RP Kids in SL

Bah to all the naysayers of kiddie avs, they are frikkin CUTE!

I just wanna hug 'em. vv

I remember your kid av, very cool and I never got the feeling you were rp'ing a kid, though I have to say actually roleplaying a child is rather creepy to me. In fact roleplaying a child is extremely creepy to me, even if there's no sexual connotation whatsoever, and if there is? Eeeewwwwww yuck.


However, I think a tinie av based on your 'Crybaby' would be awesome!!

The child avs don't creep me out - some of them are actually very well crafted and cutely RP'd. What does creep me out is if I encounter them in adult-themed sims or clubs that aren't designated for age play. They may be played by RL adults, but there's a visceral "Mom" reaction from me when I see the mix. That's just me -- I generally just choose to leave if the club/sim management doesn't ask them to leave first. I don't choose to make a big deal out of it, it's my personal reaction and thus my decision as to whether to stay or leave.

I dunno exactly what it is that creeps me out... maybe it's just all the sickness in the world, when I see an adult (obviously not a 4 year old) as a child av walking around in a mature sim, I immediately think something creepy is going on.

Is it fair to assume such? Probably not.

It's not a decision to react this way... it's just an instant reaction of "woah... that's creepy". I suppose I shouldn't assume that simply because an adult is role playing a child it means something "evil" is going on. But something about it just seems so "off".

I really couldn't tell you exactly what it is.

I have a Siamese kitten avi, pg rated. I have roller skates. I dress up like a cheerleader and skate around.

I also have a butterfly avi and I stalk anybody who is wearing a shiny avi, a shiny costume, and/or too much bling while wearing it.

It's cute and it's fun.

many people have diffrent reasons for being a child av in SL. When i first started SL i chose my AV becos he seemed to best express my personality. Some people play their AV as they are in RW, some prefer to play their AV in a away thats total oposite. Im pretty childish in RW and this is expressed in my AV. The real truth about my playing a kid in SL is not clear even to me, but more i play the more I understand things about myself.

Regards to cybersex in SL, i find there is two kinds, one of which does not interest me. 1.Quick onenight cyberstands totally based on your AVs look, totally shallow and hardly sumfin i can enjoy.
2.The rare occasion where i feel pasionatly for another player based on our friendship and personalities. And these relationships are none of your business anyway.

I have fun in SL, i hang out with my friends, we go sailing, party, go exploring, swim in the sea, chill by a fire roasting marshmellows, and chat about films, tv shows and about what so and so did to you know who at the SL welcome area. And i enjoy it and come away with happy memories.

I am aware that some people come into SL wanting the onenight cyberstands and ive met some of them. But to condem the childAV community becos of those misguided few is a bit extreme.

And dont think the Child AV community dont care about whats going on. We are all to aware of the hate towards us by some SL members and we are trying to teach awarness to others.

I feel that an understanding should be reached between ChildAV and Adult AV players. I know thta when im around adult AVs i gotta watch what i say and what i do becos i dont want to offend. And adult AVs likewise should respect us and not be nasty. I go about my SL days hanging out with my friends minding my own business usually having a fun time.

these are my views, shared by most of my friends.
Dont burn me at the stake.

Thanks for sharing Loki. I know it takes courage to post on a subject that is so fraught with contraversy and hostility.

I certainly don't hate people who have child-avs...

But...

I cannot even begin to express my disgust with the idea that people cyber as... or with... a child av. It resembles something that is, in my opinion, the single most evil and contemptable act. There is nothing in life I find more offensive than sexualizing children with the exception of actually abusing them (which is, of course, much worse). This includes creating the illusion of such things.

If someone can find a child av to be "sexy", I must wonder what they think of real children, and that... dare I say... sickens me. I have always looked upon the sexualization of children with horror, and the feeling intesified once I became a father. There is no reason, excuse, or explaination that will justify the use of child-avs for sexual purposes to me.

If I ever see it, I will AR it. I will document it. I will write letters to LL. I will see if there is a law enforcement agency interested in it. If none of that pans out, I will contact the press and let the courts of public opinion dictate the outcome.

Whilst I can understand your reasoning and passion over the issue... I think context is relevant too.

