And So It Begins...

So LiLa's finally making steps towards their crackdown on adult content on the Grid. They've decided to "geographically separate" adult content on the mainland, filter Search, and pay attention...require verification for those who wish to access/see Adult content period. Estate owners are still free to be Mature or PG, but will have to flag their content.

Now, I'm sure there are some adults who are of delicate sensibility and wish all of the sex and violence in SL would just go away. To me this means more than that. We've been watching a systematic "cleaning up" of SL going on for a while now (SL5B anyone?) Between the whole ageplay and "SL Destroyed My Marriage" scandals, I'm sure LiLa has been in their SanFran offices cringing like "CRAP!" After all...how are you supposed to attract corporations or a much younger demographic in (like the rumors of a Teen Grid merger) if you aren't sure that a half-naked, latex-clad, blinger speaking in multiline gestures or a griefer with flying freenises isn't going to just pop in and disrupt things or make the newly assimilated young 'uns need to be led away with hands over their eyes?

LiLa says they wish to reflect RL, but actually in SL it's pretty easy to not be "subjected" to questionable things. TP, leave. One thing about being an adult is being able to make that choice. No one's forcing you to watch. One of the things I've always enjoyed about SL is not having to take kids into account. A grown-ups grid. Whoo!

Will this create a Sin Continent? Maybe. But like it or not, SL's sex industry did help to fuel its economy, much like gambling. And let's see LiLa try to keep enterprising unverified folks from visiting. That will be interesting. And who knows? It might create a private estate boom.

Will people roll out in droves from SL screaming about sexual repression and the verification? Probably not. For every whiner, there's an opportunist. And besides...where are they going to go? The other grids just aren't there yet. I've spent time in them. Not there yet. For all of our hair-pulling, SL's still the best thing going for what it is, and LiLa knows it.

And um...that half-naked, latex, blinging wonder I mentioned earlier? How are you going to keep them restricted to the Adult area? Just a thought. Some of the most questionable folks I've seen have actually been in places not necessarily questionable.

Haa...does Coco Linden's Linden Bear need me to be age verified before looking at it? Oh, my eyes!

Also make sure you read this as well for more info as I think the definition of what is adult (and that could cover a lot) will truly be important:
Adult-Oriented Content Controls FAQ
Maturity Ratings FAQ