Second Life is a virtual reality world that people use to meet others, create things, buy and sell items, work, try things they can’t in real life, and basically create lives that reflect their dreams.
One of the biggest dreams that many people have is to find a loving partner with whom they can connect on a deep level. In Second Life, this can include having deep and meaningful romantic and sexual relationships. This is such a popular hobby that some of the most visited places in Second Life are romantic clubs and hideaways.
But there are three things you shouldn’t do if you are considering dating someone, whether it’s for a long-term relationship or a late-night affair.
1. Don’t bother to verify the person’s age.
There is no way of knowing someone’s age from their avatar. A 12-year-old could walk in a fully grown-up looking avatar and a 50-year-old could be in a 4-year-old avatar. So how can you verify that the person is an adult and you are not about to commit pedophilia?
Right-click on the person’s avatar, go to Profile, and see if it has the words “Payment Information Used.” If they do, it means that the person has a credit card or other form of payment linked to their account. Although it is never 100% safe, in most cases this means that the person is an adult because most children do not have the ability to pay for their Second Life accounts.
Another way is to have a parcel of land that you have set up to only allow age verified adults to enter. The Second Life age verification option is not visible in the person’s profile, but they cannot enter a package whose age is only verified. However, most people in Second Life never bother to verify their age in Second Life. I never bothered to do it myself. And if the person did not record payment information in their account, which is free and easy to do, they are less likely to fail to age verification. However, if you are serious about someone, you can always ask them to do the payment and age verification so you can rest easy. If they are serious with you, they will be happy to do so.
2. Don’t verify your gender in real life.
I was quite surprised to find that the majority of Second Life players are male. Someone gave me an estimate of 80% male and 20% female. There is no way I can verify these numbers, but I know that there are men walking like women and women walking like men. I myself have met two men who were women in real life.
You might think that this is not important as long as the role play is accurate and you are not the only one who feels this way. But many people would not like to fall in love with a man and then find out he was a woman, or make love to a woman and find out later that she was a man in real life.
If the other person’s gender really matters to you, then there is a possible way to verify their gender in real life. Request voice verification.
You can ask the person directly if they are willing to verify their gender through voice. If they say no, then it’s up to you to go ahead and date them or not. However, keep in mind that there are voice generators that will change the person’s voice from male to female or female to male.
3. Not following your instincts.
Last but not least, don’t ignore your instincts!
Like any situation in real life, your online experience will give you feedback that will trigger red flags and green flags at you. If something doesn’t feel right, then it isn’t. If something feels good, it is probably correct.