Vocaloids and Dating simulators; virtual popstars, synthetic relationships, and you

Vocaloids and Dating simulators; virtual popstars, synthetic relationships, and you. Vocaloids started off as an instrument, one meant for composers who could play and make melodies but lacked a significant skill, singing. Vocaloids originally just a software that would take words and sing them in any tone the user desired was nothing more than that, an instrument to fuel the music industry. Like any product they needed a way to market and advertise the software. Thus the virtual singing program gained a body, a visual representation of who is singing. The most popular singer being Hatsune Miku, but she is far from being the only influential virtual female out there.

Like any pop idol she has fans who are normal and buy merchandise and albums to those who devote thousands of dollars to show their love through creations collections. Any fandom has over the top devotion in one way or another, so devotions of love is not a sign that were going too far with this. Neither is spending over $100, to watch holograms sing and dance on stage.

I have to admit, as someone who went it was worth every dollar.

How much harm can this really do? Not much can it? There only merchandise in the end, content to be created, played with, and then shared, much like video games. Another type of virtual characters exist there, and not just as characters we play throughout the story, dating Sims. Dating sims allow for a person to bond with a synthetic person, ones made to be perfect, emotionally, physically and morally. If someone cannot make you one then there are programs out there to help you create your own perfect lover. But how does this affect society?

Japan is experiencing a decline in birth rates and is predicted to have over 80% of its population above 75 years old. So there is a lot of old people so what? That means there’s a large portion of the population not working. This in turn adds to the amount of labor that is not only expected but needed from the current workforce there. It turns out they virtual characters, especially women are becoming so big and influential especially in Japanese culture that people can legally marry one of these virtual characters. Now that this has an effect on the way humans live their life we can get a better grasp of the influence of virtual characters. Since marriages and relationships are declining a town called Atami has changed their tactics for profits. Instead of only catering for only marriages they also catered to men with girlfriends from one of the most popular dating sims, Love Plus. Society is accepting this trend of synthetic relationships over real ones, reasons can be because it is significantly easier and the perfect relationship. Whatever one’s personal reason is, accepting this trend in Japan can be a marker that other countries including the U.S. could fall into this.

Vocaloids have gained their fair share of popularity here, since their introduction the amount of flash games that are dating sims have also risen. What this means is that what was once a marketing technique has now rooted itself into our emotions, for devotion and love so deeply that we may blur the line between what we feel is real and what is fake. Can a virtual person control you or do you have complete control over them since they are not real. Surely you cannot find anything wrong with someone who is virtual, they can be created perfect.