What is "overly violent"? +Do you have to be over 30? +More concerns.

I was just going to add this to one of the many topics but everyone else is complaining about info which I don't care about. I have other questions which I can't find answers for!


With the new age verifications thing under the blog it talks about some things, I have some questions:

1. It says the only zones you will be blocked from (if not verified) are Adult Zones. Those places will have:
" ‘Adult Content’ is that which is overtly, graphically, or explicitly sexual in nature or intensely violent."

What do they mean by "Intensely Violent". As in mean people? Or as in shooting? What kind of shooting? Do they mean bloody and gory? Because when I am not sandboxing I am Role Playing in places anywhere from being a Jedi to being a Special Ops Soldier!

2. Does that mean if its "intensely violent" I can't go to it if I want to play there? Thats just stupid! I am an adult I shouldn't be forced to NOT play in violent combat sims! There forcing you to pay money if you want to play what you like! How stupid!

3. When they say "Adult content" what do they mean? For instance most dance clubs have strip poles but never really have anyone naked allowed in the clubs. So who determines if thats "adult content"? And either way who says whats "Adult" anywhere? What if I dance club allows nude avatars? Should I be forced to go somewhere else because the owner allows idiots?

4. They mention this:
".....to share verified aspects of their identity with others in Second Life — ie, not an exact date of birth, but an age (over 30)......"

Um, what? So we have to be over 30? Or did I just read that wrong? Isn't an adult over 18?

Final thought:
I don't mind paying a one time fee if I absolutely had to, although I really can't afford too seeing as how I have other bills. But some of the things they are doing are just stupid. You are forcing people to pay if they want to do things they like, like shooting sims, or dance in clubs that might allow "open" things even if that person isn't into that.

Heck they could easily just make it free! The only reason to charge us is to profit off of it! To quote them:
".....a Resident becomes verified. The entire process takes less than two minutes,...."
Well if it takes two minutes then why charge us? Is 2 minutes is such a breeze it certainly isn't worth $10 or more right? Unless your lying and your doing it for profit and it really isn't that easy for you guys. But then you could just admit that.

And BTW I am sure some people will say "No ones forcing you to pay!" Really? Well if I can't access 90% of what I play in then how do you suggest I get there? Oh yeah...PAY! So yes, in "virtual" way they are putting guns to the adults heads and saying:
"PAY because we know most of you want to play in the zones like this and we know your screwed if you don't and will lose business! Anyways we very well can't let you do it for free! We like Microsofts way of overcharging for products that do't work right!"

Its funny but point two, if you replace "intensely violent" with "sexually explicit" the argument is the exact same and yet elsewhere its being rubbished. Just an observation.

I completely agree with your points, as adults we should be capable of policing our own exposure to things we find offensive (to a large extent at least through avoiding areas where such content is likely to be found). However, thanks to unverified access to the grid it is now a problem to be addressed since it is a simple matter for a minor to gain access to the grid. I see no difference in preventing a minor from being exposed to sexual content or violent content and welcome the verification process if it is indeed for that purpose. Still fail to see the point of not making verification madatory for access to an 18+ grid in the first place but...

The 30+ was just an example of how data might be presented if you consented to it and I think its 10 Lindens not 10 USD at least for payment info on file peeps.

From today's more info blog entry from Daniel:

"We’ll keep less exact information as a way to allow Residents, if they should so choose, to share verified aspects of their identity with others in Second Life — ie, not an exact date of birth, but an age (over 30) and not a specific address, but a city and country. Such sharing will, of course, be completely voluntary. "

Unlike many, I have no great problem with providing the requested information for age verification and, as a premium member, don't feel paying L$10 or less (about 4 cents USD) is that big an issue.

However, if this is all about simply verifying that one is over the age of 18, then why does anyone in SL need to know that I'm a resident of Denver who's 52 years old, or even "over 30"? I assume the "voluntary" part of Danel's statement is a reference to voluntarily applying for age verification.

A decade ago, when I lived in a small town of about 150 people, my age and the name of the town would have been sufficient to out my RL name, address, and telephone number to anyone who can use Google.

"intensely violent"

Completely subjective and will be enforced inconsistently no doubt.

I understood it to mean that, if you choose to verify, you can also choose whether to share some of that verified information with SL as a whole, but you're not required to.

but a city and country <- blog

this will be public for every one to see, wich tbh is no one`s business

but a city and country <- blog

this will be public for every one to see, wich tbh is no one`s business

I hope, and even suspect, that you're correct that it is also.

