One of the things that always turned me off from Second Life is its decidedly NSFW tint. Media darling, next-generation business platform, harbinger of the virtual economy, whatever—Linden can spin Second Life however it likes, but the fact is that it's a seedy hideout for basement-dwelling furries and other miscreants.
Which is why I think PS3 Home is in many ways more promising than its source material. True, the content is not user-generated and the game world is essentially a Sony-governed advertisement. Then again, there's no anthropomorphic feces shouting obscenities, either. In addition to in-game moderators, the character models will be wholly realistic (and incidentally, completely PG). Home's executive producer drops the bomb (?) today:
"If everyone's walking around dressed as orcs or stormtroopers or whatever, then you lose that welcoming, accessible element that means Mum, Dad and your sister might get involved as well. The idea is to keep it as accessible, mainstream and friendly as possible."
I think this is a good thing. We'll keep it wholesome while watching exciting trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures™ features on the Playstation Network™, thank you very much.
Further hilarious, NSFW reading:
Hypewatch: Sex shopping in Second Life [Valleywag, NSFW]
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