there is plenty of good and bad that will come with Virtual Reality. Some ideas that are awesome, some that are not. And there will obviously be some limits as to what we'll be able to do with current technology (I don't think we'll be able to effectively create devices to create dynamic sensory inputs for scent or taste all that soon. But touch is possible. Hearing was easy, sight was somewhat easier. Touch is going to be the next barrier.)

Anyways, I think that's enough for this mini-article and analysis of mine. There is good that may come of this, and the possibility for great harm to be done. We're entering a new era of media; the dynamic, Virtual Reality 3D media form. Much like how audio (music, mp3 files and voice recordings) changed the world, and how videos (TV, VHS, DVDs, BluRays, computer files) changed the world, this will be just another form. 3D videos haven't seemed to enter mainstream culture just yet; because the 3D viewing technologies didn't seem all that interesting before.

Now that we have the Oculus Rift, we have far something more interesting, that allows more feedback, responsiveness and immersion. To send this article/topic to it's end, I feel it's appropriate to quote the last phrase of Ghost in the Shell (anime, 1995) : "And where does the newborn go from here? The net is vast and infinite."

Looks like this

Well...

Hahaha... dang, dude. But yeah, that might be the future of porn.

Although, we may end up watching movies like that in front of our TVs (except without the white stuff everywhere).

I mean, if we already have individual mobile phones, we may very well end up with individual Oculus Rift-like devices for watching TV, using computers, etc.

Google Glass is a similar idea, but for a person to be "on the go" whilst using the device. When we watch TV (or porn), normally we aren't moving from place to place. Which is why something like the Oculus Rift could (one day, maybe) replace big-screen TVs, and possibly computer monitors as well.

Although, if we look back historically at how long it took before mobile phones became mainstream and effectively replaced landline phones (since their introduction in the late 1980s until their rise to popularity in the mid-2000s), it might a similarly long amount of time before we see the Oculus Rift reach market saturation. Obviously, in some places we'll still have big screen TVs, like sports bars, or when gathering friends.

But I think we'll eventually start seeing Virtual Reality become a new form of media, much like how "audio" and "video" files have. And, if you consider how large a BluRay disc is, and how large a videogame is, the size difference is huge. However, with computing power rising, 3D graphics and advanced physics progressing, we might see dynamically rendered 3D movies soon.

If we consider the realism of the demos shown at E3, we saw images that looked like real, live human beings. And their movements were synchronized with their voice, their expressions were very much life-like. Considering that, we might end up in a future where it'll be easier to transfer a game-like file on a disk to be generated in real-time (and can then be interacted with), like how computer games are installed today.

Obviously, we'd need something like a GTX 780 that could fit in a TV, for a much lower heat output and energy consumption, for a much lower price. However, consider this; imagine the graphics card available in mid-2003, and the graphics cards we have today in mid-2013. Consider how much games have evolved, not only in terms of graphics, but AI, storytelling, immersion, sound quality, etc. Then, imagine what will happen in the next 10 years.

We'll see some great things in the future. Obviously, there will be obstacles. Like, what will keep a user from getting a friend's picture on the internet, and creating a 3D version of his friend, which he can then use to create lifelike videos for whatever purpose? This could generate huge fraud (it could be used for identity theft, for example), it could be used to provoke nations (by creating fake versions of their leaders, saying inappropriate things), be used for political manipulation, etc. There are huge impacts on what increased computing performance could cause. Which is why it's very important that legislation keep up with the technology.

I feel that virtual reality is something we're barely beginning to explore. What we'll do next... who knows?

Something, something, porn simulation.

Well... humanity has always had a fascination for pornography. There is archaeological evidence of such images way before we had paper as we know it today. Erotic novels were also written in the past (although the definition of "erotic" has changed quite a bit in modern times).

We've even had ASCII art pornographic images, way back when. We had pornographic digital images, digital videos, video games... pornography is not a modern invention; it's just been more widely known and accepted today than anytime in the past, which bothers several people (I'm afraid they haven't left their ivory towers in quite some time, sadly).

