Otaku can now get their own virtual 2D waifu!

[VarietyGamer]

I'm sure women would consider perfect (built to their own custom specs) versions of men too.

 

[McElroy]

If (when) this level of robotics is reached, you're saying you won't even consider it?

Hehe, why would the lonely guy have to keep up appearances? Instead of a human-looking gynoid, what's actually needed is only a human-shaped one - VR will do the rest. The "when" of not making it look pathetic is still far far away. Then again I sort of wish these things became true and sort of not at the same time, nevertheless it's fun to speculate.

 

[stroopwafel]

No offence to the forever-alone types, but there's owning a machine that says it misses you and then there's investing a large amount of money because you've given up on touching the flesh of a real human.

Isn't the stereotype otaku shut-in symptomatic for a much larger problem? I believe in Japan there is much discontent among younger people to confirm to all these pressures in a society which traditions never seems to change. Not only otakus but much larger portions of the male population in Japan seems to be disengaging from this traditional discourse. Refusing to date/marry and having little ambition and such becomes a form of rebellion. In many ways I guess it's giving the pressures of society the finger.

And obviously it works. The Japanese government is in panic with the absolute decline in birth rates. Western culture is quite different ofcourse so we look at this through our own cultural lens but even here similar problems exist even if they manifest in different forms.

 

[Phasmal]

No offence to the forever-alone types, but there's owning a machine that says it misses you and then there's investing a large amount of money because you've given up on touching the flesh of a real human.

Isn't the stereotype otaku shut-in symptomatic for a much larger problem? I believe in Japan there is much discontent among younger people to confirm to all these pressures in a society which traditions never seems to change. Not only otakus but much larger portions of the male population in Japan seems to be disengaging from this traditional discourse. Refusing to date/marry and having little ambition and such becomes a form of rebellion. In many ways I guess it's giving the pressures of society the finger.

And obviously it works. The Japanese government is in panic with the absolute decline in birth rates. Western culture is quite different ofcourse so we look at this through our own cultural lens but even here similar problems exist even if they manifest in different forms.

Well, yeah. I wasn't trying to argue that it's not part of a larger problem.
I don't really know enough about Japan to comment on it and what they could do to fix it.

I'm aware there also socially isolated men in Western culture too but I don't have much experience in that department either. Socially isolated dudes don't tend to have a lot of female friends.

No, my comment was more: as sad as the waifu-coffee machine makes me, I think it's a whole different step to buy a robot to fill in for companionship. That just strikes me as pretty much giving up forever, and that's a sad thing.

Still, I'm aware my experience is limited on this, so hey, it's just my opinion.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Prostitution is the oldest profession and innumerably worse than these things. I would find it a lot sadder if people chose to fulfill their desires in the expense of vulnerable women who hate it but need the money to survive. I don't see this in direct conflict with real relationships, what it is in conflict with is brothels and stripclubs and what you call hostess bars in Japan.


Basically, this stuff has always been a thing, it isn't new, what is new is that now people talk about it instead of going on a "business trip" to vegas every now and then for no reason.


Even if you don't have these things, prostitution itself will never go away, so the lonely types who wanna buy away their loneliness will never really escape temptation such that they may seek more conventional partner options.


Personally, I find it more sociopathic to knowingly get off on a woman you know hates it but has no option to refuse than anything a hologram/sexrobot/real life doll can be used for. Human contact is important but bought human contant is less than just fucking a plastic doll shaped like Hatsune Miku or something lol.

 

[BrawlMan]

Welp, I see Japan has made the decision to continue their declining birth rates.

You almost had me spit out my drink! That is so wrong, but true at the same time!

 

[DOOM GUY]

I wouldn't get one myself, but it's neat in any case.

 

[wulf3n]

As a massive shut in with a rather limited group of friends who has never had a girlfriend in his life...Jesus fucking Christ this is pathetic.

