PLEASE NOTE: All the links in this blogpost are safe for work, but obviously, I have no control over what you see once you leave my blog for the greater internet! Consider yourself forewarned 😉
I am endlessly bemused that my few blogposts about adult content in virtual worlds get so much traffic! In fact, my blogpost about hidden adult content in VRChat (far and away the most visited post on the RyanSchultz.com blog) gets anywhere between 120 and 220 views per day, probably because it is the top search result when you search Google for “vrchat adult”. (I need to rent out advertising space on that post!)
In October of 2018, I wrote up a review of an adult/sex-based virtual world called 3DX Chat, titled 3DX Chat: A Brief Introduction (and the Biggest Problem with Most Adult Virtual Worlds). It is another perennially popular post on my blog, and in it, I wrote:
Before we get started, I want to make it clear that I am not going to get into the habit of covering adult/sex-based virtual worlds. There are literally dozens of them out there, and frankly, I find them boring as hell.
So, why am I writing about 3DX Chat? Well, as you will learn, I discovered that they have a free-to-access test version available for a limited time, so I decided to check it out.
And, as promised, I have largely refrained from writing about adult/sex-based virtual worlds on this blog (other than speculating what would happen if one of the more popular social VR platforms were to break from the pack and start offering adult content). I still find them boring as hell, and therefore I’m going to leave the reporting on news and events in such worlds to other people (with this post a rare exception to the rule).
However, I had a friend in a Clubhouse chatroom about the metaverse mention a new, adult platform called Meredian (yes, that’s how it’s spelled, and no, I’m NOT going to link to it; be forewarned that the website is one of the sketchiest I’ve ever seen!!!). Taking a look at the avatars pictured on that website, they reminded me so strongly of the 3DX Chat avatars, that I was prompted to go do a little exploring, and like Alice in Wonderland, I fell down the rabbit hole!
As it turns out, Meredian is a copy of 3DX Chat—and that’s not all. I learned that there are now three separate, copycat versions of the original 3DX Chat out there!
I learned today that there are now three 3DX Chat rip-offs out there in public. 3DX Chat Meridian, Zona 3DX and 3DX Union are NOT legal. Please play and pay for the original 3DX Chat, thank you!
So, I did a little more sleuthing on the internet, and according to a lengthy thread on this adult games discussion forum, there has been no shortage of drama (including a trojan horse program found in the Meredian client software):
USER #1: The last post in the thread said you would examine the game for anything suspicious, and there was talk of malware, viruses etc… Did you find anything like that?
FORUM MODERATOR: We didn’t look into it, we decided that the game should not be allowed, so there’s no point in investigating…The ban was not related to any supposed malware, the fact is that the game is online and that’s against our rules, although the fact that such accusation exists at all is a prime example of why we don’t allow online games in the forum. We have tolerated the game for a long because it was added before we tightened the rules, and because an offline version exited, but the increasing toxicity and shitfest in that thread make it very hard to justify having it in the forum.
USER #2: FYI – the newest version from [the Meredian website] really does have a trojan in the .DLL [file]
USER #3: I agree. The only reason I ever tested out Meredian was more out of curiosity then anything else and to have an alternative platform to go out dancing on with the lady I’m partnered / married to on Second Life. Since we game out side of SL it was basically just another thing for us to check out together. When all that drama hit we didn’t bother to update the client because of people having virus issues and stuff. Plus when their mods started cracking it on everyone for no real valid reasons that was pretty much my off ramp mate. There is definitely some bad blood between them and the people running [a competing platform]. The DDOS situation that went down as I said before looked very odd given the time frames and all. It was enough for me to stay clear of it. I did join their Discord and ask some questions to certain people running it, but to be honest mate they really couldn’t answer any of my questions to my satisfaction which sent up red flags considering they were relatively simple questions. Actually some of them went unanswered even. lol So ya I gave them a miss too.
Which is where I issue my standard warning: beware of any adult virtual world software! In the case of 3DX and its many copycat programs, it would appear that the best course of action would be to steer clear of them completely (or at least run a thorough virus scan on any client software you download and install on your hard drive).
I have no idea what happened behind the scenes at 3DX Chat, or how pirate copies of the code came to be. There appears to be some sort of rivalry between the platforms, who are trying to steal users from each other by offering ever-lower subscription prices for their services—sort of a race to the bottom. It’s somewhat fascinating to behold.
Meredian even has what RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. alumni Tayce the drag queen calls “the cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption” to deem itself the “Official 3DX Game”:
However, I must confess that, for the sheer entertainment value alone, Auntie Ryan is clutching her pearls, and absolutely living for the messy drama! 😉 And, you must admit, how often do you see a virtual world splinter into warring factions like this?
One thought on “Adult Virtual World 3DX Chat Fractures into Four Separate, Copycat, Warring Worlds”
Comments are closed.