I think humans have pornography because, as soon as humanity learned how to encode information to be retrieved later (with cave drawings and written language), humanity has used that to express what's been on their minds. And sex/sexuality has always been a huge part of humanity, whether we like it or not, regardless of our ethnic/cultural/religious/national values. So this is simply one more step that humanity is taking; and much like how we've put pornography into pretty much every form of media prior, we'll probably put it into every form of media we (as humanity) will ever come up with.

I heard rumors of some electronic vibrate vest thing.  I'll let the imagination piece the rest together.  

Well this puts a hole new meaning on playing with yourself

That would be the ARAIG. It's a kickstarter project, but I don't have the link (and I'm too lazy to get it).

Yep, that could happen. They could make a full-body suit, that covers -EVERYTHING-.

 

 Of course, every now and then you can also hear about rumors/stories of japanese sex dolls that are almost life-like. Or some that communicate with partner dolls through the internet.

There are some really weird things, honestly. And I wouldn't be surprised, really, if some company developed such a product someday soon. After all, if there is money to be made, some person will invent something and make a profit off of it.

"hole" new meaning, or "whole" new meaning? xD "on playing with yourself", or "to the term playing with yourself" ? xD (Either this is pun heaven, or it's grammar nazi h*ll.)

You can take it anyway you want...

At what point do we place our brains and genitals into a computer and just achieve constant stimulus?  

The point were a lives get really really sad... "50 Year old virigin..."

Hhmmm... well, I'm not sure about that @mfitz50 . There are plenty of people who watch porn and have sex. (Me and my ex-girlfriend didn't mind. :D )

The thing is, why do people watch a documentary of nature on TV, instead of going hiking, or taking a stroll down the park? Why do people go to the gym to walk on a treadmill, instead of jogging outside? Why do people play baseball or ping-pong on the Nintendo Wii, instead of doing so in real life?

The answer is that we prefer to be lazy. We prefer convinience. It's our tendency as a society. I don't see virtual reality sex as a replacement for sex. Having real sex will still be desired. Much like how we value "real food" that isn't genetically engineered, mass-produced, full of preservatives, etc.

Likewise, just as "natural, organic, green foods" tend to be a craving for certain groups of people, so to will real sex by necessary. And even with great AI and great virtual reality, it still won't be a complete replacement for actual human beings; at least not yet. The warmth of another person's touch, all these things add up to physical human relationships (both sexual and non-sexual) would still be part of our everyday lives. 

Really, this is just one step in an ongoing process of our sociegty to make things easier. We mass-produced clothes, houses, food, electronics, entertainment... we've delivered services to people easily, through mobile phones, internet, electricity, water, sewage, banking, etc. All these things are just an ongoing tendency of society. We've already reduced the time we spend giving actual attention to our loved ones greatly; don't we spend a lot of our time at home texting, gaming, in front of a computer, rather than engaging in actual conversation, eye contact, and so forth?

We've already decided to take all these steps before. And our society seems comfortable with these changes, enough to do them. However, our society seems to like the idea of complaining about this conformity rather than doing anything about it; likely because it's fashionable to promote "human contact", although I'd argue that hypocrisy is pretty fashionable in society and politics these days, too.

We're going down this road already. It's an individual choice, whether we choose to engage in virtual interaction or human interaction. We do so when we game, when we text, when we Skype. When we e-mail, when we chat, when we post on forums. We do so far more often than we realize; human interaction is being reduced, and our habits are evidence of this. Verizon doesn't have a gun to your head saying "stop hanging out with your friends, and start texting to them from now on!!" We're the ones choosing this.

Ultimately, this is just one more step in that direction. If the direction is "right", "ethical", "healthy", "wise" or whatnot will be something that may not be up to our generation to decide. But we are given the choice right now. Arguing these intangibles is difficult, if not impossible, as there are several pros and cons to any argument (almost without exception). However, regardless of our opinions on this direction, it is something we're heading towards.