Don't you just love the camaraderie and inclusivity of the gaming community.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Because it's much, much easier for average women to find men than it is for average men to find women. All a woman needs to do is look decent and smile once in a while. The man has to compete with numerous prettier, smarter, funnier, more successful men. Women also tend to be more talkative, so socializing comes easy.

And women don't need to compete with prettier, smarter, funnier, more successful women? Sounds fake but okay.
I mean, I can't speak about Japan, because I know pretty much nothing about the reasons for so many dudes to be socially isolated, but in general, I don't get the idea that men have to compete and women don't.

Women aren't even expected to do the courting. They don't have to be as impressive, since men aren't that picky. It's no surprise men on average have more sexual partners than women. The average woman can be choosier, without needing to compete as fiercely as men do. A man will eventually approach her anyway.

Men on average have more sexual partners... therefore... it's harder for men to find women?

And as for "a man will approach her anyway", what if it's a man she doesn't like? People do have preferences and personalities. It's not just about looking for "a man" or "a woman" (for most people anyway, I hope).

EDIT: Also the idea that women don't do anything to try and find a partner is pretty laughable. There's a reason like 90% of women's magazines are dedicated to "HOW TO FIND AND KEEP A DUDE!", and it's not because we sit around doing our sewing until mother introduces us to a gentleman.

One woman has sex with more than one man = more men having sex than women.

Also, since we are speaking in a generality here;

Men's advice, dating and courting, even sex advice comes almost exclusively from the bent of "Getting Noticed/Getting Any Attention at All". The majority of it is rooted in the idea/position that you aren't getting any, and that needs to change in order to maximize the amount you get - or just get any at all.

Women's advice stems from the angle of "Wheat from the Chaff" advice - if you examine the wording, tone and style of many (if not most) women's advice magazines and such they're written from the point of view that women are getting attention and hits from the get go, so now they need to separate the good from the bad and how they can improve themselves so they get more good hits vs. bad hits.

Its' awful in both ways, but they're not coming from the same place.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Meh... think of it as an elabourate dildo. Kind of sad if you base your entire lovelife on it, not inherently sad.

Could be worse.

Could be stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience because you are frightened of dying/growing old alone.

People should be more open-minded. I consider the above to be more pathetic than simply owning and being open with the fact that you prefer elabourately programmed prototypal future dildos whrn they make human-esque robots a common consumer good. To be fair, it's not my cup of tea. I'll use a sex toy... but making it appear human would scare the fucking shit out of me. Even the most "humanlike" robots they have now seem soulless and shifty to me. The more they try to makr them look more human, the more I feel like they're not.

Frankly I'd prefer my robotic dildo to look like a Fallout-esque Securitron bot than a creepy automaton programmed to "act" human.

For starters, they'd never waste time with things like programming disagreements over bills or the occasional argument over plans ... things that either test or reinforce a partnership in life. No mystery. No boundaries to challenge. Creepy.

Also... not really a huge fan of the animu. I'll watch it. Some of it is awesome (anything Patlabor is amazing). But I kind of loathe the idea of treating anime as if a thing beyond animated stories.


Kill it with fire.

It's kind of weird... but I don't feel the same way about a robot that was obviously animu/manga inspired ... or if it were anthropomorphic ... or if it looked like C-3PO ... but if it looked as if out of Blade Runner it stirs something dark in me.

 

[Phasmal]

One woman has sex with more than one man = more men having sex than women.

Also, since we are speaking in a generality here;

Men's advice, dating and courting, even sex advice comes almost exclusively from the bent of "Getting Noticed/Getting Any Attention at All". The majority of it is rooted in the idea/position that you aren't getting any, and that needs to change in order to maximize the amount you get - or just get any at all.

Women's advice stems from the angle of "Wheat from the Chaff" advice - if you examine the wording, tone and style of many (if not most) women's advice magazines and such they're written from the point of view that women are getting attention and hits from the get go, so now they need to separate the good from the bad and how they can improve themselves so they get more good hits vs. bad hits.

Its' awful in both ways, but they're not coming from the same place.

