In just seven years, virtual reality porn is forecast to be a $1 billion business, according to a report by Market Research Engine. If this happens, it would make the VR porn world the third-biggest virtual-reality sector, just after video games and NFL-related content.
But what’s driving this insane growth momentum for an industry that launched just couple years ago?
Well, for one thing, technology is advancing at mind-blowing speeds, and it’s paving the way for consumers to get VR headsets all the more regularly. And according to the Market Research Engine report, the only thing holding back this explosive growth is the expense of VR pricey cameras.
In other words, there isn’t any shortage of demand for this industry. But we think that would change if people truly understood the facts.
A Real Experience with VR Porn
Needless to say, the prospect of virtual reality porn is definitely concerning to those who know the harms of pornography and that sex is healthiest when it’s with a real person, not some alternate reality hologram type world.
It is even more concerning to those who understand the massive negative effects this could have on human sexuality and intimate, interpersonal relationships. When this powerful technology is coupled with porn, the brain (and body) is literally being tricked into thinking it is having a real sexual experience. Kinda creepy, right?
Related: Leading Virtual Reality Company Announces Firm Stance Against VR Porn
Not too long ago, gamer blog Kotaku (link has triggering content) posted an article from one of its writers titled, ‘I Tried V.R. Porn, And It Was Weird.’ The author of the article, Nathan Grayson, gives about his real experience with virtual reality porn:
She got close. Really close. If she were a real person, we’d have been nose-to-nose. It was weirdly uncomfortable. My brain—only partially aware that what it was experiencing wasn’t real—surged its synapses with mixed signals, ones usually reserved for awkward encounters with actual humans. “Who is this person? You just met her. Why is she right in your face? Please step back please step back please step back she’s not stepping back. Why can’t you step back?” I could count the moments of eye contact in eternities, it felt so awkward.
Isn’t that crazy? And super unnatural? Even unhealthy? What would our world be like if people never had to leave their house to have a (seemingly) intimate “human” encounter? What would that do to the natural and nurtured barriers of what is acceptable when interacting with a real human being? What would it be like to interact sexually with something that couldn’t interact back, and then go back to being with a real human partner?
Related: As Sex Robots Become A Reality, Here’s Why They’re Dangerous For Society
But thankfully, not all VR companies are jumping on the porn bandwagon.
The Void Isn’t Cool With VR Porn
A groundbreaking virtual reality company is speaking out against pornography and publicly declaring their stance as an organization that will never facilitate any sort of adult/pornographic content in their work. How cool is that?
THE VOID is a virtual reality group that is leading the world in a new form of immersive entertainment. By putting together a combination of physical environments with real-time interactive effects and virtual reality headsets, the company is on the forefront of combining digital and physical worlds. This allows participants to not only watch movies or play games, but to live in them.
It’s kind of hard to explain, so we’ll just show you. Watch the video below to get the full effect:
Pretty cool, right? With THE VOID quickly becoming one of the world’s leaders in virtual reality entertainment, they reached out to Fight the New Drug to declare their stance against porn and go public with the announcement that they will never support the fast-growing trend of virtual reality pornography.
“Porn is going to happen with at-home VR but not at our place,” Ken Bretschneider told Fight the New Drug. Ken is the CEO of THE VOID, and is committed to keeping his company porn-free. “We’ve got more than enough worlds to create that are based off telling stories and we think that’s what’s going to be engaging for people. Our audience is looking for immersive experiences that include action, adventure, fantasy, horror, science-
While the unbelievable amount of money to be made in pornography tempts most organizations in this day and age, Bretschneider isn’t taking the bait.
Related: Popular VR Porn Site Offers “Sex Therapy,” And We Can’t Believe This Is Real
“Many from our industry have suggested that THE VOID would do well by including porn as part of our content, and some even say we won’t survive unless we do,” he says. “Everybody asks us if we’re going to create porn because they think there is so much money to be made, and I’m just here to say that there is so much money to be made without doing porn too.”
Founders Curtis Hickman, Ken Bretschneider, and James Jensen supporting the Fight the New Drug movement at THE VOID Headquarters
Why This Matters
We don’t think it’s cool to bottle up and prepackage something as meaningful and important as sex into a “virtual experience.” But regardless of opinion, science has already shown that this new world of virtual reality porn will have some serious real-life effects in people’s relationships and interactions.
And that’s why we’re speaking out. You with us?
What YOU Can Do
Show support for THE VOID and congratulate them for going public with this decision. SHARE this article to raise awareness on the harms of VR porn!
Spark Conversations
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