Virtual rape

[rareboy]

Virtual is not virtual. There is a point still being missed here.

If I were to harass or threaten your avatar on JUB, there would be real world consequences.

In the absence of moderators simply banning me, it may be more difficult to pursue a course of action against me, but is still possible if you think that there is the possibility that an actual physical threat might exist.

In virtual gaming, there may not be moderators so there are not the same consequences.

That is what is being examined here.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

I would point out that the thread title is somewhat misleading and sensationalizing...the issue here was sexual assault not 'rape'.

And one thing to bear in mind...these weren't imaginary characters with a will of their own.

Behind each avatar was a real person. And as a gang they verbally assaulted a young woman with sexual and threatening language.

So while it is so tempting to brush this off as adventures in the world of fictional play acting...it actually wasn't and if you took away the goggles and think about how acceptable this would have been if it had been over the internet and they had been assaulting and abusing her to her face...it starts to take on a different and perhaps more threatening tone.

VIirtual reality isn't really going to work for women. I knew immediately as soon as I heard "virtual world" that sex crimes would be a huge issue and without competent voices moderating these platforms it's just gonna be more bullies and predators traumatizing and victimizing others. Kinda like how these streaming platforms like Twitch and Kick are so thinly regulated the most popular streamer showed pornography to an audience of minors without consequence.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Wait... didn't we see this happen in The Lawnmower Man, back in 1992?

 

[Kahaih]

VIirtual reality isn't really going to work for women. I knew immediately as soon as I heard "virtual world" that sex crimes would be a huge issue and without competent voices moderating these platforms it's just gonna be more bullies and predators traumatizing and victimizing others. Kinda like how these streaming platforms like Twitch and Kick are so thinly regulated the most popular streamer showed pornography to an audience of minors without consequence.

So, why didn't women know 'immediately'? Are you suggesting they're too stupid?

 

[Kahaih]

There wasn't a single word in these articles about holding parents accountable for what there brats get up to, or subjected to.

Nevermind endangering the welfare of a child, parents need a virtual babysitter.

 

[rareboy]

There wasn't a single word in these articles about holding parents accountable for what there brats get up to, or subjected to.

Nevermind endangering the welfare of a child, parents need a virtual babysitter.

But like all petty right through major criminal behaviour...so many times it goes to the heart of poor parenting...and the world of social media is awash with stories about the inappropriate and sometimes dengerous behaviour on line that leaves us wondering about parental oversight...although all the parental oversight in the world din't prevent me from accessing porn with my buddies.

I would also note another distinction here.

When players elect to play a game together...there is no doubt an implicit contract between the game creators and the players.

So if you are playing a shooter game where you are eliminating one another or a war game where you are allfair game...that is literally understood as the rules of the game.

But when kids are playing a game, I doubt if anywhere in the structure or rules of the game does it suggest that sexual violence is part of the play. If it turned out that this was the case, then there isn't really any defense. But if any game allows the very real players behind the avatars to introduce this kind of 'original' role ideation...then it is really a broken contract between the players.

In real life, this is also the case, even in childrens' games. When players introduce violence, either physical or verbal into the game, there are (supposed to be) consequences and penalties. (Although field and ice sports seem to have become increasingly toxic environments)

 

[belamyi]

"Virtual rape/sexual assault/whateverucallit" is at least as virtually stupid *pun* as "it hurts my feelings", "I feel insulted", "it is morally objectionable", "it is degrading/perverting/wicked/blablabla" and the like.

 

[unloadonme]

The OP concerns a "virtual sexual assault of a girl's avatar".

A virtual sexual assault is not a sexual assault. There may be an offence along the lines of sending a sexual message, but that's different. The alleged assault is not even against the girl, but against her avatar. If I were to post an offensive comment about someone's avatar on JUB, would the police come after me? Of course not.

If people don't want their children becoming upset when they use the internet, they should supervise the little darlings properly.

 

[Alistair]

It’s a bit different than most of you are portraying it.

She’s wearing virtual glasses, in a virtual room with other people. She’s seeing guys coming up to her and groping her from a real POV and saying things to her, she’s hearing it, in real voices. not reading something they wrote. She might not be feeling it but I bet it would be traumatic in VR. I’m guessing none of you have worn VR equipment so you don’t know how real some of it feels. It can be very disorienting. You’re first response isn’t to take off the glasses, it’s to react like you would in the real world.

 

[Kahaih]

It’s a bit different than most of you are portraying it.

She’s wearing virtual glasses, in a virtual room with other people. She’s seeing guys coming up to her and groping her from a real POV and saying things to her, she’s hearing it, in real voices. not reading something they wrote. She might not be feeling it but I bet it would be traumatic in VR. I’m guessing none of you have worn VR equipment so you don’t know how real some of it feels. It can be very disorienting. You’re first response isn’t to take off the glasses, it’s to react like you would in the real world.