Fair enough.
I wouldn't encourage the idea that the reason men struggle to get attention is that there's a tiny percentage of mythical super-hot dudes who are taking literally all the sex away from single dudes. (Not saying you specifically think this, but I've met a few dudes who did).

If ever me and the boyfriend break up I'm sure I'll have a good moan about how hard being a single woman is (or I'll just give up and collect cats, either way).

Spoiler: This song keeps popping in my head in this topic, and I just like it

 

[jademunky]

So wait, it obsessively sends you text messages all day at work telling you to come home when you clearly are not in any position to come home for any non-emergency situation? And this is advertised as a feature? Have any of the developers been in an actual relationship because that is pretty toxic behaviour.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

So wait, it obsessively sends you text messages all day at work telling you to come home when you clearly are not in any position to come home for any non-emergency situation? And this is advertised as a feature? Have any of the developers been in an actual relationship because that is pretty toxic behaviour.

Pretty toxic, yeah. I find it odd that there could potentially be a market for something designed to make both your professional and personal life worse. It's not even the fun type of maso stuff. It's just tedium as designed to be an emulation of human tediousness.

Just think if the programmers dedicated that energy to other things. Maybe it's for a Vault-Tec experiment?

 

[American Fox]

She had an adorable little chair to watch a movie in!

That was cute.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

So wait, it obsessively sends you text messages all day at work telling you to come home when you clearly are not in any position to come home for any non-emergency situation? And this is advertised as a feature? Have any of the developers been in an actual relationship because that is pretty toxic behaviour.

Pretty toxic, yeah. I find it odd that there could potentially be a market for something designed to make both your professional and personal life worse. It's not even the fun type of maso stuff. It's just tedium as designed to be an emulation of human tediousness.

Just think if the programmers dedicated that energy to other things. Maybe it's for a Vault-Tec experiment?

Isn't the idea that she actually likes you so much that she can't restrain herself and just has to express it despite knowing its unreasonable?


It is meant to be endearing in a clingy way I think, not to be a literal nag. This isn't the first time such a feature is seen either, I remember a game referenced in OreImo was also using texts as a way of out of game interaction with the ingame characters and it was basically a fully deredere thing without anything maso about it. Like, you know when you preorder a game and the text message to notify you to pick it up is written in-character based on that game sometimes? It's that kinda thing. Not sure if gamestop still does this but whenever they did it always brought a smile to my face due to the novelty of feeling as though a fictional character actually texted you. It was kinda why using the wiimote as a phone in no more heroes was genius and the best use of the damn gimmick of a controller ever.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Isn't the idea that she actually likes you so much that she can't restrain herself and just has to express it despite knowing its unreasonable?

That sounds fucking creepy. Why would anyone want that? Get a pet dog if you want something to miss you, simply be happy you're home, and yet *can't* text you like the most unsubtle stalker/derangd domestic spouse on Earth.

It is meant to be endearing in a clingy way I think, not to be a literal nag. This isn't the first time such a feature is seen either, I remember a game referenced in OreImo was also using texts as a way of out of game interaction with the ingame characters and it was basically a fully deredere thing without anything maso about it. Like, you know when you preorder a game and the text message to notify you to pick it up is written in-character based on that game sometimes? It's that kinda thing. Not sure if gamestop still does this but whenever they did it always brought a smile to my face due to the novelty of feeling as though a fictional character actually texted you. It was kinda why using the wiimote as a phone in no more heroes was genius and the best use of the damn gimmick of a controller ever.

There is a difference between a store telling you your order has arrived for pick up ... and a sick arse puppy thinking this is 'endearing' in a relationship. I had a boyfriend like this and they turned out to stalk me even after I broke up with him. Whatevs ... if it's a flight of fancy, fine ... but anybody who thinks its healthy is anything but.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Isn't the idea that she actually likes you so much that she can't restrain herself and just has to express it despite knowing its unreasonable?

That sounds fucking creepy. Why would anyone want that? Get a pet dog if you want something to miss you, simply be happy you're home, and yet *can't* text you like the most unsubtle stalker/derangd domestic spouse on Earth.

