How many get insulted when playing an alt of a different gender?

I thought stuff this old decomposed...

Hmm I'm a female IRL, and I used to have a male avatar for awhile, but then voice came out and I got found out because I didn't want to use it. I really only hang out in predominantly furry areas, so only like one of them ever gave me shit about it, and he didn't do it because it disgusted him or anything, he did it because he's an asshole...to everyone. Really, I don't think it matters, i think everyone's second life is their own, and if they want to be something they aren't in real life, well, that's sort of the prerogative of them game. Is it not? Hmm but there are some people who will give you crap no matter what. Just don't let them bother you, and move on to people who don't give a damn about your First life. :/

Eggy, this is your personal viewpoint. Please don't try to make the rest of us think the same way.

In fact, there are at least three approaches to playing SL, and all of them are legitimate. (I think Ceka or Sindy came up with these orginally).

The Roleplayer. Treats her avatar as a character in a play. May run many different avatars. Enjoys creating back stories for her characters, and watching them interact with others and evolve.

The Immersionist. Feels her avatar IS "herself"...whether she is actually male or female in RL. Things that happen to her avatar in SL affect her emotionally, personally. Usually has "keeps SL and RL separated" in her profile. Reluctant to give out RL information except to close friends.

The Facebooker. Avatars are just a placeholder. Interested in the RL people behind the pixels. (This would be your camp, by the way.)

When you encounter a Roleplayer or an Immersionist, remind yourself: It's not deception. It's just a different way to approach SL.

And some of us meld parts of all of them together.

This is like telling Elvis not to eat too many burgers.

Eggy has left the building, Lindal.

On the off chance that Eggy is still around and reading the forums in some form/name -- or that someone else thinks the same way:

Is your Avi an EXACT replica of you in RL -- physically, in EVERY way? If not then apparently YOU are the one being deceptive and a hypocrite also.

I just thinking the same thing.

Yes, I know. But maybe there are some other Eggys out there. It's the Facebookers that seem to be the most intolerant of different viewpoints and need to be reminded of them.

That person who claims they play themselves in SL, with an avatar resembling their RL appearance, might well be logged in an hour later with an alt that is completely different and of the opposite gender!

I suspect there are quite a few 'couples' who who socialise together in public who are actually both alts of the same RL

Lot of insults when I play girl, problem is I am a girl.

Less if I play man ... lot of "girls" want something more ...

Second Life imposes no requirement to either be the same as your RL or to be different from it. The ground rules right from the start say you can be who or what you like - the clue is in the name - Second Life.

Where does it end? If I'm an exact relplica of my RL, give or take an inch or so on the waistline, do I have to live in a home that's a replica of my RL one? Would it be deceptive of me to have a private island with a mansion, swimming pool and yachts if I live in a rented farm cottage in RL? Would it be wrong to portray myself as rich and lavish when I'm not?

There is a new German virtual world, with graphics about on par with SL. In that one your avatar has to have your RL name and you have to supply photos so they make an avatar that looks like you so you can go shopping in a virtual Berlin. You could always try that!

Heh. one of the (many) reasons I don't use voice is that my voice has a higher dynamic range than most guys, which means I get mistaken for a woman on the telephone a lot.

Maybe I ought to get a female av and see if I can pass on voice.

/me looks forward to the day that I have enough free time to give a crap about what gender/species people online are. Not that I _would_ care about it then, of course.

Actually, It was me that coughed that particular hairball up onto the forums recently



This is very true, and quotes like this one:
"What the hell is everyone afraid of. If you're not comfortable about what you are in your first life to the point that you may share it.." are totally indicative of not understanding that the other approaches to SL require a certain "suspension of disbelief" to blossom.

Just last night I had an hour long "discussion" with a true real lifer about this. The specific details and disclosure that he seeks to give HIS pursuits in SL validity (from a real lifer's viewpoint), are the very same details and disclosure that destroy SL's believability for ME (from an immersionist's viewpoint) because their presence conflicts with SL's context and totally brings any immersiveness crashing to the ground. Never did get him to understand that

Man, then you are in the WRONG place if that is what you expect!



You actually have to ASK a question like that given the state of the way things are today?
Have you not read about scammers, spammers, shysters, nut cases bent on revenge because you said something they didn't like or feel inspired by god to clean up the world by killing "sinners" or something?
Did you not read the cases in the news about the two woman, who were on craig's list who are now DEAD? One because a guy who answered her ad wanted to feel what killing was like, the other because the woman wanted this other woman's BABY, so she killed her and cut the baby out of her body?

I won't even detail the many many date rapes and all the rest, the best policy on-line is provide exactly ZERO information about yourself or totally bogus information as the case may be.
Maybe you haven't run into a problem, *I* in fact have

Eggy's avatar is human. He dresses normally. For a while he wore a kilt...then in 05 I gave him a wardrobe remake, and then in 08 he made another wardrobe update.

His avatar is not a giant, fairly regular human looking type male. Not a super human specimen but an average looking joe...well, except when he was playing a female with one of my alts.

Tomorrow morning I will point him at this thread, he could use a little antagonism...Germany is bumming him out.

Back when SL started, there was a rather large contingent of people that felt that playing an opposite sex was improper unless you told people about it. Back then everyone wanted to make closer connections than they do now - hence SLCC was born from people of that era.

Now-a-days it is all about RP and respecting peoples immersion as long as they are not trying to hurt/exploit/take advantage of you. More people today do not worry about the RL sex of the person at the keyboard than back when SL started when asking someone to SKYPE or TEAMSPEAK or create custom sounds with your own voice for gestures was the norm for proving yourself.

Today if you tell someone "i know so-and-so's RL sex", the most probable reply will be "I do not care" or "do not tell me".

SL is not a roleplaying game?

...rolls laughing...

Anyway on topic, I have a friend in my friend list who confided he was another gender and I honestly could care less.

Unless people are planning to someday meet IRL I don't see what difference it makes. Need to know basis, kwim?

And yes I am female RL/SL. It isn't me. Lol

As it should be.

Er not only that IT IS AGAINST THE RULES.

As well as being a douchey thing to do.

But shirley you can understand why some people would care?

The same people who think the phone sex workers look like the ads?

(n stop callin her shirley! lol)

Nope. And stop calling me Shirley.

Haha, Sindy owes meh a Coke.

You do know that guys like girls, shirley?