Erotic Role Playing Guild
An erotic roleplaying guild that now spans two realms has been accused of defending pedophiles and engaging in extreme sexual situations without any way to verify that their members are above the age of 18. While the guild in question says it has been reported many times and is not violating policy, and that minors joining an ERP guild are being poorly parented, Blizzard has forcibly disbanded the guild -- only to have it reform under a new name. There might be some disturbing content following the cut, so click at your own risk. ...READ MORE AT http://www.wowinsider.com/2007/09/17/blizzard-disbands-extreme-erotic-roleplaying-guild/
Thanks Kitch for sending me the article. You know, it's interesting because we all assume somewhere on an RP server, risque behavior is going on. I even caught that one couple in the basement of the SW Cathedral. But for the most part, you kind of assume it's these little individual affairs that are going on.
But apparently, in some cases, we have the full on communities. The way I see it, it's like open-sex channels you'd join in the days of mIRC. But there's a twist of course because we're dealing with an MMORPG. It's not just a community of sex-chatters. As we all know, when you interface in an MMO, it's so much more different than just chat channels.
There's a body associated with it, there's a gaming history associated with it, there's a real static community that you perceive. Even though it's anonymous, when you get into the level 50+ area, you kind of have an established identity. People start to know you.. from questing and raiding and pvp. They know you from the AH, trading, enchants, general chat..etc.
So I guess the debate the article brings up is about the "moral" responsibility of Blizzard, parents, and our WoW Community. My question is....are we talking about a guild made up of level 1 alts? It doesn't seem like it since it sounds like they actually raid. I'm in total support of this group's rights if you can have a Level 70 Orc Warrior lead a raid in Gruul's layer one night and then a group orgy the next.
But I have a huge problem with it if it's just a bunch of level 1 anonymous alts soliciting cyber sex to anyone they can get their hands on. It's like that whole youth and sex. For me, if you can proudly walk across the cashier register holding a box of condoms in your hands, you're probably ready for sex. If you're ashamed and hiding it, you're probably not ready.
The responsibility debate is always a huge one..especially with the amount of risque things you see on tv and movies these days. You would seriously think that we were a community of sex addicts. But we're actually very prude as a community when it comes to openly discussing the topic with our peers. "it's private" And yeah, some sex should be private.
But at the same time, there's nothing wrong with open sexuality. I'm in total support of any community that's completely comfortable in their sexual lifestyle.
The question is...where do you draw the line?? This is the first time I have ever heard about "Ageplay". And it seems a bit dangerous to me. Okay, who hasn't tried the school girl/teacher fantasy bit? But what if it goes beyond that and into, you pretend to be a 13 year old boy, I'll pretend to be a 40 year old married man with repressed sexual desires?? And in the online world, how easy is it to say "I thought he was just pretending to be nine years old"
I don't know. I obviously have no solutions. The technological age has really added an extra fence parents have to put up around their kids. And it is still the parents responsibility to try and keep their kids safe as long as possible.
Any guild that openly recruits in general chat for members has a high level of anonymity of its members. And I suppose that's where Blizzard saw the real danger of the guild. Children do play this game. Not all parents perk up their ears when they hear the whisper chime go off like Starman said in a previous cast.
There's nothing wrong with sex between consenting adults. In fact, we probably need more of it. But I guess I don't really blame Blizzard for taking the extra precaution to protect its younger users. I hope the ERP guild reforms but takes from this ban some kind of responsibility about protecting kids from its membership....in a decade or so, they can join..but not until then. :)
6 comments:
I agree with you about the nation of Prudes, it really is annoying that something EVERYONE does is apparently so criminal. Yet murder, which only a few of us have had the pleasure...is flaunted about nightly and in movies, the bloodier the better. I do have one question about Blizzard's reasoning though. They said that the guild wasn't monitering or had no system to check the Ages of their guildies. Yeah ok I get that, but I remember some pretty "blue" talk with guildies in a former guild of mine, and I didn't check ages at the door. I think this is faulty reasoning, even though I know it's not their only reason, I'd like a clearer line to be drawn please.