It is meant to be endearing in a clingy way I think, not to be a literal nag. This isn't the first time such a feature is seen either, I remember a game referenced in OreImo was also using texts as a way of out of game interaction with the ingame characters and it was basically a fully deredere thing without anything maso about it. Like, you know when you preorder a game and the text message to notify you to pick it up is written in-character based on that game sometimes? It's that kinda thing. Not sure if gamestop still does this but whenever they did it always brought a smile to my face due to the novelty of feeling as though a fictional character actually texted you. It was kinda why using the wiimote as a phone in no more heroes was genius and the best use of the damn gimmick of a controller ever.

There is a difference between a store telling you your order has arrived for pick up ... and a sick arse puppy thinking this is 'endearing' in a relationship. I had a boyfriend like this and they turned out to stalk me even after I broke up with him. Whatevs ... if it's a flight of fancy, fine ... but anybody who thinks its healthy is anything but.

The point is that wether you find it "creepy" or not aside, the intention isn't anything like being in a relationship with a sadist and you getting masochistic pleasure out of it which was what was said in the quote I was debunking.


We jumped to a different goalpost when you chose to talk about it being healthy or not, when a moment prior what was discussed was wether it was an act that could bring one maso pleasure or not. I am signifying that here before addressing the new, irrelevant to the talk up to now point.



Different people get different things, need different things and want different things out of relationships. Just because you feel one way, doesn't mean everyone does. Overall, men tend to like being needed a lot more than women, so it comes as no surprise to me that you would be turned off by a clingy boyfriend. Men are conditioned to derive pleasure out of female attention however so the dynamic is not the same from the mirror end of your situation. Now, of course that isn't really healthy, most things with regards to dating are shallow and vapid bs, but as long as the user doesn't let it get to a point where it adversely affects their life I see nothing wrong here.


Unlike with a stalker boyfriend, you can unplug this waifubot and then she actually stops texting you, you see. I fully trust adults to be able to do this such that worrying about it will feel like a waste of time.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

The point is that wether you find it "creepy" or not aside, the intention isn't anything like being in a relationship with a sadist and you getting masochistic pleasure out of it which was what was said in the quote I was debunking.

That was more of a one liner, as in some people get off being periodically abused over their mobile at inopportune times, ordered about to do things before heading home, etc. If it's a fetish thing, fine ... if it's how the programmers think their dream partner for most people would act, then it's fucking creepy.

Different people get different things, need different things and want different things out of relationships. Just because you feel one way, doesn't mean everyone does. Overall, men tend to like being needed a lot more than women, so it comes as no surprise to me that you would be turned off by a clingy boyfriend. Men are conditioned to derive pleasure out of female attention however so the dynamic is not the same from the mirror end of your situation. Now, of course that isn't really healthy, most things with regards to dating are shallow and vapid bs, but as long as the user doesn't let it get to a point where it adversely affects their life I see nothing wrong here.


Unlike with a stalker boyfriend, you can unplug this waifubot and then she actually stops texting you, you see. I fully trust adults to be able to do this such that worrying about it will feel like a waste of time.

But that wasn't what I had a problem with ... if you'll look up to the above post before I replied to another user about how the concept sounds like a particularly toxic relationship if it was like a factory standard. That it's kind of creepy that this is what the programmer's think of when it comes to designing something to emulate, however facile, something akin to a relationship with other people.

As per above, I don't care if this is a virtual dildo. I don't care if people like this particular virtual dildo. But when it gets to the point where one ponders that there's actually a market for a highly sophisticated virtual dildo that emulates a pretty toxic facet of a relationship, that's weird.

I mean, you can't say that it appeals to narcissists, because it's meaningless confirmation that wasn't won or bought through their efforts. Even those idiots that flex in front of cameras with their shirts off, or in the mirror, the pride stems from visible work. It wouldn't be the same if you could build mass in a day with a series of $20 shots. Hence why for those especially outside the body building scene, you have that invisible line of; "Dude ... just ... look, you can barely fit through the door now." But that rarely matters to the person who is achieving what they consider their ideal body. And all power to them. At the same time, it would be creepy if EVERYONE considered what they were doing as a human ideal. Hell, it would be creepy if 10% of people felt that toxic clingyness was a part of a desirable relationship.

