I recently read an article about RedLightCenter.COM, a typically seedy virtual reality game involving the typical things you'd expect from its users: sex, drugs, and socializing. This is nothing new or surprising to me. Games are something you do to get away... to "unwind" and be or do something you wouldn't normally do in the real world. Being an avid gamer myself, I've encountered several "worlds" like this where the main objective is to meet random people, have random virtual sex, and move on to the next random player that comes along. Sure, there are people who make more of it than that... but most of the people I've encountered all have the same one-track mind.

However...

Quoted from the Technology Review:

"But Red Light Center caters to other pleasures, or vices, too. Starting today, you'll be able to use your PC to enter a virtual rave and take virtual ecstasy, smoke a virtual joint, and even munch on some virtual mushrooms. The target market is illegal-drug virgins who want to find out what's going on without upsetting their brain chemistry (or risking failing a drug test)."

As a recent fan of the virtual reality game Second Life, where drugs are as easy to get as a carton of milk, I can see where the appeal of taking an "illicit drug" online is. Just to, you know... see how you'd "react". However... virtual reality or not, I don't understand how you could possibly simulate the way a drug would affect you. At least, not accurately. I have seen first hand the effects of these "virtual drugs", and I have to say... not accurate in the least. If anything, it is simply very entertaining watching the supposed "user" hallucinate purple bunnies for half an hour.

I do have to commend RedLightCenter for its attempts at drug education and harm reduction, though. However ridiculous it may seem to ME, I'm sure there are some people out there who would love to see how a drug would "affect them" before they actually give it a try.

Again, quoted from the Technology Review interview with Brian Shuster, CEO of the website's parent company:

Technology Review: Why do you believe that virtual drugs will make people less likely to experiment with drugs in real life?

Brian Shuster: First drug use rarely occurs in a vacuum. Rather, it is a social phenomenon brought on by peer pressure. In a virtual environment, the pressure shifts from trying actual drugs to experimenting with virtual drugs. Thus, users have a safe platform to explore the social aspects of drug use, without having to risk doing the actual drugs.

Fascinating, no? I can't wait to see how this experiment pans out.