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upstart writes:

The metaverse has a groping problem already:

Katherine Cross, who researches online harassment at the University of Washington, says that when virtual reality is immersive and real, toxic behavior that occurs in that environment is real as well. "At the end of the day, the nature of virtual-reality spaces is such that it is designed to trick the user into thinking they are physically in a certain space, that their every bodily action is occurring in a 3D environment," she says. "It's part of the reason why emotional reactions can be stronger in that space, and why VR triggers the same internal nervous system and psychological responses."

That was true in the case of the woman who was groped on Horizon Worlds. According to The Verge, her post read: "Sexual harassment is no joke on the regular internet, but being in VR adds another layer that makes the event more intense. Not only was I groped last night, but there were other people there who supported this behavior which made me feel isolated in the Plaza [the virtual environment's central gathering space]."

Sexual assault and harassment in virtual worlds is not new, nor is it realistic to expect a world in which these issues will completely disappear. So long as there are people who will hide behind their computer screens to evade moral responsibility, they will continue to occur.

The real problem, perhaps, has to do with the perception that when you play a game or participate in a virtual world, there's what Stanton describes as a "contract between developer and player." "As a player, I'm agreeing to being able to do what I want in the developer's world according to their rules," he says. "But as soon as that contract is broken and I'm not feeling comfortable anymore, the obligation of the company is to return the player to wherever they want to be and back to being comfortable."

The question is: Whose responsibility is it to make sure users are comfortable? Meta, for example, says it gives users access to tools to keep themselves safe, effectively shifting the onus onto them.

Original Submission