1Up has discovered that there are prostitutes in Second Life! Of course, if you’re reading this blog, you probably already knew that. MMO Prostitutes have been around forever. In Meridian 59, taking off your chain mail shirt to show the ratty brown undershirt underneath was about as sexy as you could act, yet we had our first virtual prostitute day one. World’s oldest profession indeed.

Still, there’s no doubt that the culture of SL takes this to the next level. Scott recently linked to the Second Life Escort Ratings (which the article mentions, and is definitely worth a read). What I found more interesting is people working to solve the primary problem when selling this particular… service.

“I’m in a group called ‘Gender-Verified Female,’ otherwise known as ‘GV Female.’ In order to become a member, you must first have a voice conversation with one of the group officers.”

One interesting observation by the community is that the game tends to have a healthier sex environment than MMOs that are all about sex (i.e. Sociolotron, Naughty America) because in Second Life, sex is a sideline activity for most people, much like in real life.

. “People lead normal SL lives,” DeGroot says, “with friends, homes, jobs, and the like, and it makes sex special. It’s more gratifying than starting up some cheap sex game secretly by yourself. People identify with their avatars; they remember their pasts and plan for their futures–it makes these experiences more real and rewarding.”