x7: A Viewpoint From the Wrong Side of the Tracks
by Dlyrius, HSM team writer
The new x7 club has created quite a controversy since it came online. It’s not just an issue of money; the social barriers we all deal with in everyday life have always been present in Home, too.
There are many factors that separate us from our fellow humans. Whether it’s your ability to bench glitch or gain entry to the new club, it’s all the same. As humans, we tend to run in packs, but at the same time wish to be unique individuals within the pack, or at least think we are. I don’t know if it’s our natural inclination to one-up each other on a competitive basis, or if it’s just to feel some self worth, which – sometimes – costs someone else theirs. Either way, I think its worth a look to see what we can make out of all the chaos.
Folks are mistaken when they say only the rich have VIP access. I have it, and I am unemployed.
I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, with a single mother working herself to death to raise three girls alone. Our father offered no child support of any kind, so everything we had we worked for. However, I didn’t know I was poor until I became an adult, and even then I had my doubts. I preferred to think of it as financially challenged. We never lacked for anything, and I even had a horse. Of course, I worked in the school cafeteria to pay for it and didn’t feel special because I owned one and not all my friends did. We just shared instead.
The years go by and life goes on, and you always run into folks who are either “haves” or “have nots” — and the funny thing is, everyone’s definition of that varies. It can be a financial advantage, or a mental one. Same goes with x7. I love watching people, and the entrance to x7 is no exception. However, there it seems to bring out the best and worst in people. The first thing you notice is the rope defining the line between “haves” and “have nots.”
While it would seem that the VIPs should have better things to do than stand on the club side of the rope and troll, it quickly becomes apparent that some do not. To me, that is pretty sad — and if feeling superior is their goal, this is no way to do it. Isn’t it enough to simply walk through the door and go up the elevator as they watch?
The x7 rope effect
As I stand on the VIP side of the rope, I am reminded just how I felt when only the Plus members and a few chosen others were selected to preview the new Home Hub. I heard stories of how awesome it was. I was regaled with stories of all the neat new things that were coming, yet all I could focus on was that I couldn’t get in to see. It not only made me avoid my friends who could see the new core because I didn’t want to hear about it, it made me feel that Sony really didn’t care about its customers unless they had money to spend. This kind of alienation isn’t good, and I truly feel the best thing to do would be to get rid of the x7 entrance altogether. Kind of an out of sight, out of mind thing.
The club itself is pretty nice. I enjoy the music there, especially the song written about Home itself. The flirt game was easy to master and I got my tiara on the first day. I also enjoyed having the ability to purchase new items a week early. So far, the freebies have been nothing to write home about, but what the hell – free is a very good price.
It’s been said the club is sexist. Of course it is. Sex sells, people! There is a target market for sales on Home, and it obviously isn’t geared towards females. Us females only have ourselves to blame; we buy and wear the skimpy outfits we are offered at the store. I’m as guilty as anyone else because I buy it too. If we stopped buying it, the vendors would be forced to cater more to our wishes and develop clothing and outfits more suited to our feminist tastes.
(Editor’s note: female apparel in 2012 appears to be far superior to the downright trashy offerings that were coming out a year ago.)
Lockwood’s lines from Figment and Drey offer some very classy alternatives. I do wish Sony would also develop things like the flaming skeleton and minotaur for us girls, because those outfits are just plain cool. However, unlike most, I refuse to even make a male avatar to wear these types of outfits.
So what if the girls aren't real? We're exclusive now!
As for the club: if any of you took the time to really look at the dancers and waitresses though…holy crap. Ugly doesn’t even begin to describe it. Lindsay Lohan being made over by a pissed-off drag queen would look better.
One thing I have noticed is that one of the biggest reasons the females I have talked to go to the club is because of its noticeable lack of perverts. You also don’t have to deal with the fams flashing gang signs every two minutes. Folks seem to conduct themselves with a tad more decorum while in the club. That’s why this trolling at the entrance rope confuses me. There is a VIP area within the club, too. There is also a velvet rope there with a guard so only the very VIP people get in. I have full access to all areas of the club, yet I never see anyone standing at that rope taunting the others because they don’t have enough money to buy the required items to gain entry.