(edit) Once again, I doubt you can draw analogies to psychological facets of the human creature. Plenty of women love to be noticed, plenty of women hate the spotlight. I for one guard my privacy especially well. I don't have facebook, I don't have twitter, or tumblr, or whatever. While I have a shitload of 'acquaintances' I have a handful of people I could legitimately call friends. You know, the people you regularly have dinner with, and spend the night talking about stuff and genuinely feel okay being vulnerable with.

But regardless, all people desire some certain degree of emotional distance. Whether to shield yourself, or as a surge protector to help work with others and protect others from touching what might be a hot mind-stove that is your brain at that moment. Men or women, introvert or extrovert. Some extroverts I know have thicker 'shields' than I do, hence why 90% of the stuff they say tends to be fairly facile, or intended to trigger conversations tht are guaranteed to die quickly.

No less a coping mechanism, and ultimately the world would be boring if no one could be flippant.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

The point is that wether you find it "creepy" or not aside, the intention isn't anything like being in a relationship with a sadist and you getting masochistic pleasure out of it which was what was said in the quote I was debunking.

That was more of a one liner, as in some people get off being periodically abused over their mobile at inopportune times, ordered about to do things before heading home, etc. If it's a fetish thing, fine ... if it's how the programmers think their dream partner for most people would act, then it's fucking creepy.

Different people get different things, need different things and want different things out of relationships. Just because you feel one way, doesn't mean everyone does. Overall, men tend to like being needed a lot more than women, so it comes as no surprise to me that you would be turned off by a clingy boyfriend. Men are conditioned to derive pleasure out of female attention however so the dynamic is not the same from the mirror end of your situation. Now, of course that isn't really healthy, most things with regards to dating are shallow and vapid bs, but as long as the user doesn't let it get to a point where it adversely affects their life I see nothing wrong here.


Unlike with a stalker boyfriend, you can unplug this waifubot and then she actually stops texting you, you see. I fully trust adults to be able to do this such that worrying about it will feel like a waste of time.

But that wasn't what I had a problem with ... if you'll look up to the above post before I replied to another user about how the concept sounds like a particularly toxic relationship if it was like a factory standard. That it's kind of creepy that this is what the programmer's think of when it comes to designing something to emulate, however facile, something akin to a relationship with other people.

As per above, I don't care if this is a virtual dildo. I don't care if people like this particular virtual dildo. But when it gets to the point where one ponders that there's actually a market for a highly sophisticated virtual dildo that emulates a pretty toxic facet of a relationship, that's weird.

I mean, you can't say that it appeals to narcissists, because it's meaningless confirmation that wasn't won or bought through their efforts. Even those idiots that flex in front of cameras with their shirts off, or in the mirror, the pride stems from visible work. It wouldn't be the same if you could build mass in a day with a series of $20 shots. Hence why for those especially outside the body building scene, you have that invisible line of; "Dude ... just ... look, you can barely fit through the door now." But that rarely matters to the person who is achieving what they consider their ideal body. And all power to them. At the same time, it would be creepy if EVERYONE considered what they were doing as a human ideal. Hell, it would be creepy if 10% of people felt that toxic clingyness was a part of a desirable relationship.

I don't see it as attempting to emulate a real life dating situation at all though. This is more towards the realm of trying to blurr the lines between 2D and 3D, more like cosplay or maid cafes. You know how maid cafe maids aren't at all like actual real world maids. The same goes for these relationships. This thing exists to emulate a three derees removed from reality, fictional, animelike representation of a relationship that never mind 10%, more like 0.01% of the "general population" would even comprehend never mind pay money to experience, as you are very aptly displaying here I may add lol. This is higly specialized, novelty fantasy fuel for a tiny demographic that really loves their fatasy and spends all their money on it. It isn't at all something for general audiences or people who may like to have general ordinary relationships.

