Inspired by
this thread in MKO forums, and having memories of many conversations regarding mudsex in this forum (especially God comments that they hated finding people engaged in it), I wanted to bring that thread's poll here, but apparently I don't have that option.
The fact that mudsex is so prevalent in IRE games, makes me wonder if IRE should have an 18+ game where that's allowed but ICly discouraged, and/or for mudsex to simply be not allowed in the games that allow minors. As in, if you're caught mudsexing, consequence. (Gods maybe give an STD? Gods have given punishments before. Maybe it's not commumicable, but... dissuasion is dissuasion.)
Achaea has historically had at least one child who was age 8 when she signed up. The one I have in mind is well over 13 now, and seldom plays anymore - but there are probably more.
Newbie females are almost universally solicited for sex. Possibly some newbie males as well; I've heard stuff, but all secondhand accounts, therefore hearsay.
I've noticed that a few select people are very generous to female newbies with a strong sense of entitlement.
I've had discussions with a fellow player regarding Achaea, mudsex, and 18+. As I recall, she seemed to agree with me regarding the fact that it should be looked into - but whatever her opinion (or yours), I prefer people speak for themselves. We all know I never hesitate to do so!
I wonder what other people think.
I realise that no matter what folks think, nothing along these lines will happen unless it's IRE people that decide to do whatever stuff. Even so, I figure a thread for it can't hinder.
tl;dr: Mudsex is not RP: agree or disagree? Please discuss.
Comments
Obviously, if a player is under 18 IRL and all that, fine. Or if someone's deliberately looking for underage players, etc. etc.
Else- why is it anyone else's business? And what does it matter, frankly?
Extra note: If people are being harassed, most instances I've seen/heard of, Cities defend their own pretty quickly and come down on the harasser like a ton of bricks- I think Cities do a pretty decent job of it 9/10 times it's reported.
ETA: Regarding the OP: like anything else, it's a question of how you do it. If you remain immersed, and it contributes to the development of your character, sure. If it's just for the sake of gratification, then, probably not. But that goes with everything; some people open their characters' mouths and OOC opinions and information comes spilling out. So that's not roleplay, either.
edit:
And if anybody knows RP, it's this guy
Ideally, everyone who was involved in mudsex "RP" would approach it sensitively, and wait for tacit consent before escalating things but this is not how all mudsex works - approaches to newbie female characters can be unsolicited, and aggressive. There have also been not infrequent cases where things have spilled over the line into harassment.
If you're engaged in consensual, adult mudsex, that's fine - I don't think anyone should take that away from you but taking a broad "principled" stance where the guv'mint should stay out your bedroom is silly and, these days for a commercial website, irresponsible. I think banning it is too much, but I would be strongly in favour of a clear, hard (fnar) line being taken that essentially says the banhammer will descend without warning or mercy if any sexual "RP" is unsolicited, or anything other than entirely consensual. I also think that every player should think long and hard (fnar) before engaging in it to be sure that they aren't in the slightly oogy moral position of pretending to have sex with the fantasy alter-ego of an under-age person.
As far as 'Sexual roleplay in an immersive environment like Achaea has a tendency to spill beyond the bounds of character far, far more than robbery, murder or heresy' goes - I've had waaaaay more RL death threats/insults slung at me over pk or robbery than RP of any sort. Achaea has calmed down a lot, but the Achaea I remember, you used to be able to pop certain people and get to watch a firestorm of profanity and insults pretty much every time.
Suppose the tl;dr of this is simple: if someone's creepin', that's cause for a beatin'. Otherwise, who cares?
Granted, it is possible there needs to be a more outspoken admin stance on this - depends on how the legal system works and if the MUD can be held responsible as accessory to 'violation of a minor' if a parent complains/sues. I vaguely recall having read something like that
Artemis says, "You are so high maintenance, Tharvis, gosh."
Tecton says, "It's still your fault, Tharvis."
ETA: Specifically the 'If you get caught doing adult-themed stuff you'll get admin punished' mentioned in the OP.
I don't believe so.
But with mudsex, I can't imagine engaging in it with a motivation other than: The player wants to achieve arousal, too, and is getting it through corresponding gratification in a digital puppet.