So why does this happen only out front? Could it be that the reports of sexual harassment, stalking, and other forms of harassment from the normal public areas are so numerous that the moderators are unable to deal with it? Perhaps the bans for these types of activities should be more severe. It could just be that as females, we are so used to it, we don’t even bother to report it most of the time, so the pervs just keep at it unchecked.
The only other thing I would like to see Sony do, besides totally eliminating the entrance, is to give everyone a one-day pass. They offer tours of new spaces to allow customers to make an informed purchase, so why not the club too? Let the “little people” in so they can see if they want to make the necessary purchases to gain permanent entry. Not only would this eliminate the frustrating curiosity felt by the folks stuck arguing with the burly guards at the rope outside, but it might show them Sony does care about their feelings and loyalty.
It’s been said that the price of admission is less than most folks pay for a typical game’s DLC pack, and that is true — but most of those games offer you a trial, first. After all, no one likes to buy anything sight unseen. That’s why we can tour new spaces and try on our new clothes before we fork over any hard earned money for an item that only exists in a virtual world. x7 might recognize further revenue gains from such a venture.
As a person who technically shouldn’t be clustered in with the elite of Home, it’s easy for me to see both sides of this issue. Yes, I enjoy the club because in the real world, I couldn’t even get a job washing dishes in a place like that. Even though I can get in, I don’t rub it in the faces of my friends who are not fortunate enough to be able to purchase a Plus membership or the required items to gain entry. I fail to see why Sony needs to create a roped-off front entrance which promotes poor behavior.
April 26th, 2012 by Dlyrius | 6 comments
Dlyrius, a native Oregonian, has been an internet chat addict since the days of the old BBS services.
Agreed! I haven’t even gone to the lobby area of this place myself, I am not the least bit interested in it. Good article, but even if they gave me a free days pass I wouldn’t go.
Nice article, I’m pretty sure most of the plus accounts were also randomly selected to try the new Home beta, unless they just purposely excluded me, lol, which is possible but I had a plus account then and never got the invite. I think you make a very good point that people confuse exclusivity with elitism. I have access to the space but not the VIP room, and I’m not rich either nor do i pretend to be, but I know i’ve spent a lot more than what it would cost to get into the VIP area, I just personally don’t care for any of the items that would let me in, I bought the Chilli red pilot jacket that lets me into the sodium VIP room which is pretty much empty these days, but i bought it for access to the 45 levels of Salt Shooter. So the content was worth it not the exclusivity of a now abandoned VIP room. Great job and thanks for sharing your views.
Loved the article. If they gave me a one day free pass I would go but it would be the only time. Don’t feel like I should pay just to receive items earlier than everyone else
I didn’t have a Plus account, but was lucky enough to get into the private Beta, and I’m a nice guy, honest! lol It was great to see the new stuff early, but at the same you weren’t supposed to talk about it, so they kind of cancelled each other out.
Great article. The division thing on Home is kind of a pet peeve of mine. It’s why we play video games to escape all that sh*t! x7 seems to me like buying a first class airline ticket for a 45 minute flight, not worth it.
“Lindsay Lohan being made over by a pissed off drag queen”. That’s not a term you hear much and it’s one I will attempt to avoid. I do find it at least a little disturbing that this mentallity exist here in home, however, if people were so offended, don’t go. I went once to the front and having zero access, could only watch the profane speech bubbles full of hate speech pop up all over the place. I was so repulsed at that and the poparazzi corner that I swore never to return and I haven’t. As consumers, we , in our going or not, show what we like. We let Sony and the deveolpers know what is acceptable, and like real life, there is always something icky under a rock. In Home that’s x7. Please somebody,if I ever show up in a diamond bling suit inside of x7, go to your wardrobe and put your pistol in your hand item and shoot me.
I don’t care for x7. Don’t like the rehab remark, that little snot.
It’s a nice enough space, well done, but the atmosphere is not for me.
As it does have good deals and early bird sales, I will visit for that. Maybe also just to figure out what the space is supposed to be about. I like observing what people do but nothing happens in there. Perhaps that is a good thing.