It's Not Just The Sex ...

First published on 7/31/2009

Though it does have its rewards.

OK, in my previous post about the Gor sims in Second Life (henceforth referred to as SL Gor) I wrote a phrase that I generally associate with hypocrisy, dishonesty and general stupidity. I wrote:

“Its not just about the sex.”

I despise the phrase and the people who use it because most of the time they are making a transparent effort to disavow their sexual interest in something or other. The classic example is the old joke about Playboy Magazine: “I read it for the articles.” The lie fools no one to such an extent that it has become a joke, as the lie is generally trotted out because the liar feels compelled to do so even though he or she knows it will fool no one, but it provides them with what they think is cover for their interest. They are so embarrassed to admit publicly to any sexual interests that being an obvious liar seems less terrible for them.

So let state now and for the record that I LUUUUUURVE the fact that SL Gor is full of a number of naked or nearly naked slave girls who are submissive, who will fur you (Gorean for “fuck you” as fucking is generally done “in the furs”) any way you like, because there are a LOT of them … more women than men play SL Gor.

Let there be no doubt about it -- this is a very important point to me, and without it I would have little or no interest in SL Gor. It's waht makes it different from any other game I've ever played.

That said:

“It’s not just about the sex.”

If the B/d slave girl sex were ALL I was interested in, Second Life has an active BDSM club scene which most definitely IS all about the B&D slave girl sex, among other things. (And to be honest, many Goreans have alts that have been or are in the Second Life B&D club scene.)

So within THAT context, I am saying that SL Gor is all about the adventure, the romance, the combat (yes, there’s combat and plenty of it for those who like it) and excitement of living the life of a Gorean character (in my case, that of a Gorean Master).

And to be frank, RP sex consists of typing what your game character is doing and how they feel about it when they have sex. It's totally not the same as real sex, and no substitute for it, which is why I'm vaguely amazed when I hear about real people getting divorced & upset over Second Life sex. If you can't distinguish between cartoony sex with an avatar and a keyboard and real life, you have serious problems.

And sure, for some people personal issues, disabilities, neuroses, advanced age (I like to imagine a bunch of patients in a nursing home sitting at their beds furiously typing RP sex with one another while the staff makes their rounds, unwaware) Second Life may be the best they can do, sexually, and to them I say, have at! But ... ain't nothing like the real thing, as a wise woman once said.

In my next post I will endeavor to get down to the nitty-gritty and explain exactly WHY SL Gor is orders of magnitude more entertaining than any other medium in existence, including other parts of the Internet. And while it’s not JUST about the sex, the sex is an important element. Crucial, even.