The press getting hold of this could be very damaging. The fact that out of 250,000 accounts perhaps a dozen or two people might 'get off' on this kind of thing tends to be irrelevant. Facts should never stand in the way of a good sensationalist story. This kind of thing could actually destroy SL, and the vast majority of us who play perfectly nicely suffer because of the actions of a few wierdos.

An avatar is just that. Pixels. I've never heard of a human and furry avatar having sex being called 'beastiality'... is it just part of the human makeup that makes us think different about adults playing child avatars?

Lewis

You missed those threads?

I understand what you mean about the press getting hold of child-av sexuality as possible ruining SL. While I rather enjoy SL, particularly building and scripting, there needs to be some accountability on the part of LL to prevent child-av sexuality.

The simple fact that all it would take is a letter written to the press to destroy SL, should be in and of itself a motivating factor for people to AR such things, and for LL to immediately take action.

As for why people may view furry-human av mating as tolerable and child-av mating as reprehensible, I don't have a ready answer. I suppose it's due to the lack of beastiality in the daily RL arrest reports compared to the frightening number of arrests for child abuse/exploitation.

If Linden Labs failed to act on removing the sexualized child element from SL by banning someone who was doing it, as far as I am concerned, that would be condoning it.

I guess it's the intention behind the avatar that's the real issue. If you have a sweet little girl in a flowery dress and sandals, for example, then that's going to give a very different impression to the same avatar wearing high heels, suspenders and a pvc basque.

I don't understand furries... but they don't bother me, any more than it does someone playing a child avatar.

It's when their intentions become 'adult' in nature, either by impression, language or profile, that I tend to walk away.

Lewis

Hot button issue. Woowoo.

All kinds of fun "sound bytes" on both sides too. Lets see ...

"Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?!"

" ... a training ground for pedophiles!"

"Ban child AV's and then what, furries? Gors? Homosexual ones? ... when will the censorship stop?"

"You're just PRO CHILD MOLESTER!!!111"

"Your laws are not the same as our laws."

"I'm a consenting adult and I should be able to do whatever I want. How is this different than me wearing a diaper IRL?"

... fun fun stuff. Chaos makes me tingly inside. Mmmm, chaos.



It is tough ... there are lots of reasons to play child AV's ... just like there are lots of reasons to play one of a different race, or a furry, or a giant robot, or a faerie, or Swamp Thing.

I seriously doubt anyone is going to come here and defend something like child molestation seriously.

Fact is though .. what Burn might find offensive, another person might not. I saw a child AV in a store once running around acting all hyper (I don't have any prim-Ritilin on me either ) and the male "parental figure" said "Calm down or I'm going to spank you when we get home".

Should I have AR'd them? I mean ... that could be seen as sexual. Hell, it might very well HAVE been meant that way ... how would *I* ever know the actual vocal inflection attempted to be conveyed in textual form?

Was it an angry "Calm down or I'm going to spank you" or a sly "Calm down or I'm going to spank you" followed by implied "bow chicka wow wow" pr0n music? IRL it'd be easier to figure out ... and hella' creepy to deal with the later (especially if the music started playing over the store's internal audio system).



I personally kinda like seeing the child AV's ... some are fun to talk to and it adds a sense of realism. Others may not.

I have yet to see a child AV wearing fishnets and a halter top offering favors for chocolate though. ... nor have I seen anyone driving around any residential sims in a beat up old Chevy van with spraypainted windows waving Sweattarts and smiling eerily.




So .. I added nothing to the topic, as usual, increased my post count by 1, and maybe made someone chuckle ... which is pretty much all I ever aim for up here. Carry on.

Why, because the sweet little thing is more likely to attract the pedo's?

LOL .. good point.


Ya' know .. I think it'd be funny to make a male alt with a giggly little female girl's name, shrink it to child size, give him a mustache, put it in females child's clothing ... and give him a group that the title was "Officer" or "Agent".

Have it stand around and try to act "lost" and see if people got a kick out of it or not.

"Officer Ginger Lovescandy" or something ... standing there in a pink frilly dress, with a lollipop, mustache, earpiece, and holster-bulge.

