定制完美情人？當虛擬現(xiàn)實走進色情產(chǎn)業(yè)

In early 2014, Ela Darling, 31, a pornographic actress, recorded her first virtual reality sex scene. She was in a college dorm room at the University of Maryland dressed in an R2-D2 swimsuit and high athletic socks. She sat on a twin bed, next to a wooden desk, and spoke to the camera as if it were a real person. There was no story line and no other actors.

2014年初，31歲的色情演員艾拉·達林(Ela Darling)錄制了她的第一個虛擬現(xiàn)實性愛場景。當時，她在馬里蘭大學(University of Maryland)的一間學生宿舍里，穿著R2-D2泳裝和長筒運動襪。她坐在單人床上，旁邊有一張木桌，她對著鏡頭說話，把鏡頭當成一個真人。沒有故事情節(jié)，也沒有其他演員。

“It was a solo masturbation scene,” she said. “I was coy and flirty and then a little bit dirty. I felt sexy as hell.”

“那是一場單人表演的自慰戲，”她說。“我故作嬌羞，十分撩人，然后也有點下流。我覺得自己性感爆了。”

Darling had been filming pornography since she was 22 and took her job seriously. It was her responsibility to convince audiences to connect with her physically and emotionally. She tried everything, including acting out bondage fetishes, performing erotic electrostimulation (“electrosex”) on another woman and dressing as a real estate agent. Yet no matter what she did to entice and engage, the results had always been voyeuristic, since there was always a screen separating her and her fans.

從22歲起開始拍攝色情片的達林，對這份工作是很用心的。確保觀眾在身體和情感上與她聯(lián)系在一起是她的責任。她嘗試了一切方法，包括表演捆綁性虐，對另一個女人進行性愛電刺激(“電性”)，以及裝扮成地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人。然而，不管她如何引誘，如何努力與觀眾建立聯(lián)系，結果總是更像滿足窺淫欲，因為總有一個屏幕將她和粉絲們隔開。

This time, though, was different. Virtual reality uses many camera lenses to record the same scene from hundreds of angles. When the takes are stitched together, the viewer gets a 180- or 240-degree view of the room and the feeling that he or she is there, participating. As soon as Darling viewed the scene she recorded, she knew virtual reality would be a sea change to her job and the adult-entertainment industry.

不過，這一次情況有所不同。虛擬現(xiàn)實使用很多鏡頭從數(shù)百個角度記錄同一個場景。將這些畫面結合到一起后，觀眾能以180度或240度觀看一個房間，感覺自己就在那里，置身其中。達林一看到自己錄制的場景，就知道虛擬現(xiàn)實將給她的工作和成人娛樂業(yè)帶來天翻地覆的變化。

“You can pretend like you are in the bedroom with me, and it is someone you have a crush on,” she said. “You are in the experience.”

“你可以假裝和我在同一個臥室里——和你迷戀的對象在一起，”她說，“你可以參與體驗。”

While virtual reality pornography may feel like something out of a science fiction movie, it already has a formidable, if underground, presence. According to the website Pornhub, views of VR pornography are up 275 percent since it debuted in summer 2016. Now the site is averaging about 500,000 views. (On Christmas Day in 2016, this number shot up to 900,000.)

虛擬現(xiàn)實色情作品可能給人感覺像是科幻電影中的東西，然而，盡管還談不上主流，它已經(jīng)形成了強大的力量。據(jù)Pornhub網(wǎng)站稱，自2016年夏季首次推出以來，虛擬現(xiàn)實色情片的瀏覽量已經(jīng)上升了275%?，F(xiàn)在，該網(wǎng)站的日均瀏覽量約為50萬次(2016年的圣誕節(jié)猛增至90萬次)。

By 2025, pornography will be the third-largest VR sector, according to estimates by Piper Jaffray, an investment and management firm. Only video games and NFL-related content will be larger, it predicted, and the market will be worth $1 billion.

