Pregnancy In Second Life

An anonymous reader writes "SF Weekly newspaper sent a (male) writer to get pregnant in Second Life, to find out how it works. The article is the first installment in a three-part series." From the piece: "For $3,500 in Lindens (about $12 US), I could buy the pregnancy kit and get knocked up. I had the cash, so I made up my mind: without much fanfare -- without a partner or even a nurse and a turkey baster -- I bought the kit and got started. I tacked on a body shape that bumped out my stomach to a late-first-trimester size, making me a little more kettle-shaped. Then I switched on the UPA, or 'ULTIMATE Pregnancy Attachment' (emphasis theirs)."

Comments

Yippee

[JL-b8]

Now women *AND* men can even ruin their 'online' lives without even having to sleep with a drunk trucker!

And much drama abounds

[jandrese]

This is new on Slashdot, but it's been around in SL for some time now. The only problem: some of the dealers were a bit shady and as a result there are big hundred post long flamewars on the forums about the whole concept. It's basically just an RP thing, although some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing.

The whole thing sounds dumb to me, but hey, SL is a big RP environment and if people want to RP being pregnant and having a baby, that's not my concern.

Re:And much drama abounds

[kabir]

some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing.

Yeah, 'cause nothing makes people want kids more than virtual pregnancy... certainly not seeing all the happy families at the park, or sheer biological drive to procreate, or constant societal pressure to reproduce. Nah, it's those pernicious video game pregnancy kits that make people want babies.

*sigh*

If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it. I'm confused. While you're at it I really don't get the whole video-games-are-the-devil thing either.

Re:And much drama abounds

[thewiz]

If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it.

Personally, I think the people are terrified of homosexuality for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Some people hate it because they've been brought up to believe it's bad/evil.
2. Some people hate it because they've had homosexual feelings but can't reconcile it with #1.
3. Some people hate it because homosexuals are the whipping people du jour.
4. Some people hate it just to have something to hate.

I don't get it either.

Re:And much drama abounds

[SatanicPuppy]

I'm a big believer in #4. The right uses them as a big scary enemy to keep their voting block in line, attributing to them dark motives, and evil agendas, and basically dehumanizing the hell out of them.

If there were no homosexuals, they'd pick a race or a sex, or a religion, but the propaganda would be the same. It's a way of playing on the baser instincts of man that politicians and religious leaders have been using to their advantage for as long as there have been politicians and religious leaders.

Re:And much drama abounds

[Guppy06]

"although some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing."

Does that mean that the ol' flour bag trick done by most high schools encourages teen pregnancy?

Re:And much drama abounds

[jandrese]

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that argument. I mean this is no doubt the same camp that believes that Sex Ed promotes promiscuity and that the only thing schools should do is hand out a pamphlet that says "Sex is evil, don't think about it until you're married."

Re:And much drama abounds

[GeekyMike]

nope, incourages baking.... mmmm. biscuits

The logical next step

[TubeSteak]

is to create an online Social Services.

After all, who's going to arrest parents that abuse their online children?

All it needs...

[Zephyros]

...is an alarm that goes off at night, forcing you to log in and take care of it.

huh?

[MyLongNickName]

I looked up the definition of pregnancy, and found something about intercourse. What is this strange concept? I think it has to do with a city in Pennsylvania, but fail to see the connection. Can anyone help?

Why yes, I do use Linux exclusively. Why do you ask?

You know whats next...

[Subgenius]

Online abortion clinics, right-to-second-lifers, the whole bit. Should be fun to watch (and gum up the works....)..

interesting

[minus_273]

never played second life, are you allowed to kill people? how are e-abortions treated?

Re:interesting

[A Cheese Danish]

Yes, you can "kill" people with the right weapon, but the land your avatar is over has to have damage enabled in order for it to have any effect. Even then, when you die, it means you get teleported to your set home point. That's it. No loss of anything for death.

As far as e-abortions, the babies as I know them are fashioned out of prims (the building blocks of SL) and scripted to make certain motions or sayings, kinda like an advanced dolly that pees, cries, poops its diaper or whatever else the creator designed into it. Tossing these things is akin to tosing any other object in SL. In other words, like taking out the garbage.

Also on that note, I've known a couple of people go through the whole pregnancy thing. Some do it because they are unable to have chlidren in real life. Some do it to bring their partner closer. Some do it for companionship. Some do it for fun. One person I knew was pregnant for a month, and then abruptly went back to normal. Their response was that they had broken up with their partner and had no more reason to have a baby.

It's all RP though. Take it for what you will.

Re:interesting

[jcostantino]

One person I knew was pregnant for a month, and then abruptly went back to normal. Their response was that they had broken up with their partner and had no more reason to have a baby.

Ouch, better in a simulation than in real life.

I gave SL a try a few years ago when it was in beta, it was neat, I did stuff... The only problem (at least then, I suppose it still is now) was that EVERYONE was out making a buck trying to sell you a book or some other stupid crap. It's like the entire game's pretense was its economy and everything else was second to it.

I've been playing Animal Crossing on my DS and was really into it, I was upgrading my house, collect things to sell and buy more stuff, communicate with my neighbors... and then I realized that was the stuff I was already doing in real life. Then I kind of shelved AC and went back to games that weren't blurring the line between "fun" and "toil."

Whispering tummies isn't the half of it...

[AdamTrace]

Yes, if you can make a body part that can "whisper" out loud, giving various status updates and whatnot, you can be sure that it isn't limited to mommy's tummy... There are all sorts of "naughty bit" attatchments that will happily tell you their level of moisture, rigidity, or excitement at all hours of the day.

It's the weirdest thing ever.

Re:Whispering tummies isn't the half of it...

[merlin_jim]

And let me tell you

There's nothing more sexy than clicking on girl's clit and seeing it say:

Girl's Clit is stroked softly by Merlin
Girl's Clit: Girl is lightly aroused
Girl's Clit is nibbled by Merlin
Girl's Clit: Girl is panting

lol who needs streaming video porn when I've got that?

Re:Sex, sex, sex, doesn't anyone just kill anymore

[PFI_Optix]

fwiw, that crackpot Falwell doesn't like video games at all.

I still enjoy pointing out the fact that the cheerleaders at his school violate several points of the dress code. I guess when you're cheering for Liberty U you're exempt.

Just emailed my boyfriend..

[tokengeekgrrl]

subject: I want to have a baby...

body: ...in Second Life.
[link to article]

Are you awake now?

[eom]

That must have gaven him a momentary heart attack.

hee hee hee

- tokengeekgrrl

Re:Just emailed my boyfriend..

[StikyPad]

I don't see how that joke could possibly backfire.