Red Light Center is a 3D adult MMORPG. You create your avatar, move into your virtual appartment, explore the RLC metaverse and meet new and possibly exciting people. And sleep with them. Read the full review to find out everything you could possibly need to know about Red Light Center.
In a hurry? Jump to:
- What is Red Light Center?
- Pros and cons
- Pricing
- Will it play on my computer?
- How to meet people
- Conclusion
The pandemic and the ensuing lock-down measures of the past years has had a profound impact on how people perceive dating, online dating and adult virtual worlds.
Online dating services, sexting, and online worlds where adults can meet, chat and have virtual sex have known an unprecedented growth during this period.
Today, join me in taking a look at one of the oldest and largest adult MMO’s: the Red Light Center game.
What is Red Light Center?
First off, Red Light Center is one of the oldest adult-themed MMO’s around. It’s been around since 2005, when the competition was sparse and the genre was relatively untapped.
These days, there’s a lot more competition, which is probably why the folks at Utherverse (the creators of RLC) are currently working on Red Light Center Mate, a new version of the game. The new version will be available on mobile and desktop (currently, desktop is still your only option) and will feature updated graphics. About time, since the original game came out in 2005 the graphics are starting to feel a bit dated.
Apart from the graphics issue, the idea behind the Red Light Center game is actually quite good. You can create an avatar and hang out in an online world with other people. You can go to nightclubs, bars, beaches, stripclubs, shops, and so on. When you make a connection with another player, cou can decide to take it to a more private setting and get it on. There are lots of sexual animations to choose from, so you can chat while your avatars are getting busy on the screen.
As I was researching for this article, I discovered that RLC is actually part of a bigger metaverse, called ‘Utherverse’. This metaverse contains several ‘cities’ such as Red Light Center, Loki land, Virtual Vancouver as well as the Utherverse social center, which are linked by ‘transport centers’. You can even create your own virtual world if you are so inclined.
Utherverse even has its own currency, called ‘Rays’. Rays can be earned in different ways. You could one of many jobs in the metaverse, as a bartender, a DJ, a working girl, and many others. Or you can design new in-game objects such as clothes, art or furniture to earn Rays.
Pros and cons
Pros
- no adware, advertising, spam or malware
- RLC boasts one of the largest user bases in its genre
- partial VR support – some areas have VR, some don’t
- a new version has been announced for 2022, which will bring the game to mobile and dramatically update the graphics
- available for both Mac and PC
Cons
- the graphics are getting rather dated – an update is overdue
- only partial VR support – hopping in and out of VR breaks the immersion
- no mobile version
Pricing
There is a free mode – no adult content though – and monthly subscription for full access. The subscriptions are either VIP or Ultra-VIP
- Free: free to create an avatar and explore the world without adult content
- VIP: access to all of the games features with a single avatar
- Ultra-VIP: same as VIP, but you get up to 5 avatars, an enhanced property catalog and login queue priority
Prices:
- VIP: $19.99/month
- Ultra-VIP: $29.99/month
Will it play on my computer?
One of the oldest questions in the gaming world! As RLC is getting on in years, the requirements aren’t too harsh. Just to be sure, here they are:
System requirements
- Intel Pentium 4 – 1.2 GHz
- All versions of Windows (down to XP)
- 1 GB of Ram
- DirectX v 9.0b
- Nvidia GeForce 2 / ATI Radeon 7000 and up
- DirectX compatible sound card
How will I meet people?
Actually, this part works kind of like in real life. When you log in after you’ve finished creating your avatar, you’re just let loose in the world. Go to a bar. Mingle. Approach some people and talk to them. It’s not ideal if you’re shy, but hey, it’s a lot easier to do this online than in the real world, no?
I noticed that barriers between people are lessened online, as people are playing from the safety of their own home, after all, and can just have their avatar walk away if the conversation no longer interests them. I found the community to be quite accepting of newcomers and I met some people in my first hour of play.
International appeal
People from all over the world play Red Light Center. The ‘lingua franca’ in the game is English, sure. But there are plenty of multilingual communities in this virtual world to allow players to communicate with other users in their native tongue.
Being a bit of a polyglot myself, I set out in search of different language communities in Red Light Center, and found several interesting foreign language fan communities.
Check some of them out here:
- In French: www.redlightcentergame.fr
- In Dutch: www.rlcworld.com
In conclusion…
It’s a way to spend an evening. The graphics could be better and I’d like a mobile version, but we’ll have to wait for the new version to come out (rumored to release sometime in 2022, so that’s something to look out for!) for that to happen.
As it stands, Red Light Center was indeed the reference when it came out in 2005, but time has definitely taken its toll. The experience is still great, but the graphics need a major overhaul to meet the current 3D/VR standards.
Otherwise, a fun, no-strings-attached experience. Give it a spin if this kind of thing floats your boat!
Interested in adult virtual worlds and online line dating trends? Read on:
The meteoric rise of dating services and adult virtual worlds