據(jù)投資和管理公司派杰(Piper Jaffray)估計，到2025年，色情行業(yè)將成為第三大虛擬現(xiàn)實產(chǎn)業(yè)。據(jù)該公司預測，唯一能超過它的將是電子游戲以及與美國國家橄欖球聯(lián)盟(NFL)相關的內容，它的市場規(guī)模將達到10億美元。

“We’re getting more and more of it every day,” said Mark Kernes, a senior editor at AVN Media Network, which covers the industry. “We are leading the technology in this area. Sex sells, and where there is money to be made, there will be entrepreneurs who want to adopt it and make money from it,” some by offering it for free to increase clicks.

報道該行業(yè)的AVN Media Network的高級編輯馬克·克恩斯(Mark Kernes)說，“我們每天都在收到更多信息。我們在引領這一領域的技術。性能賺錢——只要有錢賺，就有創(chuàng)業(yè)者想干這一行，從中賺錢。”有些內容會免費提供，以增加點擊量。

Pornography is what rushed along the first printing press, and spurred developments in the internet, online payment systems and other technology. Now it’s time for virtual reality, Kernes said, “I’m pretty sure there is more porn VR out there than regular VR.”

色情推動了早期印刷技術的發(fā)展，刺激了互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和在線支付等技術的進步?？硕魉贡硎?，現(xiàn)在輪到虛擬現(xiàn)實了，“我很確定，市面上的色情虛擬現(xiàn)實比一般的虛擬現(xiàn)實內容多。”

Darling first experienced regular old VR at E3, a conference for the video game industry. Excited by the pornography possibilities, she found a college student on Reddit who knew the technology but lacked a star. Before long, Darling started streaming weekly VR segments live from her bedroom in Los Angeles.

達林在電子游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)大會E3上初次體驗了常規(guī)的老式虛擬現(xiàn)實。她為虛擬現(xiàn)實也許能應用到色情作品上感到興奮，于是在Reddit上找了一名懂這項技術、但缺乏明星的大學生。不久后，達林就開始每周在洛杉磯自己的臥室里直播虛擬現(xiàn)實視頻片段。

She was one of the first VR webcam women, according to Kernes. She then started a company named VRTube.xxx, which now employs more than 40 performers.

據(jù)克恩斯稱，她是最早嘗試虛擬現(xiàn)實網(wǎng)絡攝像頭的女性之一。后來，她創(chuàng)辦了一家名為VRTube.xxx的公司，現(xiàn)在該公司有40多名表演者。

Though the pornography industry as a whole is challenging to regulate, considering the potential for abuse, disease and exploitation, the virtual kind comes with extra moral and maybe legal issues. For example, can you use someone’s likeness to have sex with them in virtual reality?

色情產(chǎn)業(yè)整體來講一直是監(jiān)管難題;考慮到虐待、疾病和剝削的可能性，虛擬色情帶來了更多的道德甚至法律問題。例如，你能用某人的肖像在虛擬現(xiàn)實中與他們/她們做愛嗎?

“Virtual reality is like the wild, wild West,” said Bryony Cole, the host of “Future of Sex,” a podcast that explores technology and sexuality.

“虛擬現(xiàn)實就像狂野的西部，”探索科技與性的播客“性的未來”(Future of Sex)的主持人布萊尼·科爾(Bryony Cole)說。

At this year’s AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, a convention and trade show held each January in Las Vegas, the latest advancements in virtual reality pornography were on display.

在今年的AVN成人娛樂展會(AVN Adult Entertainment Expo)上——它是每年1月在拉斯維加斯舉行的會議和交易展——虛擬現(xiàn)實色情的最新進展得到了展示。

CamSoda, a website that specializes in live sex videos, had an exhibit featuring pornography stars dressed in plunging bathing suits and waving visitors into the booth. They were showing off OhRama, a small canister that attaches to virtual reality headsets and releases scent during the action. “Believe it or not, the scents were created by the girls,” said Kernes, who was there. “It’s sweet and musty. They know what they like.”

