Top game and VR guru Adam Block is responsible for Vivid Entertainment earning worldwide media attention for the release of their The Kim Kardashian Superstar VR Experience. Adam’s firm, 3X Studios, has worked on such blockbuster games as Transformers, Guitar Hero and Spider-Man and in transitioning to adult entertainment virtual reality content 3X came to work exclusively for Vivid.
As VR is only the tip of the iceberg for what the future of VR adult entertainment has in store for us-technical advances in AR and AI happen so rapidly these days-I wanted to get the skinny on all of this and have Adam share some of the excitement of this burgeoning world.
How did you go from working on games such as Transformers, Guitar Hero and Spider-Man to producing Virtual Reality content for Vivid Entertainment?
It was a transition that made a lot of sense for us. First and foremost, virtual reality as a technology is a really mind-blowing experience and extremely cool. If you’ve tried it you know what I mean. I suppose VR in some ways can be considered a second cousin to video game development. With video games, we’re constantly troubleshooting technical issues, fixing bugs, designing worlds and spending countless hours working on our craft because we have a passion for using technology in new and creative ways. We feel that adult entertainment is an ideal application for this type of tech and general approach.
How, in fact, did you come to work on those games in the first place? Does one go to college and get a degree in ‘gaming’ technology?
Great question. I actually studied music production & engineering at Berklee College of Music, where production techniques, standards of excellence and technical understanding of equipment, processes, and gear were largely in focus. Combined with a music background and years of being a musician and guitar player, I was offered a job working on Guitar Hero for Activision. That game, in particular, was my “foot in” the door to the video game industry where I’ve been working for the past ten years.
Can you tell us exactly what The Kim Kardashian Superstar VR Experience is?
The Kim K Superstar VR Experience is a perfect example of blending the old with the new. Vivid is certainly well known for that tape and other celebrity content, so we tossed around a few ideas of how we could repurpose the legendary Kim K. sex tape within this new medium. We hired an amazing actress (with a striking resemblance to Kim K) to climb out of the T.V. screen as the famous sex tape plays by the foot of your bed. I mean, for anyone who has seen that tape or has ever fantasized about Kim Kardashian, this is really a unique experience to check out. It’s a great example of the fun, creative things we can do in VR.
Will you be developing VR content based on some of the other celebrity sex tape stars such as Tila Tequila, Farrah Abraham and Kendra Wilkinson ?
I think it makes a lot of sense for us to explore our options and different ways we may be able to incorporate some of Vivid’s celebrity and most popular content in a VR experience. I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed in the content that’s around the corner. If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out vividvirtual.com. It’s just a few dollars for a trial join; how can you go wrong with that?
If, as Vivid’s press suggests, ‘VR is only the tip of the iceberg for what the future of adult entertainment has in store for us,’ what, in your view, might be coming for us all in the “future of adult entertainment?”
We’ll be seeing more options, more interactivity, more user choices, more uses of haptics and peripheral devices within the VR & AR experiences. The sky is the limit long-term, but it’s important that we focus on delivering the best quality content out of the gate. Our focus will always be on quality content and value to the customer first, followed by additional features, bells and whistles.
How do we know VR is not just another fad, or maybe it is and right now it is just the best fad to make money from?
It’s far too immersive to be just a fad. If you’ve ever experienced VR you’ll know how easy it is to completely forget the room you’re in, the seat you’re on or the environment you’re in because your brain is so dialed in and immersed in what you’re seeing around you. The impact it’s already made is pretty ground-breaking and this is really only the beginning.
Playing devils’ advocate…Locked nose-first into our cell phone faces, avoiding conversation, for the most part, taking whole weekends to ‘binge-watch’ Netflix shows, pretty much the human animal seems woefully distracted by all this digital access it has. Is VR another way we are disconnecting from the here-and-now, real flesh-and-blood relationship possibilities?
It’s all about perspective and balance. I don’t see any relationship between someone enjoying an entertainment experience like VR, watching a movie, using the internet or a cell phone as avoiding conversation or disconnecting from the here-and-now. How people choose to use their free time is their prerogative in my opinion. We’re simply offering high-quality adult content using some pretty awesome technology.
