[ 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."