LOS ANGELES — Sector specialists like VR Bangers and studios that offer virtual experiences like Erika Lust’s XConfessions are reporting an increase in demand since the advent of social distancing protocols caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Technology is really saving our lives during lockdown times," Lust told Lindsay Dodgson, a reporter for news site Insider. "People are consuming more adult content lately and I believe that at some point they may be longing for something more interactive and more liberating than 2D porn."
Insider also interviewed Daniel Abramovich, the CEO and co-founder of VR Bangers, who said his company had seen a 30 percent growth in sales since the coronavirus lockdown began, because "people are going crazy at home."
"VR Porn actually gives you the opportunity to get transferred into a different part of the world," Abramovich added. "We have experiences in the woods, in hair salons, hospitals, restaurants, other countries, you name it — pretty much places that people miss the most right now."
The VR Bangers CEO explained that during these times of isolation, the virtual reality experience can help people "feel the butterflies in their stomachs."
According to Abramovich, "you're still able to get all the intimacy in VR Porn videos such as kissing, whispering in the ears, and all the other feelings that you get in real life and don't normally get in regular porn."
Kayden Kross, award-winning director and head of Vixen Media Group's Deeper, concurred. "It's the safest option right now as an outlet for sexual needs," she said. "There's a lot of boredom, maybe even new curiosity after a lot of people have gone through their usual routines over and over again at home and are looking for novelty."
For Erika Lust, whose XConfessions offers the novel, in-the-round "360º of Lust" experience, "you can experience a greater emotional engagement and a different
The VR experience can also offer some variation to the standard cam model show. Stan Gearson, CEO and cofounder of VR camming company DreamCam said he thinks "this situation with coronavirus will have some long-term impacts for users' behavior, for entertainment behavior."
While Gearson admits some users cannot take advantage of his platform because "they are now locked in their houses with their families, at the same time, there are some new users who are using it because they are sitting in their houses alone. So there is a balance between all those trends."
Ultimately, the VR evangelists are offering the same fantasy of escape that they’ve been providing before the pandemic.
"This lockdown makes people feel like they are in jail, and what do people want to do when they are stuck in jail? Escape!" said VR Bangers' Abramovich. "So the only safe place to escape to would be a virtual world. It might not cure your depression or loneliness by 100 percent, but it will for the time being."
To read the Insider article on VR porn during COVID-19, click here.
