Linden Lab changes course for Second Life's mature content
by Tateru Nino 
Mar 12th 2009 at 1:00PM
Filed under: Culture, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds
Linden Lab is making an announcement today about a key change in the way content will be handled on the Second Life virtual environment in future. (There isn't a link to their announcement quite yet, but we'll fill it in when there is). [update: Linden Lab's announcement is now available]
What we seem to be seeing at the moment is a segregation of Linden Lab's adult virtual environment that goes beyond the simplistic systems of the past where regions were divided into 'PG' (the equivalent of a film-and-television G rating) and 'Mature' (F&TV PG ratings or higher). We're talking about the formation of an actual adult-content continent and the wholesale relocation of content.
As yet, we don't know what content is actually going to be moved. The current dichotomy is G-rated/all-ages content versus well... everything else. Approximately 74% of the Second Life mainland is presently in that latter category, though not every parcel that is rated as mature actually contains content that is inappropriate for an all-ages audience.
Content is being broken out into three broad classifications, which for want of better terms we'll call All-Ages, Mature, and Adults Only.
As the plan presently stands, only content that falls into the latter category and that is on the mainland will have to move. We expect the definitions that describe the new classifications of content to arrive before very long. Non-mainland Estate owners with Adults Only content on their land will be required to flag it, but will not be required to relocate it.
This is all still quite preliminary, and the Adults Only continent (which is a bit of a mouthful and needs a catchy name) all still needs to be worked out along with exactly what content is going to have to relocate. All of this is promised in the coming weeks, and it is suggested that months will be required for the whole change to take place.
Access to the new Adults Only continent (or to search results pertaining to Adults Only content) will be restricted to those who have verified their age. The full process hasn't been pinned down, as yet, but appears to be either using the still-beta age-verification system (ineffective for the majority of users), a credit-card (available in a variety of forms to all-ages, frowned upon by card-companies, and no longer considered an effective measure, but still an industry-best-practice at least), or provision of some other acceptable forms of identifying documentation.
This is certainly one of the most -- perhaps the most -- far-reaching and profound set of changes to Second Life since 2003, and it generates a lot of questions. Linden Lab is seeking input on the details, especially as many of the broad strokes have obviously been worked out. It will be interesting to see how smoothly such a major change can be carried out. We expect to see a lot of little bumps and issues at every level.
One of those would be that, unfortunately, the use of PG as a ratings-descriptor by Linden Lab appears to violate the trademark licensing terms of the registered trademark holder (the Motion Picture Association of America).
Then there's relocation costs for those who have content that needs to be moved, the status of skins (a skin is essentially a nude image -- will the highest-quality and most-detailed skins be available to the unverified?), will some users need more than one property in order to socialize with non-verified friends and associates?
Right now, the announcement raises more questions than it answers, but that is to be expected. We hope to learn considerably more in the coming weeks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jacek Antonelli said on 1:17PM 3-12-2009
I wonder if they expect everyone with a pair of poseballs in their skybox to up and move to this new continent. They're going to need a big continent, if so. (Well, except that everyone will just laugh and ignore the rule.)
Wouldn't it be easier to just have prudish users check a box, "Warn me when entering areas with mature content"?
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Opensource Obscure said on 9:48PM 3-12-2009
Quoting Blondin Linden from the secondlife.com forums:
"Sex beds in a private home, skins, and the such are all fine and would not have to move. Its when the theme or main advertising point is sexual that it would cross a line between mature and adult"
http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=2351081&postcount=5
Jacek Antonelli said on 10:08PM 3-14-2009
It would sure be nice if LL could decide on a message before they started to broadcast it.
Their Maturity Ratings FAQ (which has since been replaced with a "Whoops! That was too premature to release!" page) said that anything with "erotic themes", death or extreme violence, photorealistic nudity, and some other things would be relegated to the Adult-Only grid.
I'm glad to hear that their actual position is less ridiculous than the one they initially laid out.
snowleopard233 said on 1:20PM 3-12-2009
:O...and where exactly can I find this adult rated content right now?
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Meanwhile said on 2:02PM 3-12-2009
If you can't find adult content in Second Life, your Internet must be out of pixels.
Doubledown Tandino said on 1:30PM 3-12-2009
ugh
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Kara Harkins said on 2:14PM 3-12-2009
Hmm ... will be interesting to see how they classify things. With so much of the mainland being marked as mature but not used as such lines get pretty blurry on content. All sorts of issues, like what do they do about the many of us that refuse to use their "identity verification"? After all, all of us said we were over 18 when signing up, so why all the fuss? If someone lied when asked that LL is not liable.
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Tateru Nino said on 6:56PM 3-12-2009
Actually a lot of jurisdictions will still hold you liable, even if a minor lied to you about their age, or presented you with falsified ID.
