The adult entertainment industry is estimated to be worth $2.9 billion globally, a sizeable chunk with plenty of room for investment. It’s no surprise that when virtual reality (VR) began to be used more widely in all kinds of media, virtual reality porn also increased in popularity.
Now, the top 60% of the most popular VR sites are for adult entertainment, and allow users to stream or download virtual porn with ease. Viewers can watch porn made specifically for VR, making it look as if they are actually a part of the scene. So what are some of the pros and cons of VR porn? Is it the next best thing of the future, or something to be wary of?
Read on for a breakdown of the pros and cons of virtual reality porn. Educating yourself on both the good and bad sides is the best way to enjoy adult entertainment safely and healthily.
What Is Virtual Reality Porn?
VR has become increasingly accessible for users around the world. You no longer need an expensive headset or even a dedicated console to enjoy VR. You can watch VR content using just your phone and a set of headphones, although having a VR headset does generally improve the experience.
The rise of this technology has led to a boom in virtual reality porn, where you can watch pornography with a 360 degrees view. For point-of-view (POV) porn, the perspective can even make it feel like you’re actually participating in the scene.
The technology is undoubtedly impressive, but what are some of the associated effects, both positive and negative, that you might expect from virtual reality porn? Let’s take a look.
Potential Advantages of VR Porn
VR porn wouldn’t have taken off as much as it has if there weren’t some benefits. Sex positivity has broken down some of the taboos around porn, enough that people often feel more comfortable discussing their experiences with porn.
As a result, we know that ethically produced porn in general has some great benefits for people’s sexual activity and sensual experiences. So can we expect more of the same from virtual reality porn?
Immersive Experiences
Of course, the first major benefit is greater immersion. Porn is all about fulfilling fantasies and exploring imaginative scenarios through visual stimulation. Feeling as though you are within the scene could help your imagination go further and open up new avenues for sexual arousal.
Although virtual reality porn is unlikely to replace physical experiences, it certainly offers a new way of experiencing adult material or favorite pornstars that could appeal to many. Just like VR has offered new ways of enjoying movies or video games, the same could come true for adult entertainment.
Experimenting with new sensations or experiences is a great way to work out what you like and don’t like. Being so new and experimental, virtual reality porn could aid people in doing so.
Freedom to Explore
Taking time to explore new sexual experiences is often a healthy process for individuals and couples. Masturbation itself has a ton of different physical and mental health benefits. If virtual reality porn encourages more people to dedicate some alone time to themselves, then that’s likely a good thing.
There are a lot of built-up shame and taboos around porn and sexuality as a whole that some people struggle to come to terms with. Porn of all kinds can be an avenue to exploring parts of yourself that you’re not yet fully aware of, or may not want to express in real life. For instance, a person who wants to explore anal sex, but who feels uncertain of the process in real life, can put on one of many virtual reality headsets, such as Oculus Rift, and set explore any number of full length virtual porn movies.
With virtual reality porn enhancing the realism of porn, it could make it even easier for people to experiment and explore these new areas. Sexuality is a multi-faceted experience and it’s different for everybody. Finding new ways to work out what it means to you is important for healthy sexual growth.
Plus, new technology in porn has given a breath of fresh air to the porn industry. Creating new types of videos, specifically suited to VR, has meant that more modern areas of porn have quickly adopted the technology.
For example, feminist and body positivity porn producers have been among the first to create specialized virtual reality sex videos and porn, showing how adaptable these developing areas already are.
Fresh Opportunities
Anime or animated porn shows the growth of new fetishes and sexual fantasies that are often almost impossible to re-create in real-life. For example, macrophilia as a sexual fetish refers to the love of giants, one of many sex scenes that is of course difficult to experience for real.
Virtual reality porn could make this a reality for people who want to experience it, as users can play with dimensions themselves and feel as though they were actually looking up at a giant.
New technology offers the possibility of exploring sexual fantasies in new ways. Being able to explore sexual fantasies in a controlled environment helps us to understand ourselves better, and virtual reality porn could be the perfect tool for doing so.
Greater Accessibility
If used in certain ways, virtual reality porn could also improve accessibility for viewers with disabilities. Some sexual acts are not possible for people with certain physical disabilities. For example, the action-packed scenes we often see in porn may are not a reality for someone who is paralyzed from the neck down.
Nonetheless, everyone deserves the opportunity to feel sexy and explore their sensuality. Virtual reality porn could improve immersion and offer new experiences to people who otherwise can’t engage in sex for whatever reason.
With greater control over their own sexuality, people with disabilities that might otherwise prohibit them from sex can have greater autonomy and control over their own desires.
Potential Problems of VR Porn
With anything, of course, there are always some negative considerations to consider. Just as with standard porn, there are some potential problems with virtual reality porn. The best course of action is to use everything in moderation and educate yourself on some of the potential risks.
To enjoy virtual reality porn safely and healthily, it’s important to keep the following points in mind at the same time.
Reinforcement of Unrealistic Expectations
Mainstream porn as a whole has a history of introducing unrealistic expectations, with representations of white, heteronormative, able-bodied, and cis-gendered sexuality. There’s little room in mainstream porn for other equally valid and important images of sex.
The same problem could well be said for virtual reality porn. A lot of the virtual content is made by the same companies, so it’s likely to feature a lot of the same mainstream tropes that exclude marginalized bodies and identities.
Plus, with greater immersion comes more realism. Users seeing these unrealistic images of sex and feeling as though they are a part of them might well be even more convinced that they represent reality.
Potential for Porn Addiction
One of the most common criticisms of porn is that it can be addictive. Many people use porn as a masturbation or intimacy tool in a healthy and safe way; it’s not black and white as to whether it’s good or bad in terms of porn addiction.
Nonetheless, for some people, watching porn activates certain parts of the brain that is very similar to the effects of certain addictive drugs. Excessive use of porn can be an indicator of sex addiction and become compulsive.
There’s no research to say that virtual reality porn is more addictive than standard porn, but it certainly will come with the same potential for addiction or over-use. As with anything, enjoying VR porn in moderation is likely harmless, but it all depends on the person.
Compulsive use of porn can have unexpected effects that impact your relationships, work, sexual or mental health, and various other areas of your life. Watching a lot of porn can desensitize you to sexual stimuli over time, making it harder to get aroused when faced with real-life sexual experiences.
If you’ve spotted signs of porn addiction in your own life, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. There is help out there in the form of sex addiction therapy and dedicated porn addiction recovery.
If you or someone you know might need help in tackling a porn addiction, then this 12-week course could be useful. With no judgment, you can learn how to build a healthy relationship with sex, with clear boundaries and strategies for improved communication about sex.
To Try or Not To Try
On the whole, virtual reality porn could be an exciting avenue to try if you’re looking for new ways to explore your sexuality. Experimenting with new experiences and sensations is often a fun way to explore sexual pleasure, and VR can certainly offer that.
Nonetheless, it should also be used in moderation, as with standard porn. As yet, there is no connection between a greater risk of addiction and virtual reality porn, but porn addiction is a real issue for some people and should be taken seriously.
Trying out virtual reality porn and seeing if it works for you is likely the best cause of action. Everyone’s desires and sexualities are different, so this could be an opportunity to explore new and exciting fantasies.
On its own, virtual reality porn is neither a good nor a bad thing. It really depends on how you use it as a tool in the bedroom, whether with someone else or alone. When enjoyed safely, it might well be a pleasure to experiment with what virtual reality porn can offer.
Educate yourself on porn, masturbation, and other sexual health topics by browsing through the various blog articles and resources on this site. The more you know, the safer you are experimenting with your sexual experiences.
0 Comments