June 12, 2007 by Nobody Fugazi
No, I didn't think so. This morning, I read the press release about Playboy's presence in Second Life. Of course, I immediately thought of the catch-phrase 'broadly offensive', but come on - it's Playboy! Who will complain about Playboy? Then recollections of being unable to get copies of Playboy while I was in the Navy came to mind. But then... I'm a member of the Moral Majority Group, so I should be immune.
Very confusing. But Playboy's a great magazine, and I actually appreciated it more when the staples were replaced with the binding. So, I did what I always do when confused. I emailed the Playboy representative and asked her a few questions. Theresa M. Hennessey, Publicity Director for Playboy, was quite helpful. The image you see came from Playboy. I got the bunny! I got the bunny!
She told me that there wouldn't be any nudity on Playboy Island. That's actually kind of refreshing - there are plenty of places where one can see nude avatars, and it becomes boring after a while. What will be there? Here's what Therese said:
Playboy's Island will be a celebration of the Playboy brand, and SL residents will be able to experience the fun, young, sexy and iconic Playboy lifestyle. To start, there will be a virtual Playboy Store which will include merchandise from our real world catalogs and ecommerce sites. This includes Playboy branded apparel - lingerie, t shirts, fashion items. Second Life residents will be able to purchase the real world apparel and be able to deck out their Second Life avatars with the same apparel. Second Life is all about self expression and we think having sexy and hip Playboy apparel and products within SL will be very compelling for residents.
The store has a very cool, nightclub feel to it--the top floor features lounge space where users can hang out and watch bands perform, preview some of Playboy's products and videos, and socialize/mingle with other Playboy fans. The beachfront portion of Playboy Island will feature Playboy-branded lounge chairs, towels and surfboards for visitors' use. The island will be in the shape of the famous Playboy Rabbit Head.
As the island develops, users will be able to experience Playboy's broadband and lifestyle content as well. Over time, we plan on adding many more elements to the island that are unique to Playboy.
I, for one, will celebrate some more clothing options for men in SecondLife. Honestly, Yoda hasn't changed his g-string in a while and he's due for a bikini-wax. But seriously, this does sound like an interesting presence. I'm somewhat surprised that the marketing gurus are out there yodeling... maybe they're gunshy? I'm not. I remember when I tilted my first centerfold in an attempt to see something not viewable (toenails, of course. Geez.)
I'd asked about mixing content of Playboy with SecondLife - the response was:
We don't have any plans at the moment to publish a SL edition of the magazine but anything is possible!
Might be refreshing to have some tasteful stuff in SL. The rags I've seen just are so below the bar that it takes a fifth of tequila to get them out the door.
But my most pressing question was, "Will we be able to steal bathrobes?"
Sadly, Ms. Hennessey's response was:
The bathrobes will be hard to get out of the store but maybe the Rabbit Head towels on the beachfront portion of the Island? :)
OK. Count me in for the towel, but I was considering the bathrobe and pipe look. I suppose I can't have everything... but I'm going to grow my moustache to twist it while plotting to get a bathrobe. We all need goals, you know?
I'm going to sneak over right now. I'm afraid to rez anything anyway.
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Vint Falken has a short and sweet summary.
http://www.vintfalken.com/the-irony-playboy-launches-in-second-life/
Hustler!
Uh oh, here comes Larry Flynt next. I bet there will be some red flags raised when he arrives, but of course he'll sue and win. ;)
I was thinking the same thing!
But I think Hustler would be at a disadvantage in SL. Plenty of other folks going at it at that level (pun was unintentional).
Honestly - I'm surprised the porn companies weren't the first one here. I had an interesting IM with a friend who said Playboy was porn... and I disagreed. Maybe my concept of porn isn't quite the same as a few other people...
The Bunny Head shape is
The Bunny Head shape is pretty sweet. I'll have to check it out inworld.
Yeah, it is
I didn't get to see much of the island with the grid instability and 77 avatars on the island. I have to go back.
Well, I got there...
but the sim was cranked up to 80 avatars max, I guess - too laggy for me to get anywhere. I did say hello to Zoey, and that was the extent of it.
I'll have to raid the bathrobes another time.
For those of you looking to get there - just search for 'Playboy' on the map.
Darn. Can't Teleport.
Just another day in paradise. Without a bathrobe.
Well Done Post
Nobody,
That was one of the more thoughtful posts yet on Playboy and SL. I love how you tied your personal feelings towards the brand and put it a hilarious spin on it via your writing. Also, kudos to you for contacting Theresa. She's a great person and the fact that they happily responded to a blogger means that they have their pulse on media better than anybody.
Sorry about the rez problems. We put the high at 82 which was the breaking point. Funny thing is that after Doubledown Tandino finished up the sim crashed within 10 minutes when only 40 people were on the sim. Linden blamed an "avatar collision". Sounds so sci-fi doesn't it and it's the last answer I would have expected. I think they feel we're dumb and that "avatar collision" sounds so cool that we'll have no problem with a sim crash. HA
Marc AKA MSGiro Grosso
Thanks
It seemed like a touchy topic so the best thing to do with a touchy topic is have some fun with it... tastefully.
As far as the sim - yeah, I think the asset server did you in. If the server hamsters weren't trying to get on Playboy island to steal towels, it probably would have been ok.
Lesson: Give the hamsters some towels early. :-)
Even though it's been a year, I still have to ask -
Did the sim boast any ads(which my grandfather explained to be the true allure of this publication)? Very interesting to see this article a year later and observe the various stylistic differences.
I'll note that when I was the US Army, Playboy magazines were as easily obtained as MREs. Soldiers like their ads. I can't say the same for Chili mac. Blech.
Nope
no ads.
And when I was in the Navy and working with our beloved Jarheads, we didn't have access to the wonders of Playboy in the commissary or exchange thanks to the officers wives' club.
Second Life Consultant