Frans Charming said on 2:57PM 3-12-2009
Many thoughts arise. I have been hearing from reliable sources that LL is in talks about integrating the Teen and Mature grid, and this would definatly be a step that will make that possible.
Another thing that is, with the state of the mainland being what it is, wouldn't be easier to start a All-ages continent instead. I suspect the amount of people that is interested in that is smaller, but also much more eager to move. The other way around seems to harder to accomplice.
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Tateru Nino said on 7:07PM 3-12-2009
I think shifting the Adults-Only content works better -- though there are going to be issues. Remember, we're not talking about *all* mature content. Just a subset of it (albeit, a subset yet to be defined).
Presumably most mature and sexual content stays where it is.
To put it another way "You can still bonk, but if you do it with chainsaws, cattle-prods or farm-animals, that's probably Adults-Only content"
Frans Charming said on 7:19PM 3-12-2009
You aren't the only one saying, that just the most extreme sex and violence is going away. But somehow i'm not all that convinced.
The business people are already cheering that all avatars dressed as 'hookers' are going away. Which I don't believe either.
I just think LL is making it hard on itself to make a line somewhere between naked and extreme sex. Instead if they make a new All Ages continent they could simple say, no visually or textually sex and nudity, and no violence.
Tateru Nino said on 8:08PM 3-12-2009
I think an all-ages continent would be a good thing - but can you imagine how big a target it would be for sexualized griefing?
Vandell said on 3:57AM 3-16-2009
Wait.. Are you comparing the furry fetish with a gore fetish..? Oo;
Liberty Tesla said on 3:16PM 3-12-2009
It might actually be easier to do it the other way around: have owners tag content known to be minor-friendly, and move *that* to a new all-ages location. Legally, it's probably safer: if contetn is presumed adult unless tagged otherwise, less adults-only content will slip through.
I presume this is a prelude to combining the main grid and teen grid into one big happy and slightly dysfunctional world; so the "aren't we all supposed to be over 18?" argument doesn't work.
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Beau said on 3:05PM 3-12-2009
I am replying to ever blog post about this I can (as well as writing my own): This is a brilliant move. SL has been laughed at for YEARS because of these leather dummies and their dildo collections.
Get that cheesy crap out of my SL art, or my SL architecture. Let SL be what it CAN be: a collection of (mostly) well thought out designs. Well, there still be POOR design, but less cheesy sex dolls running, the better.
Beau
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Sin Trenton said on 4:42PM 3-12-2009
"the Adults Only continent (which is a bit of a mouthful and needs a catchy name)"
What about finally creating that legendary land of Blingtardia? :)
Or just name it Gor. Three letters, most should be able to spell it correctly (for searches and such).
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doucyb3r? said on 6:25PM 3-12-2009
Looks like Goldshire will see a rise in Cyber soon, once these changes have been made.
Headline: "Mass exodus of adult players leave 2nd Life for World of Warcraft. Developers mystified."
New WoW guilds crop up with names like: "Cybershire Ho's" and "GSLoveuLongTimeERPLOLZL8RZF00l5"
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Tateru Nino said on 1:26AM 3-13-2009
It likely won't affect much in the way of cybering and so on. Remember, most mature content is likely to stay where it is. This is primarily about adding a new content category for stuff that is more extreme.
Ciaran Laval said on 9:56PM 3-12-2009
As Deltango Vale put it on the forums:
Teen Grid + Main Grid = Teen grid.
The far more sensible solution is to have the new continent the all ages continent. That causes less hassle and gives educators and corps what they want because there's no way in hell they will stop moaning about adult content. Their complaints are about adult content, not extreme, just merely its existence and they don't want to be near it, so provide them with that place and provide a real choice.
Forced relocation is not a choice.
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Lorelei said on 10:00PM 3-12-2009
I agree it would be easier to make a PG continent and move all the PG sims to that continent. (What were they thinking when they put PG sims next to Mature sims anyway? It ruins the PGness of the outer parcels of those PG sims.) The old "gaps" on the mainland could just be left as water sim spaces.
As for Beau's post, let's see how 'rational' it sounds when likewise applied to the internet:
"This is a brilliant move. [The internet] has been laughed at for YEARS because of these leather dummies and their dildo collections. Get that cheesy crap out of my [internet] art, or my [internet] architecture. Let [the internet] be what it CAN be: a collection of (mostly) well thought out designs. Well, there still be POOR design, but [the] less cheesy sex dolls [...] the better."
It wouldn't make sense to now try to make most of the internet geared toward 5 year olds, and it doesn't make sense to try to yank SL backward in that way either. A nice big new PG family-safe continent would be the right direction.
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