Bit off topic but they're on my old server (Ravenholdt) the people in the guild are really nice.
Even thought I think what they do is disgusting, they were 'recruiting' murloc ERPers, they keep it to themselves and it hasn't really caused much of an issue.
On the topic of ages, they won't allow anyone under 18, while they cant check this, it should be up to the kid's parents to make sure their child doesn't do stupid things. I mean there are many other websites like this... Not much different if its wow or cybersex.com
Alachia,
Not sure if you remember, but Ravenholdt is the server I've been playing on since BC came out. Abhorrent Tatoo has always been known fairly infamously throughout our server. To give a little more clarity about why they were forcibly disbanded. Apparently quite a few of their members were sending random, ERP whispes to people around Orgrimmar on one or more nights. This is beyod the ageplay, pedophilia, beasiality and other sorts of "questionable" erotic play.
I won't comment on these because I avoid ERP altogether. I feel it would be akin to cheating against my SO. I can't detach that sort of arousal from emotion, I believe.
I was sort of surprised going into this server to find how many people were looking to get into that stuff. An earlier post you made a while back talked about wanting to go into the dark back alleys of Stormwind and the like. I think AT would fit that pretty well.
The main problem with everything is that there is no sure way verify age, giving a warning to the child wouldn't absolve Blizzard of legal resposibility. Even beyond that, ERP in general, even more so what AT contributed in, grossly passes the lines of Blizzard's ToS.
How difficult would it be to create an adults only server?
You'd have to do some kind of age verification (no idea if it's possible; just throwing it out there) prior to getting admitted to the server. If the ERPs on regular servers continue inappropriate conduct, they're carted off to the adult server. And now this actually sounds a bit Orwellian, now that I'm typing it. Keep those who are different in their own area, seal off any dissenting views, etc. But from a strictly MMO admin POV, it seems a valid option if these guys want to do their own thing in an environment where children (hopefully) will not be at risk.
I think there should be a thing in parental controls that says "not allowed to join a guild". Then these groups can keep all their muck in guild.
While I totally respect and applaud Blizzard's stance on this, is it really up to them to police other people's children while they are on the internet?
There should be a clause in the ULA that says "we are not responsible for anything you might inadvertently see or hear in the game. While every precaution is taken blah blah blah."
I mean once you police one social group then you have to police others. I mean I'm not Christian although my folks are and I'd freak if I had kids playing WoW and a Christian guild got them to join and started talking about the Bible in absolute terms in guild chat. As I say I have nothing against different religious groups but kids can be very impressionable especially f they are trying to fit in with online 'friends'.
So I think parents should have control over guilds and if their kids can chat to other kids or what channels they can or can't join. Having said that a recent article showed inappropriate language on the boat to Theramore. It might not seem inappropriate to some but what happens when little Jimmy asks his Mom what gay sex is? Jimmy gets his game taken away is what happens.
Where you have adults, you will have sex and sexual behavior. Doesn't matter if the product has a teen rating, if adults are allowed in, you will have guilds like these.
I think Blizzard went to far in disbanding it, perhaps they should have banned the people in question that where causing the problem. The members have simply formed a new guild, so disbanding didn't solve anything.
It sounds that morally, I would have some big issues with certain members of this guild, in particular those with rather "young" inclinations.. But I would rather have them fulfill those sexual desires through fantasy imagery, that the obvious horrible alternative. And lets face it, you cant cure people of this kinda thing.
In general though, I have no problem with these guilds, or mature adults coming together in whatever context, to openly discuss and act out sexual desires and play. Sexuality is what makes us human, and it makes a great conversational topic at any time ;) One of the girls on my previous guild I flirted and cybered with a bit, once commented that just about any other topic was boring to her, if you compared it to "sex-talk". Of course its gonna be different from person to person, and for some the idea of sharing in that across some video game with people you hardly know might be unthinkable, there are many others that are in fact encouraged to be a little less inhibited about it in the game setting. I think its probably a healthy thing overall..
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