I can read it both ways. Daniel takes such pains in both blog entries to explain the voluntary signing into the voluntary age verification so we can voluntarily visit content which has been voluntarily flagged adult .... I've become a bit lost determining the context of "voluntary" in the paragraph I quoted above.

Can't say I envy Daniel the job of writing the explanations of all this -- to explain and simultaneously reassure people like me who will read volumes of implications into seven or eight word sentences. I'd buy him a drink if I could, he could probably use one about now.

I'll owe him two drinks if he says "also."

Are you saying its $10 as in 10L? Because to me since this is not SL but a REAL world website they are talking about real money. When your in the real world you would say what currency it would cost you for instance:

"To verify its going to cost you $10L"

But they say (once again in short my words):

"To verify its going to cost you $10"

I just read that as 10 dollars. And as an American that just means U.S. dollars to me. As in 10 REAL dollars. Not 10 Lindens. If it was 10 lindens thats fine. Heck they could have 250 Lindens ($1). But they don't point out if they are referring to real money or Linden money. But one would assume they are referring to real money just like when you pay for your premium fee it doesn't say "yadda yadda Lindens" it says "yadda yadda $$$".

As for the adult thing, as in "sexual" stuff. I don't care if I see it or not. Its just someone else enjoying what they like. But I don't want to lose out on a zone that I like because an owner allows "anything" in his areas. Assuming I don't decide to verify my account. Of course if I do verify my account then I have no worries and could care less who has what in their areas! Be naked, be into bondage, I don't care! Just don't bug me with it!

Cut and paste (not retyped) from the first blog entry:

Do I have to pay for verification?
Premium Residents will access the verification system for a nominal fee (<L$10) as part of their subscription.


And from the second blog entry:

Premium accounts will pay a very nominal fee; less than L$10, perhaps just $L1.


In both entries, less than "L$10" , read as "ten linden dollars" -- not "$10" , ten dollars.

Also, from the first blog entry:

Premium Second Life Residents will have access to the identity verification system for a nominal Linden Dollar fee as part of their subscription.

Overly violent is what people are going to be if this company sells their Identity information to Corporations or Political Parties.

<i>"Premium Second Life Residents will have access to the identity verification system for a nominal Linden Dollar fee as part of their subscription."</i>

To me that just sounds like their saying if your a premium member you can get access to the system in the game and if your not you have to do it outside the game.

I'm unclear how to interpret from the blogs whether we would access the system from within or outside the game.

Regardless of the mechanics for access, all LL references to verification cost that I've seen -- in answer to your question in #8 above -- are denominated in Linden Dollars, not US Dollars.

Corporations and political parties already have my info and yours no need to worry they got all that stuff already


They probably know what your favourite chocolate bar is as well and what type of toilet paper you buy


I'm kinda thinking that people need to step back and look at the information already known about them. We all make transactions and paper trails every day

my cable company gives out my information to a marketing company in an effort to sell me "stuff"

I use coupons and vouchers and all kinds of items that require me to fill stuff out to get a rebait.

I spend an hour once a week cleaning the datamining software and junk out of my computer that tracks me


In short there is nowhere to hide this information is out there already people just dont know it and ignorance is always bliss I gave up on the illusion that I actually had privacy long ago. The only thing I tend to get my nickers in a twist about is blacklists and such things that destroy your reputation without any question of true guilt or not. There is more to be worried about from those you know around you then those you dont know. To the people out there who have never heard of your character or played with you ingame your really only a number in a huge file somwhere. Be more worried about the people closer to you as most crimes are commited by those who know you not those who dont know you.

Good question, I hope LL will be more clear on this.



LL are not a charity organisation, nor do you have some birthright to play in violent combat sims.

[

Also a good question.

[/i]

This is what is known as an 'example'. They simply mean that if you want to share part of your verified information in your profile, and your verified birthdate is for example 6 July 1975, your profile will show "over 30". And if your birthdate happens to be 6 july 1985, your profile will show "over 20" etc. All they are saying is that verified Residents get the option of sharing (among other info) their approximate age in their profile, not that your approximate age should be over 30.



They are forcing people to verify if they want to go to these places, and are asking for a minute share in the costs of verification. If you visit an adult website and your age is verified, you also pay for this. You just don't notice it, because the cost of verification is 'hidden' in the total access fee.



Sure, the company doing the verification is also a charity. Wake up, LL is going to have to pay to have people verified. Likely they will have to dole out a lot more than those symbolic 10 lindens or less they ask from you.



Don't be ridiculous. If I like to play WoW, I also have to pay for it. Does that mean the company that runs WoW 'puts a gun to my head'? Of course not. Playing WoW is neither a right nor a life necessity. It's a service I can pay for if I want to enjoy it. Please stop the drama queen routine, nobody is putting a gun to your head.

