AR Gaming and Porn: Looking Forward

When it launched for Android and iOS mobile devices in 2016, Pokémon Go became an instant worldwide phenomenon. As the first mobile game to seemingly seize the many opportunities provided by Augmented Reality, Pokémon Go earned more than 500 million downloads in its first year. Sure, some folks made fun of those trainers slapping their thumbs against their phone screens near notable public landmarks, but Pokémon Go trainers were well and truly ahead of the curve.

Instead of catching Bidoof, you could soon be picking up new partners via AR. (Image: Niantic)

Strap On and Step Outside

With a huge number of trainers still playing during the current COVID-19-caused self-isolation measures, it’s clear not even a global pandemic can bring AR gaming down. As Pokémon Go developers Niantic continue to alter gameplay to better suit at-home enjoyment, the rest of the AR gaming industry is finding new ways to enhance our gaming experiences too. And, yes, this means adult games and entertainment, too.

Image: Spectacles by Snap Inc.

Anyone who has played Pokémon Go, Minecraft Earth, and other popular mobile AR games will be familiar with the occasional distracted collision with another player, person, or real-world object. Staring at your phone to make sure you don’t let that pesky Sentret escape can remove you from the world in much the same way other attention-holding apps do. Wearables will soon make this a non-issue. This is especially good news for anyone eager to roam around their city or town running a NSFW AR app. No more pulling your phone out when you think nobody’s looking. Just stare ahead into your Snapchat Spectacles (or similar AR wearable) and continue enjoying tech-aided perversion in relative privacy.

In Adults Only Spaces

Image: Naughty America

NaughtyAmericaVR and ARConk set the stage for porn’s more advanced AR attempts, but the future undoubtedly holds far more exciting possibilities. Imagine walking into a bar (as distant as that seems at the moment) and scanning the crowd to find a few people flagged with a hovering AR icon. Whether these are real people identified as having intimate potential with the user or virtual creations occupying real space – or perhaps an award-winning pornstar beamed in from another location especially for you – the opportunities to bring heightened eroticism and fantasy roleplay into our real environments have never been this numerous or this exciting.

Image: ARConk

Warping Reality One Pixel at a Time

Then, there’s the softer edge of adult AR content: dating simulators, “mature audience” social gaming, AR-aided Tinder-like apps, and even educational and instructional aids. This more mainstream acceptable adult AR content is more likely to find wide adoption than the more extreme or hardcore stuff. That doesn’t mean it won’t be feeding the development of edgier porn, though. Augmented Reality is, in essence, about the fluid blending of the artificial and the real. With fantasies, a primary part of what constitutes our individual and collective sexualities, AR is perfectly poised to bring these ideas into mainstream discussion, into the marketplace, and into your world.