In my short SL experience since March, I have encountered a number of child AVs. I don't totally understand why many of them have decided to be children in SL, and honestly, I feel that it's not really any of my business anyway. My take on it has always been "to each their own." Same goes for the vast majority of other "lifestyles" found in SL. (Gorean being my one hang-up, and I will openly admit to having a disagreement with it, though I will not accost somebody for being Gorean.) In my experience, the child AVs I know are doing just what the rest of us a trying to do - enjoy their experience in Second Life. And for that, I say more power to them. Actually, one of the first AVs I met in-world (and have become good friends with) was a teenager. He made me feel welcome in SL, and actually introduced me to a number of the other younger AVs I've met. I actually owe quite a bit to him, for the amount of help he's given me since I joined.

When I met, courted, and married my wonderful SL wife, I did so knowing that we would likely end up being parents in-world at some point. In RL, I have no children, and don't expect to for some time. So, the whole family dynamic in SL is intriguing, and at the same time somewhat frightening to me. Even so, I intend to do what I would do in RL, and that is do my best to be as good of a man, and as good of a father, as I can be. If nothing else, maybe the SL experience can help me avoid a few mistakes along the way when I do eventually have kids in the real world. Maybe that seems weird, but it seems like it might be a learning experience, at least to me. I have a feeling that I'm going to find out whether or not it works that way as our SL son grows up. At any rate, it's bound to be an interesting experience.

I don't care if there are child av's... but if there is child-av sexuality going on... I have a major issue.

I think the answer on this one is simple... the consequences to the victim. I rate a child way above a sheep. Also, as a mother I am hard-wired to protect both my child and others.

I'd prefer not to see this thread get bogged down in the Child AV Sex posts though. There are several other threads that address that topic specifically. I would suggest going to one of those or starting your own.

This thread is focused on the non-sexual reasons people want to role play childhood.

Does anyone have real life siblings in SL and play like they are little kids with them?

I was contacted in-world by someone who wanted to share their experience, but remain nameless. The following is lifted from the notecard.

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Hi there. I read the post you made on the forums and the thread that has developed since then and wanted to reply to you, but I didn't really want to do so in that venue. Some of my friends here have posted on the forums about these issues and have lived to regret it. You're welcome to cut-and-paste parts or all of what I say here there if you want to say something, but I prefer not to have my Account name associated with what I say on the forums.

People play child avs for many reasons. I myself play a kid the vast majority of the time, usually a 12 year old boy but sometimes also an 8 year old. I've played various ages, genders and species, though. Why people are kids in this world is something that interests me a lot, and I have had the occasion to talk to a lot of kids about why they are this way here. I'm going to share with you some of what I've learned.

The main thing I've learned is there's not one unified reason. Not remotely. But I still want to talk about some of the variations I have seen.

First, I would note that not all kids here are RPing children all the time. Few RP totally in character all the time, some never make any effort to role play. What I have seen for the most part is a half-RP, not staying IC but also expressing things that are clearly coming from the perspective of the av who is a child.

But as to reasons, everything that people mention is the case for some. For some, it is a type of therapy; I know a player who explained to me that because of events in his childhood his emotional age was stalled and though he continued to grow physically and intellectually, he is, emotionally speaking, still a young adolescent child. As I understand it, SL for him is very much a form of therapy. There are others like him in many respects.

Some use it to express elements of their RL personality. Though an adult, they might feel that here their personality is better represented as a child.

Some are instead exploring something about their own psyche, not representing what they can see but trying to understand things about themselves.

Others use SL to try to relive their own childhoods. On the other side of the same coin, some use it to explore a childhood they never had.

Some explore the role of a child, trying to experience what a child would think and feel: carefreeness, terror, innocense, dependance, confusion, affection. This often takes place in families, where people are raised as children. Some complete the life cycle, growing up to raise their own children, where others stay children forever. Sometimes this takes place as a child who never deals with parents, spending time with peers and developing those relationships.

Some people who play children on SL are pedophiles, that is to say the person playing the child is romantically attracted to children. Because they are attracted in that way, being a child on SL is appealing to them.

These are just a few of the categories I have seen, and most child av players probably can relate to more than one of them; I know I can.

As to child av sex, that does occur and does not necessarily correlate too directly to the kinds of categories I've offered above. It is not only those in the last category who participate in it.

Some people come to SL for nothing but sex, and this includes some child avs. These people can be pedophiles, but can also be people who are only interested in the RP, that is to say they are not interested in improper relationships with children themselves, but rather interested in role playing the situation with themselves in it.

