Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide Magazine - June 2015 | Page 72

MORE THAN A GAME: GENDER BENDING Journalist: HillarySwift Resident There are probably no accurate statistics available on precisely what sex the user behind each avatar is in Second Life (SL). A moment’s reflection would soon show that it is too easy to sign up with a sex other than the user’s real one and users often operate more than one avatar, none of which may correspond to their actual real life (RL) sex. Some estimates, usually derived from user experiences, are that around 70% of users that use female avatars are in fact males, for example. A far fewer number of females operate male avatars. 72 NU VIBEZ & ROLEPLAY GUIDE MAGAZINE It is impossible to know these proportions precisely. But it is certain that some avatars, and perhaps many more than one might imagine, are not the same sex as the person pressing the keys. If you are a regular user of SL you may already have met avatars that you have discovered are not the same sex as the human in RL operating them. You may occasionally see a profile, often the profile of a female avatar, that provides reassurance of the corresponding sex of the human, sometimes saying they have been voice verified, or even verified by cam (using camera). Such verification is usually needed for escort services or other adult services and activities in SL. Verification is also need for age purposes in those instances.