But why?
Because tons of people ask me: here's some of the big reasons people play kids in SL. At least the ones I know.
1. A way to recapture some of the spirit of youth. Much like the old Twilight Zone episode, Kick The Can, it allows one to 'be' a child, and run and jump, and play unencumbered with the responsibilities of adulthood. It's a fun escape to a simpler time of their lives.
2. Some may have had bad childhoods. Many SL kids have faced childhoods filled with illness (one I know did not have much mobility as a real life child, and is one of the more physicallyt active kids in SL as a result. Hard to keep up with her sometimes!), or with abuse. Many (by no means all) were victims of sexual or other abuses as a child, and this is allowing them to "rewrite" some of those childhood experiences with much healthier ones. I fit within this camp, as well as #1 and #3
3. Many, and related to #2, also want to have the childhoods they could not, with all the toys and goodies they may have been denied for some reason. Always wanted that Easy Bake Oven? Go buy or make it in SL. Want the big swingset, or slide, or whatever? All yours for a few pennies, and you won't looks silly (or, perhaps, have to reinforce it) to make it possible.
4. One I know plays a kid as a way to virtually keep her own RL child alive in a form.
5. Some enjoy the roleplaying challenge of playing a kid. It isn't always as easy as one might think.
6. A few feel more comfortable in the role of a child, for whatever reason. While some of these might fall under various "philia" subsets (adult babies, for example), not all do.
7. sexual ageplayers. I am not going to speculate on the motivations of such. II do suspect, however, that many who did do this in SL did it with the intent to make money at it. I will also add that sexual ageplay is, overall, a very small portion of the kids you'll find in-world, and SL kids themselves are a small segment of the overall SL population.
Of course, all the attention lately has been on #7, and that's one of the smallest groups of all. I hope, maybe, people will gain a little perspective, for once.
Mari
Posts
4 comments:
"1. A way to recapture some of the spirit of youth."
For some, sexuality was part of their youth, which they are also trying to recapture. I have a good friend who was very sexual in his early years with friends that he loves re-experiencing.
"2. Some may have had bad childhoods."
Some have had good childhoods. No childhood is perfectly good or bad.
"3. Many [...] want to have the childhoods they could not, with all the toys and goodies they may have been denied for some reason."
The reason it's denied is because reality is not fantasy, and in reality people don't always get what they want or desire. I think that goes for just about all who roleplay something on SecondLife, so I don't see how that differs from people who play older characters.
"4. One I know plays a kid as a way to virtually keep her own RL child alive in a form."
While I can be sympathetic, honestly, it's a pity she can't move on with her life. But regardless, a single person's anomaly is far from what could be considered as "a group."
"5. Some enjoy the roleplaying challenge of playing a kid."
That doesn't seem to differ from any other type of role to play.
"6. A few feel more comfortable in the role of a child, for whatever reason. While some of these might fall under various "philia" subsets (adult babies, for example), not all do."
Not all do, but it's far from a small minority.
While I am not one, I have a rather large amount of friends who are adult babies or babyfurs. The two groups seem similar to most, but there are differences. Some I know simply like wearing diapers because of the feeling it gives them. Others choose the age regression method. Some choose both age regression and diapers. The important thing to remember is that diapers are merely a tool for relating to the age/emotion/state-of-being that they feel most comfortable with. There's nothing wrong with that.
Regardless, ageplay does not necessarily mean infantilism.
Ageplay is merely a label, and labels can be scapegoated... which brings me to your last category.
"7. sexual ageplayers. I am not going to speculate on the motivations of such."
You should, because it seems to be the whole reason for posting this blog post.
"sexual ageplayers"... sounds foreign, sinister, alien...
Look. All of the above categories could /also/ fit under your 7th section. The majority of those who partake in sexual activities rarely do it as a primary activity. The majority of ageplayers who engage in artificial sex on SecondLife are kind, moral, and good people.
And yes, there are some random residents who come on SecondLife looking just to hump away with poorly made animations and fap away to it in front of a computer screen. Annoying? Yes, but far from dangerous. I just avoid those types, because honestly, they usually can't roleplay very well to begin with. :P
What I despise most of all is peoples' lack of understanding and familiarity of a subject they condemn. It's unhealthy, unwise, and ultimately will lead to nothing but pain for many people who do not deserve to be hurt.
Live and let live. That's my motto. There's a clear-cut difference between people being "safe" and people being embarrassed. The only reason Linden Labs is doing what they're doing is because they're embarrassed and realize that they opened a Pandora's box for trouble. Well, that's the price to pay for "Your world. Your imagination." It's wrong for them to sell out now that they've established an environment which fosters so many alternative-minded communities.
Great reply, Crassus. We really *should* get that chance to talk sometime soon!
Well, I'd like that, because the last thing that I'm out to do is make more enemies... needless ones, at that.
Cool, cuz I dun like havin' enemies neither. Got enough of those alreadys! 'sides, really, I tink we're purty much on the same side on a lotta stuff, an might jes have a few little tings to discuss, reallies.
Post a Comment