A safe and welcoming environment for everyone. But how difficult it is to believe in words and actions. Meta is trying this out for its Horizon Worlds, a free online game in the virtual reality category, with an integrated game creation system developed and published by Meta Platforms for Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest 2.
Meta is expanding the types of content allowed in virtual worlds that people create Horizon WorldsIts platform allows people to create VR spaces for shared experiences.
Its company Mark Zuckerberg Added an 18+ tag for user-created worlds, while also updating its policy to allow creators to include “mature” content that was previously banned outright.
More freedom in Horizon Worlds, but no porn
According to UploadVR, creators who posted worlds received an email saying they had to manually flag their worlds as mature or safe for all viewers; Otherwise, it will be restricted to 18 years and above by default.
Based on the Wayback Machine archive from Meta’s Horizon Mature Worlds policy page, the tag appears to be one step ahead in its evolution. Of course there are still restrictions, it’s not that easy.
In fact, if you mark your term as adult, you can include “sexually suggestive” content, such as “an environment focused on near nudity, depictions of people in intimate or deceptive positions, or overly suggestive activity”. However, you can’t wear well rounded; “Nudity, depictions of people in conspicuous positions, or sexually suggestive or suggestive content or worlds” are still prohibited
The same goes for controlled substances and violence. You may “dedicate or focus on the promotion of marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, or age-restricted activities, but you may not promote illegal drugs or prescription drug abuse.” And while you can have “intense or overly violent fictional content” with blood and gore “that may shock or disturb users,” you can’t show real-life violence.
For a company that sees Metaverse moderation as fundamental to its success, Meta is certainly making room for issues that arise with creators looking to push boundaries.
Aiming for a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, Meta also introduced a system that, by default, prevents other users from getting too close to their avatars, after complaints that people simulated sexual harassment during the game’s beta version.
A feature has also been introduced that lets you mute people’s voices if you’re not friends with them, which can help avoid harassment in virtual public spaces. All in the name of security, majesty.