Personally, the novelty of something like an AI texting you is inherently fun, but that is kinda where it stops, to get into something like this it'd have to not use an original generic character but someone established from some other medium I already like or it would have to come with a story like Love Plus did. As I said in my very first post, this is basically a fancier high tech love plus without any of the character, and if you think getting texted is "creepy", in love plus you have to say i love you to your ds and if you ignore it she gets actually mad and stuff, you heard of the guy who married his DS, right, that was love plus lol. Compared to that this waifubot is entry level stuff XD.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I don't see it as attempting to emulate a real life dating situation at all though. This is more towards the realm of trying to blurr the lines between 2D and 3D, more like cosplay or maid cafes. You know how maid cafe maids aren't at all like actual real world maids. The same goes for these relationships. This thing exists to emulate a three derees removed from reality, fictional, animelike representation of a relationship that never mind 10%, more like 0.01% of the "general population" would even comprehend never mind pay money to experience, as you are very aptly displaying here I may add lol. This is higly specialized, novelty fantasy fuel for a tiny demographic that really loves their fatasy and spends all their money on it. It isn't at all something for general audiences or people who may like to have general ordinary relationships.

Personally, the novelty of something like an AI texting you is inherently fun, but that is kinda where it stops, to get into something like this it'd have to not use an original generic character but someone established from some other medium I already like or it would have to come with a story like Love Plus did. As I said in my very first post, this is basically a fancier high tech love plus without any of the character, and if you think getting texted is "creepy", in love plus you have to say i love you to your ds and if you ignore it she gets actually mad and stuff, you heard of the guy who married his DS, right, that was love plus lol. Compared to that this waifubot is entry level stuff XD.

I don't know. I have auditory hallucinations with minor delusional episodes before I developed mental exercises (and taking medication) to combat them, so maybe that's colouring my perception of it. The last thing I want to ever do is feed or entertain that the demons have a point in their existence. So maybe that's interfering with me seeing it as all that innocent. Don't feed delusions, don't sacrifice independence or emotional stability for comfort and flights of fancy. Which I think is incredibly unfair, because people then accuse me of lacking an imagination or being uptight. I'm pretty sure that if I allowed myself my blackout conversations with the toaster and forget I ever did it infront of them they would find it incredibly creepy also.

Discipline, focus, willpower. Never surrender.

So I admit I'm probably more offput by this than most. I kind of see it feeding an addiction, rather than dealing with the problem. Kind of like advocating blow to get over your tobacco wants. Then again I'm not really hugely into anime or other Japanese fandoms, and I have experienced a maid cafe in Ikebukuro. Wasn't my thing. See, I like anime ... inasmuch as I like any decent story whether it's animated or not. For example I love Patlabor, particularly the movies, I like all the mainstream stuff like Ghibli studio stuff, I love CCS ... I adore Spice and Wolf, and I've read the light novels, and I'm getting into the manga of it, and while not as good as the light novels I did very much enjoy the anime.

Medieval and early Modern economics, a story of totemistic/animistic belief systems conflicting with organized religion, a light hearted romance concerning a larger motif and message of the divine relationship between humanity and gods new and old? Sign me up ... that's awesome.

But I'll be the first to say that 95% of anime is garbage. Which is okay, because 95% of movies and tv shows in general is garbage.

So I'm pretty sure most of my dislike is purely on this basis, as well as the standardised cultural trench. I'm Australian and most Australians tend to look poorly on gauche displays of having servants as opposed to conventional workers. When staying with family in the Philippines, they had two live in servants. I told them specifically not to clean my room or wash my clothes. It feels wrong. I get that this is a hang up and they're not slaves, and they're treated like part of the family ... and legitimately speaking, many servants are very poor and actually live better lives by being live in servants ... but there's something about not being responsible for your own life that urks me.

I get what you're talking about, but honestly it still creeps me the fuck out. I also question whether it's healthy, but that's just me.