The 11,000-Member Discord Channel For People Pretending to Be VR Police Officers (inputmag.com) 37
On the VRChat platform, there's a fake law-enforcement agency called The Loli Police Department, reports Input magazine.
Though it began as a joke, after four years its Discord channel now has 11,000 members, and "The tightly run community allows members to experience a fantasy version of police life and prides itself on being a source of chaotic good in the strange world of virtual reality." Members move through the ranks — from cadet on up — based on their activity level, which is tracked via the group's Discord. Everything is carefully orchestrated to mimic IRL police.... Karet, a 29-year-old game developer and LPD captain from Texas, says that the hard work of volunteers allows users to roleplay police activities in a realistic environment. "We have some of our own worlds — like the hospital for our medical division, where we can pretend someone is getting treatment, or the jail where we put criminals," says Karet, who designed the LPD station and jail.
One of Karet's favorite things to do is mess with users at random. "Lots of people in VRChat like to sit in front of mirrors," he says. "I will go up to the mirror and do a 'mirror inspection.' Then I say it's an illegal mirror and start looking for someone to blame and arrest. They just don't know how to handle that," he laughs. There are other ways to get people into trouble, too. "I can pull out a bag of weed and make it look like it came out of someone's pocket," Karet says. "They always say it's not theirs."
Being a VRChat police officer comes with its share of challenges. Members are aware that their form of roleplay — which frames spot checks and fake drug busts as harmless fun — doesn't sit well with some members of the community....
Despite the power dynamics at play, LPD members are not moderators of the VR world and ultimately can't make much in the way of real change. "One of our new officers came to me upset because they stepped in when they saw harassment, but then they got the brunt of the attack from the harasser," says Karet. "I commended him, but it's not what we do. We're just trying to have fun. So usually when we encounter something like that, we just leave the world." Thankfully, Karet says, the LPD can help their community somewhat. "We encourage LPD officers to help out new users. It's easy to spot them, so we often go and give them a hand, show them how things work," he says. The LPD used to run events for this purpose, but they were recently brought to a halt. "The events are on hiatus because it became a bit cult-y. Everyone was trying to recruit people into the LPD."
Though it began as a joke, after four years its Discord channel now has 11,000 members, and "The tightly run community allows members to experience a fantasy version of police life and prides itself on being a source of chaotic good in the strange world of virtual reality." Members move through the ranks — from cadet on up — based on their activity level, which is tracked via the group's Discord. Everything is carefully orchestrated to mimic IRL police.... Karet, a 29-year-old game developer and LPD captain from Texas, says that the hard work of volunteers allows users to roleplay police activities in a realistic environment. "We have some of our own worlds — like the hospital for our medical division, where we can pretend someone is getting treatment, or the jail where we put criminals," says Karet, who designed the LPD station and jail.
One of Karet's favorite things to do is mess with users at random. "Lots of people in VRChat like to sit in front of mirrors," he says. "I will go up to the mirror and do a 'mirror inspection.' Then I say it's an illegal mirror and start looking for someone to blame and arrest. They just don't know how to handle that," he laughs. There are other ways to get people into trouble, too. "I can pull out a bag of weed and make it look like it came out of someone's pocket," Karet says. "They always say it's not theirs."
Being a VRChat police officer comes with its share of challenges. Members are aware that their form of roleplay — which frames spot checks and fake drug busts as harmless fun — doesn't sit well with some members of the community....
Despite the power dynamics at play, LPD members are not moderators of the VR world and ultimately can't make much in the way of real change. "One of our new officers came to me upset because they stepped in when they saw harassment, but then they got the brunt of the attack from the harasser," says Karet. "I commended him, but it's not what we do. We're just trying to have fun. So usually when we encounter something like that, we just leave the world." Thankfully, Karet says, the LPD can help their community somewhat. "We encourage LPD officers to help out new users. It's easy to spot them, so we often go and give them a hand, show them how things work," he says. The LPD used to run events for this purpose, but they were recently brought to a halt. "The events are on hiatus because it became a bit cult-y. Everyone was trying to recruit people into the LPD."
"We're just trying to have fun." (Score:3)
The pretend that they have authority, then make up crimes and plant "evidence" to justify harassing people.
They're a bunch of fucking trolls who get off on making other people miserable. Don't dignify them by writing stories that paint them as anything else.
Re: "We're just trying to have fun." (Score:2)
Fun at the direct expense of others without their consent - indeed, this should not be allowed.
Yeah, though "miserable" may be a stretch (Score:2)
You're not could completely wrong. Though "making other people miserable" may be a stretch - you can just walk away and leave them standing there holding the bag. Even in the games for kids, like Roblox, a lot of the kids shoot at the cops, playing cops and robbers just like we did as kids in the 1970s, 1980s, or whenever you were a kid.