If we've reduced our voices to a fixed amount of characters (thanks to Twitter and texting), and we've decided that convinience trumps privacy or real experiences (porn? going to the gym? phone conversations? nature documentaries? TV?), why should we be surprised by this? I argue that if we believe this is right, we should embrace it. If not, let's not embrace it. Find your side of the argument, stand by it, don't budge. Show your beliefs through your actions, as an example of conviction. It's pretty simple, really.

(For those familiar with the anime Chobits, this might ring a bell.)

I Do understand rsilverblood but i was commenting on COGlorys Post, Why would you get into one of these's suits to get off? Watching porn is one thing but that is something else

@mfitz50 Oh, sorry about that. My bad.

Yeah, I think a vibrating body suit would be kind of weird. Than again, I feel it's weird that some people take drugs (like ecstasy or painkillers) to feel pleasure, or how some people get drunk to feel better about themselves (note: I'm referring to full-blown alcoholism, not casual drinking or that one night of the year where you drink 'til you're on the floor).

So, yeah... I mean, people do use "things" to help them get off. Some people have expensive japanese dolls (there are some really amazing, but creepy stuff those japanese people create). Some have blow-up dolls. Women have been used to being able to buy sex toys for years, and guys have sex toys of their own these days as well (yep; it's also uber-creepy).

But... yeah. I agree, I don't think people should need suits to get off - that just enters a whole new level of creepiness that seems too weird to accept. (Especially because if the suit is small enough, it could be taken to work. And if the Oculus Rift had a small enough computer that was powerful enough, that would just be really creepy. Just another reason why not to sit next to someone on the bus or subway.)

Fortunately, the ARAIG is only for the upper body. But... I'm sure that if there's money to be made from something, it will be invented some day. 

Guide to Creating the Matrix:

List of things to do -

 - Make People want to live inside a computer...

 

Well... technically, we sit in front of our computers for several hours every day. (I'm sure most of us who are on this forum are guilty of that, in one way or another.)

Also, how many people don't already just sit and watch a screen for hours... TV? Movie theater? Netflix? Hulu? YouTube? We already do that.

And how many people don't stay in front of their TV or computer, playing for hours on end, seeking to give themselves a deeper, more immersive, interactive experience? Isn't that why gamers buy GPUs like the GTX 780, motherboards like the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme, silent computer cases, surround sound headsets, 144Hz 1ms monitors, etc? Isn't that kind of what users are always asking Logan to show them how to build on DIY-PC-Build guides? Isn't that what console gamers are trying to do with large screen 55-inch TVs, 4K displays, surround sound headsets, surround sound speakers, and so forth?

We're already taking steps in that direction. I think it isn't a matter of "if" people want to live inside a virtual world, but how big of a step they're willing to take every so often.

Yes... sitting in front of a computer for hours on end... most of us are guility of that... but the recent advances... are scaring me more and more... the google glass, this suit, the next thing with will inplants connecting us to the internet... rsilverblood have you had a look at the new game by capcom "Remember Me", If not... have a look

Well, I haven't seen that game yet. But I have seen a lot of fiction about these kinds of things.

And yes, some of these advances are scary. Yet... if we've embraced these technologies and habits ourselves for the inherent advantages, why should we fear them? Moreover, why can't we, as individuals, make the choice ourselves whether we want to use these technologies or not? Much like how people aren't obligated to watch TV for 'X' hours a day, have cell phones, have internet access, or use a computer for 'X' hours a day, likewise people can still opt to not use these technologies. Or to limit their time using these devices.

People will just be given a choice whether or not they want to immerse themselves even deeper. It's just another option for people, and nobody will force you or anyone else to use it.

But in my cases i personally see... its not that want to use it... the simply want to "Keep up with the Jones's"... Personally most people in the school's I have been at though I was a poor loner idiot because I didn't have the lastest xbox/ps/Gimic if one at all. I never started actually using a Computer until my first year of High School (Six years ago) because I was given one. Yet most people I know that are the same age as me have had the lastest thing since they were 8.