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Pregnancy In Second Life 56

Posted by Zonk from the your-ebabydaddy dept.
An anonymous reader writes "SF Weekly newspaper sent a (male) writer to get pregnant in Second Life, to find out how it works. The article is the first installment in a three-part series." From the piece: "For $3,500 in Lindens (about $12 US), I could buy the pregnancy kit and get knocked up. I had the cash, so I made up my mind: without much fanfare -- without a partner or even a nurse and a turkey baster -- I bought the kit and got started. I tacked on a body shape that bumped out my stomach to a late-first-trimester size, making me a little more kettle-shaped. Then I switched on the UPA, or 'ULTIMATE Pregnancy Attachment' (emphasis theirs)."
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Pregnancy In Second Life

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  • And who says only weirdos play MMOs?!

  • Yippee (Score:3, Funny)

    by JL-b8 ( 862188 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:53AM (#15121582)
    Now women *AND* men can even ruin their 'online' lives without even having to sleep with a drunk trucker!

  • And much drama abounds (Score:5, Informative)

    by jandrese ( 485 ) <kensama@vt.edu> on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:58AM (#15121641) Homepage Journal
    This is new on Slashdot, but it's been around in SL for some time now. The only problem: some of the dealers were a bit shady and as a result there are big hundred post long flamewars on the forums about the whole concept. It's basically just an RP thing, although some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing.

    The whole thing sounds dumb to me, but hey, SL is a big RP environment and if people want to RP being pregnant and having a baby, that's not my concern.

    • Re:And much drama abounds (Score:5, Insightful)

      by kabir ( 35200 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @01:26PM (#15122530)

      some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing.


      Yeah, 'cause nothing makes people want kids more than virtual pregnancy... certainly not seeing all the happy families at the park, or sheer biological drive to procreate, or constant societal pressure to reproduce. Nah, it's those pernicious video game pregnancy kits that make people want babies.

      *sigh*

      If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it. I'm confused. While you're at it I really don't get the whole video-games-are-the-devil thing either.
      • If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it.

        Personally, I think the people are terrified of homosexuality for one or more of the following reasons:

        1. Some people hate it because they've been brought up to believe it's bad/evil.
        2. Some people hate it because they've had homosexual feelings but can't reconcile it with #1.
        3. Some people hate it because homosexuals are the whipping people du jour.

        • Re:And much drama abounds (Score:5, Insightful)

          by SatanicPuppy ( 611928 ) <Satanicpuppy.gmail@com> on Thursday April 13, 2006 @02:27PM (#15123060) Journal
          I'm a big believer in #4. The right uses them as a big scary enemy to keep their voting block in line, attributing to them dark motives, and evil agendas, and basically dehumanizing the hell out of them.

          If there were no homosexuals, they'd pick a race or a sex, or a religion, but the propaganda would be the same. It's a way of playing on the baser instincts of man that politicians and religious leaders have been using to their advantage for as long as there have been politicians and religious leaders.
          • If there were no homosexuals, they'd pick a race or a sex, or a religion, but the propaganda would be the same.

            Already been done:

            Race: Africans, Asians, etc.
            Sex: Women, of course.
            Religion: Islam, Buddism, Confucism, etc.

            I'm expecting the haters to hate extra-terrestrial life when we find it.
        • You forgot
          • some people hat it because they don't see it as natural no matter how many examples you want to throw at them
          • some people people hate it because thier religion has told you it is bad
          • some people hate it because historicaly, homosexuals cannot naturaly reproduce and therefore taking away from a vital defenses of civilizations. At one time you needed to populate the city in order to have enougg wariers to defend it.
          • some people hate it because back in the day of having children as a workforce on t

      • You ask: If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it.

        I am not terrified of homosexuals, nor do I think "terror" is the proper adjective for those branded "anti-gay"

        I do not sleep with my friends, so the issue rarely comes up.

        When I discover that someone is gay, I promptly remind them that I don't care what they do with their genetalia.

        When I discover that someone is straight, I promptly rem

      • If anybody can explain to me why so many folks seem to be terrified of homosexuality even though it has roughly zero impact on their lives I'd appreciate it.

        This is because the reasoning that so many folks operate under is the Christian one. I give you now the example of Sodom and Gomorrah [wikipedia.org], cities destroyed by God for their sins, which allegedly include homosexuality. The conservative Christians are afraid that letting homosexuality run rampant is going to bring down the wrath of God upon them and their cit

    • Re:And much drama abounds (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @02:47PM (#15123274)
      "although some people are apparently worried out of their mind that same sex couples will have virtual babies and get a taste for the real thing."

      Does that mean that the ol' flour bag trick done by most high schools encourages teen pregnancy?
      • I wouldn't be surprised to hear that argument. I mean this is no doubt the same camp that believes that Sex Ed promotes promiscuity and that the only thing schools should do is hand out a pamphlet that says "Sex is evil, don't think about it until you're married."
        • Yeah, 'cuz that whole unit my sex ed class did on all the different kinds of STDs made me really want to go out and have random sex with people I don't know RIGHT AWAY.

