Virtual Sex in Vancouver Canada

I found this article this morning and wondered if anyone had come across Utherverse before? Pardon me if this is old news for some.

Link: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=b9b7ba13-2f66-445c-b360-bc06556e3e93&k=89714

The irony, of course, is that the Vancouver Police have a Second Life presence -- I wonder if the ride the Virtual highway over to Utherverse for spot inspections from time to time. ha ha.

Full text here (copy and pasted for your convenience):

Police keeping an eye on X-rated virtual Vancouver site
Suzanne Fournier, The Province
Published: Friday, October 12, 2007

A pioneer in Internet adult entertainment admits he chose Vancouver for his new X-rated site because he believes the city is synonymous with permissive attitudes toward sex and drugs.

But the site's potential for crossing over from buying virtual drugs and sex to the real world has police concerned.

Bruce Shuster, owner of Utherverse Inc. and the popular Red Light Centre site based on Amsterdam, set up his virtual-vancouver.com site from his Yaletown office Oct. 5 and claims he's already had 40,000 free hits.

He's also found 1,200 people willing to pay $20 a month for VIP membership, which is the only way for your avatar to "get naked," have sex, get into the "passion club," and buy alcohol and drugs - all virtual, of course.

Shuster's advertising urges would-be investors to "throw an event . . . charge real money for tickets and sell related merchandise from the event."

"We've got locations for all types of events: Throw a beach party, a casino night or just a crazy club night. We even provide virtual drinks, ecstasy, mushrooms and weed for your partiers!!"

Vancouver Const. Howard Chow said the site would be a concern if it glamorizes drug use or illegal activities. Chow said police will keep an eye on the site.

"If this is just a virtual life, I don't know of any criminal offence unless it crosses over into real life," said Chow.

Of the virtual drugs on offer, Shuster says, "we've only dabbled in hallucinogens so far" and he maintains the site can offer users a safe way to "experience the drug-user's lifestyle."

But by January, says Shuster, the site will link to actual concerts in Vancouver so people can start partying online, then move on to downtown clubs.

Shuster said his site is a mixture of Facebook and Internet adult soft porn. Whatever crossover there is between the web and real life, Shuster's goal is "free speech" and he doesn't welcome police attention.

"I'm going to guard our users' privacy - I don't intend to turn over any user information to police," he said.

Shuster, who was born in Montreal but has run his Internet sites mainly in California, said he "looked all over the world and decided Vancouver would be the ideal city for this site."

"Vancouver has more liberal attitudes without being sleazy and there are more permissive or non-judgmental attitudes" toward having sex and taking drugs to enhance experiences like clubbing or concerts, said Shuster.

RCMP drug-awareness spokesman Sgt. Scott Rintoul doesn't think Shuster's online world is totally benign.

"Drugs facilitate sexual contact and in this kind of online setting crossing over to the real world, there could be sexual predators operating and they would have absolutely no clue. Everyone's mixed up in the same game."

[email]sfournier@png.canwest.com[/email]

RLC has been in open beta for a while now, and maybe the news media just needs someplace other then SL to keep poking its nose into for sensationalized stories of sex and drug use for the middle-aged middle-class.

What's old news about the story is that all of these sorts of stories have already been done about SL.

Since RLC's emphasis is completely centered around sexual activities, perhaps they won't buckle under the media the way LL did, but embrace it as a way to make their product more popular.

Want to save your child from online predators?? Put the computer in the family room. There, now you don't have to worry.

In other news, Vancouver police are watching Halo3 to prevent murders in their city.

If virtual sex is a problem in Canada, does that mean real sex is too?



That has to be quote of the week!!!

Evidently Vancouver has too many police.

Time for some government cuts and tax reductions.

Relax, keeping an eye on probably means getting fashion tips. Vancouver is as the promoter said "
"Vancouver has more liberal attitudes without being sleazy and there are more permissive or non-judgmental attitudes" toward having sex and taking drugs to enhance experiences like clubbing or concerts,"

This is my home town and somehow we have struck a good balance in our culture between tolerance and order. I'm not sure how, sometimes it seems we lurch from pillar to post but somehow it works.