If you decide to be "miserable" because someone else's avatar walks up to your avatar in a game, that's your decision. Probably not a great decision, either, once it results
Re: (Score:2)
Or maybe the real world around you is miserable and the VR world is better.
But hey, what do either of us know? We're two idiots arguing on Slashdot!
Re: (Score:1)
I thought it's just a silly game where people expect to be trolled and expect to troll others.
Re: (Score:2)
The pretend that they have authority, then make up crimes and plant "evidence" to justify harassing people.
So basically the same as cops in real life.
Re: (Score:1)
advice to whoever, get of discord for a while and write your own scripts and profiles.
Hi “I'm Chris Hansen.! (Score:2)
Hi “I'm Chris Hansen.!
Re: (Score:2)
"I hear you're the "loli police". Would you care to explain the origin of that name? Feel free to take a seat right there"
Re: (Score:1)
Land O'Lakes International Police
Re: (Score:2)
Android 5.0, obviously.
The Loli Police patrols around and arrests Apple users at random just to annoy them.
Would "Haze Memorial Police Dept" be better? (Score:2)
Presumably this agency was named in memory of Dolores Haze, a fictional 12-year-old girl in a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov [wikipedia.org] who survives child sex abuse by a literature professor, to deter others from the sort of abuse depicted in the novel.
Re: (Score:2)
The LPD appears to be making a parody of borderline pedophilic behavior on VRChat by taking the typical loli avatars and putting them in police uniforms with guns.
Re: (Score:2)
It is interesting how behavior changes when the social structure changes. I'd bet most of these people would never do these things IRL, but when hiding behind the computer everything changes - the true self appears. Humans really are not so far from savages.
These are witch hunters. (Score:2)
Group:'I am the Police and I am here to ruin your VR experience'
Everyone else: Sure let me just add you to the ban list.
They are not pretending to be VR police officers (Score:1)
They are pretending to be police officers in VR.
Editors edit.
Everything? (Score:2)
Everything is carefully orchestrated to mimic IRL police
So one presumes they're a bunch of white supremacists [rollingstone.com].
"I can pull out a bag of weed and make it look like it came out of someone's pocket," Karet says. "They always say it's not theirs."
Ah yes, then apparently they are almost just like the real thing, except at least some of them seem to have a sense of humor.
Perpetuation Corruption, is now a Game?? (Score:2)
"There are other ways to get people into trouble, too. "I can pull out a bag of weed and make it look like it came out of someone's pocket," Karet says. "They always say it's not theirs."
Yeah, ain't that a real hoot? Nothing like making a game out of the corruption that actually fucks with people's lives.
What are you going to teach next? Racial profiling? Stop and Frisk? How about a quick Fast and Furious gun run, just for fucks sake.
Bullshit makes phony SEALs look good. Unreal.
Re: (Score:2)
Better to have them running around in VR than real life. You hear about all these officers quitting the force recently because they're scared about being subjected to accountability. Let them quit, give them a UBI and keep them jacked into the Metaverse all day so they're not tempted to continue their violence in a private militia group.
Turn it around (Score:3)
Bikini-Inspectors for sure (Score:2)
That's what they called themselves in the olden times.
I don't get the 3D headset thing (Score:2)
Why do you need 3D goggles to mull around on virtual streets? Why not just use a big monitor? 3D doesn't seem necessary. Do the parallax head wobble if you need to study something's depth. Is it just the cool-factor of 3D? 3D tits more stimulating? It's about the tits?
Re: (Score:1)
In case you're serious, let's first get it out of the way: The headsets aren't for everyone. If you don't get anything out of it, that's fine.
What other people do get out of a headset is: Immersion. Some people can sit in front of a screen and feel like they are "there" just fine. The headset isn't just about what you see however, it's how you see it, and just as much, how you participate. You don't just sit there, you stand up, you kneel, you move your arms around. You're not longer looking through a
Re: (Score:1)
Okay, but if one doesn't feel like standing up or wiggling a lot, can they just use screen mode, like a first-person POV video game? How many do that? Or is the point to be like a social version of Wii and get exercise and/or get the youthful energy out?
Pardon my ignorance if I'm asking dumb questions, I haven't tried social VR yet.
Re: (Score:1)
Lots of people play in "Flat screen" mode, thought how many or what ratio I couldn't say, as social VR isn't really my thing. I do VR for fitness and not so social fun. Things like Skyrim in VR are a blast.
Social VR with the full motion controls is quite immersive though. You can play darts, pool, any number of other games. You can communicate with body language like you would in real life. Or you can just sit there and play flat screen and voice chat people. The important thing to remember is that VR
Re: (Score:1)
Is it something people do for hours on end, or just a sensation that's cool at first but one outgrows?
Authoritatian Assholes in VR (Score:2)
And without a mandate or oversight (weak as that usually is). No surprise, but a reason to stay far away from these degenerates.