Virtual Reality & Porn; The Perfect Match?
Virtual reality, the latest technology craze, is without a doubt going to be one of the most disruptive technologies of our generation. With a projected worth of $150 billion by 2020 (combined with augmented reality technology), virtual reality is the next big thing in the world of tech, and it's here to stay. There are clear benefits for businesses too as well as individuals. Opace, a Birmingham based digital marketing agency have recently discussed how VR is going to transform the world of business and e-commerce. In an interview conducted with the Technical Director and Marketing Manager at Opace, they make some interesting points about future trends and the possibilities available through Virtual Reality:
"Virtual reality could change almost everything, it just takes someone like Palmer Luckey (Founder of Oculus) to grasp it, and you just need someone to try it first to set the change in motion. It's like that famous quote from Henry Ford that goes something like a hundred years ago if you'd asked people what kind of transport they wanted they would have said a faster horse. You need to show people what they want before they know that they want it."
When asked whether by 2040 we could have full-sensory virtual reality, Adam at Opace replied:
"This is definitely likely and not far-fetched at all. It won't be long before artificial limbs exceed default body limbs. Think of Moore's Law – the rate at which tech increases is getting faster and faster.
This was followed up by Rob, who said:
"I think it will happen faster. There will be more devs and more programmers working on it as it gets more popular. The Vive has only been out one month and while the tracked controllers are absolutely fantastic; the tech is already moving on beyond this with things like the Leap Motion controllers, allowing your actual hands and fingers to be tracked and visible in the virtual reality space."
Virtual reality wasn't taken seriously when it first made a comeback in 2011, but after Facebook snapped up Oculus who were the major players at the time, for $2 billion, it got heads turning. People began looking at how they could incorporate the technology into their daily lives and their businesses. Since 2011 we have seen potential uses for virtual reality, in website design and e-commerce for example, with the technology potentially even stretching as far as to cure those with mental health issues.
With 25% of all daily search engine requests being pornographically related, the porn industry is huge and contributes almost $100 billion to the global economy each year. It makes natural sense to try and match up one of the most progressive, immersive ways to view content, and one of the most widely viewed types of content. Below we examine just how virtual reality porn will work, as well as the potential benefits and disadvantages.
What will VRporn be like?
While many of those that have tried it have admitted it feels slightly weird at first, they agree that it is a highly immersive and realistic experience. With most companies opting for 180 degree points of view (POV) and a wide range of different porn experiences, it looks like there's going to be an almost limitless scope to what the virtual reality porn industry can achieve.
Raymond Wong, who tested out the technology on the Samsung Gear VR, said:
"I'm an advocate for all new technologies that push video mediums to the next level, and after trying out VR porn, I don't think anyone who experiences it will be able to go back to 2D porn. It's that realistic."
The porn industry, like any industry, has undergone changes and adaptions in its lifespan. While it started as a very profitable industry, piracy all-but killed this, and then free streaming porn sites dealt the final blow. The industry tried to adapt with 3D technology, spending plenty of money on things like XXX versions of Avatar, but these never pushed the industry forward. It seems like virtual reality can succeed where something like 3D technology has failed.
There are some misconceptions that virtual reality feels clunky, or that you can feel the weight of the headset too much, or that you can see the screen in front of you, but people that have tested the headsets are always surprised by how unfounded these misconceptions are. Virtual reality will only succeed if it is able to transport the user out of their situation and make them believe, at least partially, that they are somewhere else. And it seems like the technology, especially when integrated with porn, achieves this.
Todd Glider, the CEO of BaDoink, who has created what he calls the internet's
"#1 Virtual Reality porn site', has tested the technology, and said "We were shocked how good it was, really blown away at how immersive the experience was. It might be the next evolution in adult entertainment."
The advantages of Virtual Reality porn
The biggest advantage to the porn industry will be the new level of interactivity that users get with the content that they choose to view. Although 3D technology never really took off other than in cinemas, it allowed viewers to interact with new content differently to how they had been in previous years. Virtual reality will completely blow this out of the park, making users believe they're somewhere else. When it comes to fulfilling our deepest, darkest desires, this is the perfect solution. Some, such as feminist adult film maker Erika Lust, have also argued that virtual reality will make porn interesting and intimate again. She says that porn at the moment is:
"just mechanical sex made by men, for men: fake orgasms, tacky costumes...and zero narrative."
Looking to the future with VR
The disadvantages of Virtual Reality porn
But are there any disadvantages to this new level of immersion? There is no denying that the porn industry is going to progress the usage of virtual reality by a long shot. In many ways, porn is more appealable to a wider audience than something like gaming as everyone has sexual desires, but not everyone has the same desires to game. Some believe that:
"if virtual reality is going to take off, it's going to be on the wings of pornography."
Porn can push technologies to new heights, and was the first wide-spread service that brought streaming into people's homes; it wasn't services like Netflix.
But this wide-spread accessibility to porn is already causing problems, chiefly with the fact that it has been proven that there is a direct link between porn usage and erectile dysfunction in men. In 2002, a study found that just 2% of men under 40 suffered from this. Now, one in four men under forty are experiencing this problem, and porn is playing its part.
We condition our brains daily with the actions that we undertake, and porn use is no different. With the release of virtual reality porn, the temptation to have an almost life-like experience will increase ten-fold, but it still poses the issue that it's not actually real. Excessive use could further desensitise people's brains to real, intimate and passionate sex, especially if the virtual reality experience is cheap, tacky and not focused around any of these qualities.
Finding other ways to spice up your sex life
Porn is a great way to help you engage with your desires and release sexual frustration, and virtual reality will bring a new level of immersion for users. But, if used in the wrong way, this could lead to problems further down the line and destruction of otherwise healthy relationships. There are of course other ways to use technology to spice things up in the bedroom and engage more fully with your sexual desires while involving your partner as well. There are some great online adult stores offering a wide ranges of sex toys and gadgets to mix things up a little. I'm just as excited for virtual reality porn as others, but I just hope that people don't forget the importance of intimacy and passion once this new technology arrives! For more information on the future and applications of this amazing technology please visit: https://www.engadget.com/tag/virtualreality.
Image credit: Peter Hokor, Flickr Creative Commons