Maybe it's a typo for "violet". I'm going to throw out all my violet, purple, and mauve stuff before I'm perma-banned. You can't be too careful.

What about pink or blue? In some lights they can look intensely violet.

Well when i see a woman ( Japanese AVIE ) with a baseball bat stuck in her bottom swings back and forward I say this a overly violent and totally tastless and graphically sick example of it. More like a under 18 running it as well. Sick Just Sick!

Got some things that don't make sense:



Not sure what charity and birthright have to do with the game? Its a free game. So you should be able to do whatever you like we already are for free since its a "free" game.

And technically you do have the right to play "violent games". Once your 18(at least here in the US) you can buy violent games (well extremely violent games). So then I should have the same right in SL. I shouldn't have to pay for that right when I am an adult already. If they need to verify my age then do it, but don't charge me for it. Which leads me to....



I have never had any place ask me to pay to verify my age! Porn sites don't really do it. They just "expect" your old enough because you use a credit card. Like I said they are doing it from pure profit. And why? Know that I think about its because they game is glitchy that they know they can't make people pay monthly fees (forcefully anyways) so they now have to come up with ways to charge you once and awhile!

Anyways....if everything is "Free" and "charity" and "volunteer" as I read often about SL then they shouldn't be paying anyone. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of those three words?



Slightly diffrent there. Wow isn't free. If you don't pay for WOW you don't play period, no connection to anything. Just a installed game! If I don't pay for this I get stuck connecting to basically a bunch of places with mostly little kids! There telling you its a free game......as long as you pay to "be an adult". How stupid is that. Its not really free if you sink money into it to play like an adult like you are!

BTW even if I found no problems with what they said there would be one problem in general....

Fix the problems in the game and then you can talk money. Alot of people say "its free so you shouldn't complain!" If you get a free car and your wife and kids are driving in it and its engine screws up and they crash and die are you not going to complain? Thought so. And don't say "Well thats diffrent" It doesn't work diffrent ways.

This game is glitchy enough that it does effect more then just silly things in game. People have lost things that can't be replaced like actual money, made objects, avatars...etc. I seen someone that was working on a jet for months and one day they logged in and it was gone. They haven't been able to get it back. I heard stories of people that lost Lindens before. Heck I have! As a new person when I used the money trees I found a Golden Ticket and it said I would win $735 but I only got $100 something. Its not just like the game has minor problems.

And don't even get me started and the griefers. I am not talking the people that do simple cages or spawn a "texture" bubble that rains textures all over. I mean malicious grifers. Ones that teleport you under the land or can stretch your avatar or force you to crash by spawning 10,000 textures and sounds on your screen. Or how about the ones that you can't even explain what they do?

When you can fix this games MASSIVE problems you can expect me to pay for things like "verification" and not complain. Then I think its worth it.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH! I knew it, they're coming for me!

Anyway this age verification is more a matter of satisfying a legal requirement. It might not be fair or right or whatever, if it is required for SL to stay on the good side of legality we just will have to accept it.

And Usually on the web free things come with no support and no liability from the creator so you shouldn't expect much more than that if you see Sl as a free game.

This is where you go wrong. Your logic implies that if something is 'free', the users gain some permanent right to always use every aspect of it that they can think of. In fact the word 'free' does not imply such a right.

Compare it to a festival with free entrance. Getting in for free does not mean you don't have to pay for your beverages, and it also does not mean you can never be charged a fee for separate performances that take place. SL is free, meaning you can get into SL without paying. That doesn't mean LL loses the right to ever charge a fee for specific uses of SL. At this moment they don't charge that way, but they haven't lost that right.



First of all: even volunteer organisations have costs. Costs for working space, costs for third party services etc. So even if Linden Labs were a volunteer-run charity organisation, you would be dead wrong here. What do you expect, that LL just bats its pretty eyes and gets a paid service like age and identity verification for free? Second of all, LL is neither a charity organisation, nor is it being run by volunteers. It is a business that will initially lose money by implementing this verification, whether you pay them a lousy few pennies for it or not. Age verification is a business decision nonetheless: they risk losing even more if SL gets shut down because of minors running free in sexual environments. Which, by the way, would mean that you would lose more too. That way there wouldn't even be a Second Life to bitch about.

72 US$ per year membership.... 40US$ monthly tier.... Free game?

Morwen.

"IF"

I pay about 300$ a month to Linden labs personally, this comment was for peoples that see sl as a free game.