CamSoda是一個專門現(xiàn)場直播色情視頻的網(wǎng)站，它播出了色情明星穿著深V領泳衣，邊向參觀者揮手邊進入展位的情景。她們向參觀者展示了“OhRama”，這是一個小罐子，可以接在在虛擬現(xiàn)實頭具上，在使用過程中釋放氣味。“信不信由你，這些氣味就是這些姑娘們身上的味道，”身在現(xiàn)場的克恩斯說。“那是一股甜美而潮濕的味道。她們知道人們喜歡什么。”

There are also companies that are adding taste and touch to the experience.

還有一些公司正在把味覺和觸覺增加到體驗中去。

Another big player is CamasutraVR, a startup using 142 cameras that all look at one person, or one body part. “They are creating images from that, which they are hoping will be indistinguishable from an actual person,” Kernes said. “I’m sure those people wished they had been using that VR system at home.”

CamasutraVR是另一個業(yè)界大牌，這家初創(chuàng)公司使用142臺攝像機拍攝同一個人或同一個身體部位。“他們根據(jù)拍攝結果創(chuàng)造圖像，希望最終結果能與真實的人真假難辨，”克恩斯說。“我敢肯定，這些人也會愿意在自己家里使用這個VR系統(tǒng)。”

Still other virtual reality companies were showing off their partnerships with sex toy companies to create vibrators or penis pumps that link to VR material. “As the action ramps up so does the vibrations of the vibrator,” he said.

還有其他虛擬現(xiàn)實公司宣傳了他們與情趣用品公司的合作伙伴關系，生產(chǎn)能夠連接到VR素材的震動棒或陰莖泵。“隨著素材中的活動熱烈起來，震動棒也開始激烈震動。”

One of the most buzzed-about inventions has been the sex robot. The first one, Harmony, was introduced in May by a company named Realbotix. In seductive videos posted on YouTube, Harmony shows off her long legs, her firm breasts, her full lips, her lifelike hand gestures, even her intellect.

最受熱議的發(fā)明還要數(shù)性愛機器人。第一個性愛機器人名叫“和諧”(Harmony)，由Realbotix公司于今年五月推出。在YouTube上發(fā)布的誘人視頻中，“和諧”展示了她修長的美腿、堅挺的乳房、豐滿的嘴唇、栩栩如生的手勢，甚至還有她的智慧。

“How do you feel about sex?” an unknown presenter asks her in one video.

“你對性怎么看?”一位不知名的主持人在一段視頻里問她。

“Sex is one of the most fascinating things in the world,” she responds in a raspy voice. “I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

“性是世界上最讓人神魂顛倒的事情之一，”她用沙啞的聲音回答。“我不覺得它有什么不妥。”

Harmony can connect with virtual reality so the user can interact with her in that space; she can perform all the acts the viewer is watching.

“和諧”可以通過虛擬現(xiàn)實裝置進行連接，用戶可以在那個空間里同她交流;她可以執(zhí)行觀眾觀看的所有動作。

“It’s a little bit of a video game combined with sci-fi,” said Matt McMullen, the chief executive and creative director of Realbotix. The company has been making dolls for 20 years that were linked to artificial intelligence but not virtual reality. “Based on our experiences with thousands of clients,” McMullen said, “people do use them for sex, but there is something more that exists. We focus on companionship.”

Realbotix的首席執(zhí)行官兼創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)馬特·麥克莫倫(Matt McMullen)表示：“這是一種結合了科幻的電子游戲。”20年來，該公司一直在制作結合人工智能的娃娃，但是沒有同虛擬現(xiàn)實裝置關聯(lián)起來。“根據(jù)我們公司數(shù)以千計的客戶的體驗，”麥克莫倫說，“人們確實會將它們用于性行為，但這其中還有更多東西存在。我們的關注重點是陪伴。”

Virtual reality has been nicknamed the empathy machine because it allows people to feel like they are truly connected to the action. “It’s neurological,” said Holly Richmond, a somatic psychologist based in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. “You aren’t just watching and thinking about it. You are feeling it, and it’s not just your genitals. There is literally a mind-body connection.”