The guy got some great free advertising!

Meh.

I'd be more worried if they had virtual pregnancies...

Prim babies in a box!

Aaiiee! Stop to the eviltude of the buying the selling the babies in the boxes!

Inc

Unfortunately, I think they do have virtual pregnancies that come with babies. I've seen a few. It weirds me out a little, but if people enjoy it, then more power to them, I guess.

I'm with Dnali on this one. I goof on Canada a little, but it's only in good fun. Vancouver is one of my favorite places in the world. The people are incredibly cool, the town has a great vibe and there is a LOT to do. In fact, pretty much all of BC is fantastic. It would seriously be my first choice if I ever left the US.

So - just defending Vancouver a little. Sorry if that's OT.

The prim babies in boxes dont bother me, its the pregnant women dancing in clubs that scare the patooey out of me. Who does those dances moves in rl as it is, but pregnant? I dun tink so!


I had checked out this site before, a friend of mine and I went wandering to see other 'virtual worlds' that were out there. Its, er, ok I suppose. Nothing I would pay for, no way no how. You pay to get naked and watch porn, so its basically fully a sex n drugs kind of virtual world. Wouldnt that get rather old after a while, or is it just me?

why pay for it when you can come to SL and get it for free.....

heh

oh cool then you'll benefit when they reduce the police force

Or at least give the "idle" ones better jobs to do then babysit a virtual porn site.

Yes, I'd have to say I don't feel very over policed here. The monthly obligatory sensitivity training sessions for all citizens are a bit of a bore but they don't call it Lotus Land for nothing.

He's Quite Right, here in Vancouver we DO have Very Adult, and Cosmopolitan attitudes towards sexuality. Our City has an Excellent world class nude beach (Wreck beach,, Love it in the summer) and Every year around Canada Day we have a massive Nude Bike Ride for Charity. It's Just Skin people, We ALL have it.

The thing is, his site isn't breaking ANY laws in Canada let alone just Vancouver, he didn't locate here because of Law, but because of public attitudes.

I won't Bother with it though, because he Offers nothing that isn't available in SL (And i get everything for free in SL) and his Player created Content seems to be rather limited. SL simply has Far more potential than a Similar game focused Specificly on Sex, and Virtual Drug use.

Angel.

I want to move to Vancouver! Do they hire Americans?

They sure do; I'm an American..dual now!

So very cool that you are a Vancouverite too; I have always enjoyed your posts!
I spent many happy naked hours on Wreck Beach in my younger years!

We do? Glad to find that out. So that's why my husband makes me do all those degrading things Very happy man....

Well so much for generalizations -- I grew up here and I didn't have sex until I was 30. I've only had sex with 1 man my entire life, who is now my common-law husband.
The closest I ever got to Wreck Beach was a UBC lab fieldtrip when I was in the Geography department. Lot of scary looking skin there.

No, wait a minute -- perhaps I could be considered Cosmopolitan for having a child with my husband, but never officially getting married? There's hope for me yet.

You have a nude beach in Vancouver? Do you use it like 2 days a year?

I live very close to Vancouver.

Maybe its like that polar bear club where people dive into near freezing water ...

In this case .. nekkid.

We only TELL people it rains here 363 days a Year, it Keeps the Beaches, and the Ski slopes Clear for Our Own Enjoyment.

Our summer weather (This year was a bit disappointing) usually extends from late April or Early May through to Late September. Some years the Conditions are so ideal that you can Ski Grouse Mountain, or Mount Seymour in the Morning, then lounge on the beach in the afternoon, and the two are seperated by Fifteen to twenty minutes driving time (Depending on bridge Traffic).

Angel.

I only live a few miles south of Vancouver. It isn't no Florida.

Of course there ARE nude beaches in Florida.

I accidentally walked onto one a few years back.

I was just going for a walk along the beach, evidently the public beach ended somewhere and the private one began, and ..

It isn't Anchorage either Chere,
the weather here tends to be Pretty moderate.

A.