Minni Essay (final copy): Is Virtual Rape Even Possible??
Many articles are written about “online societies” that allow people to live a virtual life, a second life, a life where they can be anybody and anything they desire. In these “societies” everyday things can happen to a person’s avatar, just like they would to a natural human being. Avatars can walk their virtual dogs, ride a bike, play an instrument, swim in a lake, buy and sell things, go to a dance club, meet new people and make friends, just like anyone in the real world would. But what happens when crimes are committed like in real life; things that are beyond the players control and their avatar’s control.
A virtual community made in 2003, which just so happens to be titled Second Life, is having problems with user’s, or what they like to call “resident’s,” avatars having real life crimes happen them. Some are actually being raped by other player’s avatars. The website entitled “Wired” posted an article debating about whether or not virtual rape should be considered a crime. The article stated “Last month, two Belgian publications reported that the Brussels police have begun an investigation into a citizen’s allegations of rape–in Second Life.”(Lynn) But what is really happening when an avatar is raped? Is that even possible? How does that happen?
The blog site VTOR Virtual Reality asks the similar question “How Exactly Does ‘Virtual Rape’ Occur in Second Life?” (The posts on this page are all published by Second Life residents). One blogger posts that when she was a “newbie” to Second Life, she met a male in this virtual world who, by the first week of her subscription to this program, invited her to a beach. The beach turned out to be a nude beach. So she took off her virtual clothes and the male avatar suddenly had the word “love” appear over it, but because she was new she didn’t understand the lingo in this virtual world. The word “love” just so happened to mean intercourse. It wasn’t until after some pixels on her computer turned into the form of a penis and the male started to rape her avatar that she realized what was going on. The blogger says that she was at first angry that someone took advantage of her avatar, but she plainly told him that she didn’t want that to happen, and so she simply put on her clothes and left him alone on the beach. Then the blogger posted that though she was upset that this happened to her avatar, she understood it to be “between the equivalent of dolls.” She goes on to say, “He did not harm me, there was no damage done, no avatar virginity to take.” (Allandale)
According to definition, “any unlawful sexual activity usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent” is considered rape. (Merriam-Webster) Because this sexual act was not wanted or consensual, in the theoretical sense, her avatar was indeed raped. But clearly this girl is not the only person who had this experience. Which leaves the questions “Who is the main target of these attacks?” and “What is being done about this problem?”
Works Cited
Allandale, Diana. How exactly does “virtual rape” even occur in Second Life? VTOR. 6 May 2007. 19 September 2007 <http://www.vtoreality.com/2007/how-exactly-does-virtual-rape-even-occur-in-second-life/909/>.
Lynn, Regina. “Virtual Rape Is Traumatic, but Is It a Crime?” Wired. 4 May 2007. 19 September 2007 <http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/sexdrive/2007/05/sexdrive_
0504/>.
“Rape.” Merriam-Webster. 2006-2007. 23 September 2007 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary>.