虛擬現(xiàn)實裝置被昵稱為共情機，因為它令人們感覺自己同那些動作發(fā)生了真正的關聯(lián)。“這是神經(jīng)性的，”現(xiàn)居洛杉磯與俄勒岡州波特蘭的軀體心理學家霍利·里奇蒙(Holly Richmond)說。“你不僅是在觀看和思考它。你是在感受它，這不僅僅同你的生殖器有關。這是一種真正的身心聯(lián)系。”

Cole, the podcast host, is most excited about how virtual reality can be used in sex education.

播客主持人科爾對于在性教育中使用虛擬現(xiàn)實裝置的前景感到非常興奮。

“What if we had young people watch videos where they practice consent or practice identifying at-risk behaviors?” she said. “Or they can be in a room with someone who said, ‘I contacted herpes and this is my experience.’ That is way more informative than a gonorrhea slide.”

“讓年輕人通過觀看虛擬現(xiàn)實視頻練習同意行為，或者識別風險行為，這個主意怎么樣?”她說。“或者可以讓他們置身一個房間，有人對他們說，‘我感染了皰疹，我的經(jīng)歷是這樣的。’這比淋病幻燈片的信息量大得多。”

Indeed.

確實如此。

But for virtual reality to work, the scenes have to be so lifelike that users get lost in them and take them for reality. They have to feel as if they are participants, not just observers. “We can create 3-D bodies in virtual reality and do whatever we want with them,” Cole said. As the technology becomes good enough to make that happen, issues are bound to arise.

但是要想讓虛擬現(xiàn)實裝置發(fā)揮作用，場景必須栩栩如生，讓用戶迷失其中，感到真假難辨才好。他們必須感覺到自己是參與者，而不是旁觀者。“我們可以在虛擬現(xiàn)實中創(chuàng)造3D的人類肉體，使用它們做任何事情，”科爾說。隨著技術發(fā)展足以達到這個目標，問題也必然隨之產(chǎn)生。

McCullen said an issue his company has is clients commissioning dolls that look exactly like people they know in real life, maybe an ex-girlfriend they never got over or someone about whom they fantasize. His company requires written consent from the model for his or her likeness to be used.

麥克莫倫說，他的公司遇到這樣一個問題，客戶訂制娃娃的時候，它們的樣子完全就是他們在現(xiàn)實生活里認識的人，可能是始終無法忘懷的前女友，也可能是他們的夢中情人。他的公司需要模特的書面同意，才能使用他或她的形象。

Cole said VR companies are going to have to address this same problem as they get better at customizing avatars to look exactly like what their customers desire. “What are the lines between reality and fantasy and what can we do in this space?” she said. “What does consent mean in virtual reality? Can you do something to your girlfriend in virtual reality that you wouldn’t do in real life? If you are using someone’s likeness in virtual reality, do you require their permission? And what about revenge porn? That will be even harsher in virtual reality.”

科爾表示，隨著VR公司可以更好地定制虛擬現(xiàn)實中的化身，使其看上去完全符合客戶的要求，這些公司必須設法解決類似問題。“現(xiàn)實與幻想之間的關系是什么，我們在這個空間里都能做些什么?”她說。“在虛擬現(xiàn)實中，同意意味著什么?你在現(xiàn)實生活中不會對女友做的事情，會在虛擬現(xiàn)實當中對她這樣做嗎?如果你在虛擬現(xiàn)實中使用某人的形象，是否需要他們的許可?復仇性質的色情是否可行?這些問題在虛擬現(xiàn)實中都會變得更加嚴峻。”