By Jessica Roy 11/27/12 11:10am

Love in the Time of Algorithms

(Photo: The Escapist)

Hammer Smash! What Happens When You Bring Your Virtual Girlfriend to Your Wedding

Love comes in all shapes, sizes and pixels. With emotionally intelligent robots on the way and virtual reality characters capable of catering to your every whim and desire, it’s not difficult to see how the more introverted among us might find themselves in love with a 2D heroin. In Japan, there’s an entire culture surrounding the dudes-in-love-with-inanimate-objects meme: remember that New York Times pillow story?

Still, when you finally resign yourself to marrying a meatbag, you should probably surrender your virtual girlfriend before any jealousy can fester. After all, what human could ever hope to live up to the perfection of an anime character? Read More

By Jessica Roy 5/16/12 5:55pm

Kickstarted

Tentacle Bento (kickstarter.com)

Card Game About Tentacle Rape Porn Pulled from Kickstarter

Even on the sex-swathed Internet, there are still some things considered too taboo for mainstream consumption. While a search for “tentacle porn” on XXX sites would undoubtedly yield at least hundreds of results, crowdfunding platform Kickstarter is publicly grappling with its anime animus.

The Daily Dot reports that a tentacle rape porn-themed card game that had raised more than double its funding goal was canceled by Kickstarter, due to its graphic material. As Twitter user @VonRosceau tweeted, “Kickstarter didn’t want a game about raping teenage girls with tentacles funded under their name today. Manchildren angry, nobody surprised.” Read More