This one I think?
http://forums.achaea.com/discussion/3409/sleeping-to-the-top/p1
I suppose that's one way without it being purely for arousal purposes.
And you won't understand the cause of your grief...
...But you'll always follow the voices beneath.
But when you're on a throwaway alt, or let your main get frisky, I think at that point you're having your character take on your exact OOC desires and act on them.
As far as mudsex goes, I see it as: You put on a digital costume, then engage in what could liberally fall under the definition of sex.
because i'm also someone who was once solicited by a wealthy, older male player to exchange nudes for credits, i think i have a good idea of the consequences that can follow reckless behavior and bad judgement. my parents never found out, thankfully, but i can assure you: there's nothing they could've said to make me feel worse about it when it was all said and done. i found out that said player was engaged and still wanted the nudes and it was then that i realized the gravity of what i'd gotten myself into.
looking back on that time still makes me feel sick to my stomach. even after i'd cut ties from the player in every way, i still suffered from the consequences. i couldn't look at myself in the mirror. i was disgusted with what i'd done and i took a long hiatus from achaea to regroup.
minors get engaged in games where the vast majority of the playerbase is 18+ because they feel like they're mature enough to handle it. sometimes they lie about their age. hell, i've done it. not as much thesedays, since i'm finally sixteen, but i still have to occasionally lie where entrance is barred because of my age.
there is usually a difference in how us younger folk handle ourselves. it's because our brains are still developing and stuff. we feel emotions way stronger than adults and often act rashly.
noted: never complain to kayeil about your poor unsocialized broke 16yr/old homeschooler woes.
i mostly mentioned it in the hopes that someone will see it and won't make the same mistakes i did.
Half-jokingly, there's a practical benefit that mudsex is a thing: There is no greater way to ensure that the very few admin that have the power to pull a player's log would ever want to look at them than by knowing what we might find in them. It's like an extra privacy layer, because we really really don't want to have to see that shit.
More seriously, sex is an important part of many peoples' lives, so I don't think it's objectionable or surprising that it's a big part of some people's virtual lives too.
I'll also add that there's no legal concern (in the US at least, where it matters to us) over minors on this issue, provided it's not an adult trying to lure a minor into a real-life meeting. We have cooperated with the FBI before over that particular issue, and we will happily do so again.
I don't think Achaea needs to endorse or discourage any player behavior except where mandated by law or sensible for the good of the public playerbase, which they do. Achaea's already a mature setting after all, (violence, drugs, and suggestive themes abound) and what folks do behind closed doors isn't really any of my business. Whether you're into combat, leadership, or the social scene, we're all storytellers in a roleplaying game, and you're free to tell whatever kind of story you like with your character, even if it's the kind of story you buy for $1.99 in that seedy corner at the bookstore.
Second, in the US at least, even sending a picture of yourself nude while you're underage violates child pornography laws. Not kidding. All those teens sexting pics to each other are violating child porn laws, as are the ones on the receiving end if they keep those pics on their phone, request them, or encourage them to be sent. Obviously, given that so many teens do it, nobody prosecutes teens themselves for it very often, especially the ones doing the sending (though it does happen). I only bring it up because most teens aren't aware that they're actually violating some pretty serious laws when doing that and if you're going to do it, it's good to be aware of any potential legal consequences, even if they're unlikely to happen to you.
However, the story is very different for someone over 18 who is in possession of a naked picture of an underage girl. If this older player had asked for and gotten a naked picture of you, he would also be in violation of child pornography laws and were he to be caught, he would definitely be prosecuted. And should be prosecuted in my opinion.
I need to know who this person was now that I know about it (and only mention it here so that others are aware we take this kind of thing seriously). I'll get in touch privately.
Not saying this should be done to Alcaro at all or that it is even right or not, but just a warning to any other minors who may in the future be considering doing this same thing. It's not just the adults who get in trouble, but you can definitely get in trouble, too. Nothing anyone offers you is worth doing that, and someone isn't your friend if they're constantly trying to pressure you into it. It's not just a bad idea as a minor, though. Sharing nude photos can end up with bad results as an adult, too. Especially if the recipient decides to share them.