Woman claims she was "virtually groped" by a gang of male avatars in Meta's metaverse

submitted by CleverFoolOfEarth from businessinsider.com

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[–]StillLessons 7 insightful - 3 fun7 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 3 fun -  (7 children)

I can see this both ways.

In real life, this assault never happened. Once the woman took off her headset and reconnected with the physical world around us (the real world, though the makers of and players in these games are losing touch with what this means), nothing happened. She is free to go about her business, never play this game again, and rejoin life. This "meta" universe is the purest distraction, nothing more. Leave it behind, and it becomes the fantasy, hollowness, and emptiness it has always been, since day one.

From the other side, however, these "virtual" environments allow us to see a side of people they usually keep hidden. To that extent, this woman just got a very real lesson on what's "really going on" inside of the minds of these other players. They exposed themselves for and her to the base evil that lurks just beneath the surface of so many faces we see around us daily. I can see how it is traumatic for her to learn that this is who lies behind the mask so many wear in the world.

It's "just a game", but isn't it incredible how games end up reflecting the reality of how our population is behaving socially. This should not be ignored. The behavior of the players in this game tells us that they will do the same thing they "virtually" did in the game in the physical world if they are given the chance to get away with it. Look at the behavior of too many soldiers in large scale wars throughout human history.

We have not really evolved at all during the history of our species.

[–]AXXA 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (6 children)

Are conversations that occur on the telephone not real life? If I threaten you on the phone am I not threatening you in real life? Do the ramifications of those threats disappear once you hang up the phone?

[–]Pomegranate 8 insightful - 4 fun8 insightful - 3 fun9 insightful - 4 fun -  (2 children)

If I punch you over the phone am I not punching you in real life? If we're playing a game in a virtual space (as this woman was) and I kill your character, did you die in real life?

[–]Tiwaking 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Pomegranate 1 insightful - 0 fun - 33 minutes ago If I punch you over the phone am I not punching you in real life?

If people could punch each other over The Internet then the world would be a violence enriched bloody mess.

[–]StillLessons 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Good questions. You've got me thinking for sure.

It's remarkable how many layers of complexity our modern communications network now involves.

The reason I sense less threat in this "metaverse" example than a telephone call is the assumption of anonymity. Getting a person's telephone number is - if that person is careful about not allowing that information out - not that easy to do. If someone gets my phone number and knows who they are talking to on my end of the line, that tells me they know enough about me in the real world that they can become a physical presence and a physical threat in my life. In the example here, I am assuming - perhaps incorrectly, always a danger - that the "avatars" who "assaulted" her character had zero idea who the person they were treating this way was. In their mind, this was "just a game", not connected to their real world.

In the telephone example, the intention is to communicate a message to the physical person. I don't think that applies in this case without further clarification that her "attackers" actually are connected to her by more than just randomly being on the game at the same time she was, with none of them personally identified.

[–]AXXA 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

You've got me thinking for sure.

likewise

[–]Antarchomachus 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think you get to the heart of an important distinction, appreciate you making this point so clearly.