There is a spectrum from that to those who are disgusted and totally unwilling to even remotely consider having sex as a child av. There are people who treat it as an important activity for them here, some who treat it as a secondary activity, and such.

To summarize the issue: there are many players of child avs who do not and would not ever have sex as a child avatar. Some do, and that is not necessarily because they are pedophiles.

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I related to the part about being free to explore some aspect of your personality that some might judge as childish. I don't think the urge to be silly and play ever goes away regardless of your age. It can be very stifling to always have to act your age and within your expected social role. Personally I put on a cat avatar when I feel that way, but then when I was 5 years old I was RPing a kitten right down to clawing the curtains.

Your initial post doesn't actually specify that you wished not to see mention of child-av sexuality. And, in the rather adult world of SL, it's difficult not to associate the two subjects, at least not for me. I hear Child-Av, and the first thing that comes to mind is that there is some sick freak out there getting his/her groove on with the image of children before him/her.

Before I get jumped on, I do not think everyone who has a child-av is a pervert.

I don't really feel the need to hunt for threads to post about this topic, I came across this one while bored at work, and posted. My intent was not to bog anything down, and if you feel that I hijacked your thread, I am sorry to have given that impression. It was not my intent.

I have a two baby avs, a little girl av (created by HoseQueen) that is totally adorable and assorted other animal, insect and robot avs (most were freebies). My main av is a human female, but sometimes, I put on my goth baby and act silly or my blonde baby (which looks remarkably like my neice) and act silly. Sometimes, my friends and I all wear little girl avs and we act silly. I guess I find it easier to act REALLY silly when wearing a child av. Although, my adult female av acts pretty silly most of the time, too.

In my experience, when I put on one of my child/baby avs, I just seem to let loose and have fun. YMMV, of course

Sorry, I thought that was explicit. Sorry if it wasn't clear, I just don't want to end up embroiled in another ugly and pointless thread when I have a real curiousity to satisfy.

I completely understand the knee-jerk reaction, but I think we're getting some good insight here into the non-sexual reasons people RP child Avs.

I agree, on the premise that pedophilia in the real world is something that should never be tolerated, and it shouldn't be tolerated in SL, either.

The catch is that if it is occuring in SL, how can one prove that it is truly pedophilia? Child AVs are handled by adults (at least, if the citizens of SL are all adults...), correct? Thus, can it be classified, and as such prosecuted, under law? It all creates one very confusing and messed up situation, unfortunately. Understand that I feel there is no justification for child sexuality (in RL and in SL), and that I'm not in any way condoning it.

I suddenly get a feeling that I have opened a whole new can of worms...



Neither do I, and I would feel that anybody who actually thinks that way is quite ignorant.

To me, it takes all sorts to make the world (real or SL) work. Unfortunately, there are going to be undesirable elements in any group of people. The key is not to let those elements dictate your experience. At the same time, you can't dictate the experience of others. All we can really do is choose which elements to interact with, and which to avoid. Particularly in SL, where there is technically no real law enforcement agency (outside of LL), and no hard-and-fast laws (outside of the TOS, which are fairly open to interpretation in many areas, in my opinion) to enforce.

Now, let's get this thread back to its original purpose, and away from what I feel it could become.

Have a good day, enjoy your experiences, and thank you for not hurling tomatos at me while I stand on this soapbox.

Alot go on about sex, no one even seems to mention relationships. Something that seems to have happend with me while being a kid in SL is revisitng my own childhood. I expect thats what it is for alot of ChildAV players. I play an early teenager in SL and ive formed relatonships with other boys my age. I dont see myself as an adult involved with children, i feel like the boy i was struggling with coming to terms with having Bisexual feelings, except this time i have the confidence of my adulthood to help me form good relationships, exppress my feelings and be how i always wanted to be. How many out there have wanted to go back again and have a second chance. SL gives us just that.

My childhoods gone, and in a world where nations fight wars over oil, fundamentalists blow you up to get at a government that dont really care, and terror is alway apparently around the corner, i'd like to go back to simpler more innocent times.

I thinkmmore and more people will choose to be a kid, and just like real kids they'll need to be told how to behave.

I also hope when i reach the old age of 93, i'll still be able to be a kid in sum kinda metaverse, running about with my best friends, being cheeky, having a laugh, experimenting. Eternally stuck in a coming of age movie.