Did you know that there is a new OpenSim space for Furries? Do you know what a Furry is?
Furries are people who create their own personas in the form of anthropomorphic animals. They dress in costumes, interact online and in VR as their Furry avatars, and even gather in real life at conventions, such as this year’s AnthroCon on 4th of July weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Furries have been part of the internet community since its early inception, when people would role-play as Lion King characters in chatrooms.
One of the newest virtual space that exists for Furries is FurrySide Grid, founded by Wyatt Parker in April of this year and hosted by Hosting4OpenSim.
The hypergrid address is login.furryside.com:8002.
“I am not a furry,” Parker told HyperGrid Business, “but I do support them.”
Parker actually created FurrySide to help his real-life partner, whom he met on Second Life.
“He’s very socially awkward,” said Parker, with his partner sitting behind him during the interview. “[A]nd he’s probably going to look at me right now. Yep, there he goes.”
Parker saw a lack of options at the time in OpenSim, and FurrySide was built partly to fill a void for English-speaking Furries.
“Looking at OpenSim grids,” continued Parker, “I noticed that there is only one grid that is dedicated to Furries, and it’s German.”
That is not to say that FurrySide is for English-speaking Furries only, according to Parker. In fact, he is hoping that non-Furries will also embrace the Furry community.
“They have the biggest hearts and most understanding for those who are different,” said Parker. He wanted to create a space where people could “just be themselves.”
While other platforms exist for Furries to interact, such as Second Life, they present their own challenges. Parker spoke of how Furries have often been the target of various accusations in Second Life.
“Furries are persistently attacked,” said Parker. I have seen things and read horror stories. It’s really horrible.”
While Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, has avenues for reporting abuse accusations, Parker found it difficult to make any headway.
“A couple months ago,” said Parker, “I had an incident at my [Second Life] region that I own.” When he called a concierge at Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, his response was that abuse reports were backed up. “So getting anything done in regards to abuse reports in Second Life, it’s difficult.”
Parker has reported that Furries have been hit with accusations of acts such as bestiality. However, according to Parker, this is not what the Furry community is all about.
“We’re a safe haven for anybody society would classify as different,” commented Parker.
FurrySide is still in its alpha stage, according to the grid’s landing page, with its most recent Facebook post being in June of this year, and the grid’s stats showing only 35 visitors in the past 30 days.
Follow the grid on Facebook here.
According to Parker, plans for community events are still in the works.
I was given a tour of the FurrySide grid by Parker and two other members of the Furry community. I got to visit the virtual farm of FurrySide member Rebel PhoenixFire, who often retreats to it as a respite from her duties as a single working mother.
While Furryside Grid has a long way to go before becoming a sustainable OpenSim community, the seeds of it have been planted.
Terrence J. Smith has contributed his writing to nonprofits and both print and digital publications. He enjoys all things technology, but remembers to meditate and appreciate the outside world.