I'm guessing you've never been raped, molested or abused, mentally or physically, in the real world.

 

[Alistair]

I'm guessing you've never been raped, molested or abused, mentally or physically, in the real world.

During My time here I’ve made it perfectly clear how mentally and physically abused I was growing.

I also know what I’d do to someone that did this to my daughter.

 

[rareboy]

The OP concerns a "virtual sexual assault of a girl's avatar".

A virtual sexual assault is not a sexual assault. There may be an offence along the lines of sending a sexual message, but that's different. The alleged assault is not even against the girl, but against her avatar. If I were to post an offensive comment about someone's avatar on JUB, would the police come after me? Of course not.

If people don't want their children becoming upset when they use the internet, they should supervise the little darlings properly.

This smacks so much of 'the bitch deserved it' defense.

Nothing about how the parents of the boys somehow failed in their responsibility to raise decent males.

I think it is much more nuanced than many here do.

And I will be very interested to see where this goes because I see at the core of the matter a discussion on limitations of consent when playing VR games.

And I can almost guarantee that if these boys were behaving like this on-line, at least one of them will act out in future and likely be charged with actual sexual assault or just partner abuse.

 

[LeicsDom]

Virtual is not virtual. There is a point still being missed here.

If I were to harass or threaten your avatar on JUB, there would be real world consequences.

No, you are missing the point
Virtual is not real
If someone harasses me on JUB I simply block them, walk away

 

[LeicsDom]

It’s a bit different than most of you are portraying it.

She’s wearing virtual glasses, in a virtual room with other people. She’s seeing guys coming up to her and groping her from a real POV and saying things to her, she’s hearing it, in real voices. not reading something they wrote. She might not be feeling it but I bet it would be traumatic in VR. I’m guessing none of you have worn VR equipment so you don’t know how real some of it feels. It can be very disorienting. You’re first response isn’t to take off the glasses, it’s to react like you would in the real world.

So take the VR headset off. Walk away

 

[Kahaih]

From the embedded link in the BBC link in the opening post;

Police launch the first investigation into 'virtual rape'

The girl under the age of 16 is said to have been left distraught after her avatar - her digital character - was gang raped by the online strangers.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In the first paragraph it says "attacked by a gang of adult men". Not boys, men.


~~~~~
Anyway, since when are "officers" qualified to diagnose the degree of psychological trauma? LOL

 

[belamyi]

It’s a bit different than most of you are portraying it.

She’s wearing virtual glasses, in a virtual room with other people. She’s seeing guys coming up to her and groping her from a real POV and saying things to her, she’s hearing it, in real voices. not reading something they wrote. She might not be feeling it but I bet it would be traumatic in VR. I’m guessing none of you have worn VR equipment so you don’t know how real some of it feels. It can be very disorienting. You’re first response isn’t to take off the glasses, it’s to react like you would in the real world.

Exactly: it's like saying that verbal sexual harassment is no actual sexual harassment... That "virtual agression" is as virtual as 'sexually-laden' hot *pun* air being bombed to someone's feelings.

So an adult sexually harassing a minor in a chat i a criminal, but an adult raping a minor in a virtual game is just a legally un punishable act?

Again, technology does not actually face us with "novelties", but rather is forcing people to be aware of what had always been in front of their faces and could not or would not see... because it was not technologically shaped so as to be more obviously perceived by them.
The same with "wokism"... "populism" (same old democracy, but driven from below, not from above as always had been done), "cancel culture" (old ostracism, damnatio memoriae, social branding and lynching and what not...).

 

[belamyi]

So take the VR headset off. Walk away

And do not forget to bury your heads in one hole in the ground.

 

[belamyi]

No, you are missing the point
Virtual is not real
If someone harasses me on JUB I simply block them, walk away

And if someone shoots at you but misses your body, just walk away and do not dare to start whining or barking out loud about it, because the whole thing didn't actually hurt you.

Because for virtual crimes there is already good old religion and "morals" (or "ethics", for the godless) ready to punish people for what they didn't actually do or even barely ever thought.

 

[Alistair]

No, you are missing the point
Virtual is not real
If someone harasses me on JUB I simply block them, walk away

Completely apples and oranges, not even close to being able to compare the two situations.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Completely apples and oranges, not even close to being able to compare the two situations.

It's disturbing that someone would liken the two, seemingly in defense of virtual rape.

Point of contention: I said "disturbing," not "surprising."

It was only a matter of time. People who are into this but maybe too afraid to "cross the line" in the real world will probably have no compunctions or regulation standing in their way from having a field day in the VR world. Jebus wept.