          • Yeah, 'cuz that whole unit my sex ed class did on all the different kinds of STDs made me really want to go out and have random sex with people I don't know RIGHT AWAY.

            But did the other stuff make you want to go out and have sex with people you do know?

            Obviously you had some impresions about STDs and sex with people you don't know or you wouldn't have placed the "with people I don't know" in there. Most teen sex are with people who know each other.

            Actually , In my day, they seperatedthe boy and girls, we

      • nope, incourages baking.... mmmm. biscuits

  • The logical next step (Score:5, Funny)

    by TubeSteak ( 669689 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:00PM (#15121670) Journal
    is to create an online Social Services.

    After all, who's going to arrest parents that abuse their online children?
    • And if you don't pay attention to your virtual kid at regular intervals, feed him and clean up after him ...

      It's Tamagotchi all over again!

      Now, if you could just script the kid's upbringing.

  • All it needs... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Zephyros ( 966835 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:02PM (#15121701)
    ...is an alarm that goes off at night, forcing you to log in and take care of it.

  • huh? (Score:5, Funny)

    by MyLongNickName ( 822545 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:02PM (#15121707) Journal
    I looked up the definition of pregnancy, and found something about intercourse. What is this strange concept? I think it has to do with a city in Pennsylvania, but fail to see the connection. Can anyone help?

    Why yes, I do use Linux exclusively. Why do you ask?

  • You know whats next... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Subgenius ( 95662 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:24PM (#15121927) Homepage
    Online abortion clinics, right-to-second-lifers, the whole bit. Should be fun to watch (and gum up the works....)..

  • interesting (Score:3, Interesting)

    by minus_273 ( 174041 ) <aaaaaNO@SPAMSPAM.yahoo.com> on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:39PM (#15122069) Journal
    never played second life, are you allowed to kill people? how are e-abortions treated?
    • how are e-abortions treated? I would assume spawn-camping is frowned upon.

    • Re:interesting (Score:4, Interesting)

      by A Cheese Danish ( 576077 ) <nala,galatea&gmail,com> on Thursday April 13, 2006 @01:02PM (#15122292) Homepage Journal
      Yes, you can "kill" people with the right weapon, but the land your avatar is over has to have damage enabled in order for it to have any effect. Even then, when you die, it means you get teleported to your set home point. That's it. No loss of anything for death.

      As far as e-abortions, the babies as I know them are fashioned out of prims (the building blocks of SL) and scripted to make certain motions or sayings, kinda like an advanced dolly that pees, cries, poops its diaper or whatever else the creator designed into it. Tossing these things is akin to tosing any other object in SL. In other words, like taking out the garbage.

      Also on that note, I've known a couple of people go through the whole pregnancy thing. Some do it because they are unable to have chlidren in real life. Some do it to bring their partner closer. Some do it for companionship. Some do it for fun. One person I knew was pregnant for a month, and then abruptly went back to normal. Their response was that they had broken up with their partner and had no more reason to have a baby.

      It's all RP though. Take it for what you will.

      • Re:interesting (Score:3, Interesting)

        by jcostantino ( 585892 )

        One person I knew was pregnant for a month, and then abruptly went back to normal. Their response was that they had broken up with their partner and had no more reason to have a baby.

        Ouch, better in a simulation than in real life.

        I gave SL a try a few years ago when it was in beta, it was neat, I did stuff... The only problem (at least then, I suppose it still is now) was that EVERYONE was out making a buck trying to sell you a book or some other stupid crap. It's like the entire game's pretense was i

  • Whispering tummies isn't the half of it... (Score:3, Funny)

    by AdamTrace ( 255409 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @12:55PM (#15122231)
    Yes, if you can make a body part that can "whisper" out loud, giving various status updates and whatnot, you can be sure that it isn't limited to mommy's tummy... There are all sorts of "naughty bit" attatchments that will happily tell you their level of moisture, rigidity, or excitement at all hours of the day.

    It's the weirdest thing ever.

  • Just emailed my boyfriend.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by tokengeekgrrl ( 105602 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @02:49PM (#15123298)
    subject: I want to have a baby...

    body: ...in Second Life.
    [link to article]

    Are you awake now?

    [eom]

    That must have gaven him a momentary heart attack.

    hee hee hee

    - tokengeekgrrl
  • ... in an online fantasy game. We where thinking of having children but that would have severely drained my power crystals.
  • The linked article is part one of a three part series, but the other two parts haven't been written yet, so it leave me feeling that the story is a bit to premature to link to at this point.

    But, then again, it could just be "duped" later, I suppose.
  • OK, there you get your baby, but, it's only a bot right? It's not a player who would "spawn" as a baby? (I know, the answer lies within TFA, but who will dare to go...)

    What I mean is that it's kind of dumb, it's all about people interacting with people, and you're gonna "raise" a damn Tamagochi? It should at least be children SLers spawning as babies...

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