Was Gor better before? Has Gor changed? Is it regrettable? Or is it preferable? These are the kinds of questions and opinions I often see, with people sticking to their positions, and often conflicts that border on political pugilism.

And, yes, I’m sometimes asked. And, of course, I have a point of view on the subject. That said, my opinion is, in my opinion, irrelevant to the pages of the Archives Goréennes. While this website is organized on the basis of a blog, it’s not a blog. It’s a website of game aids, tips and information on the same theme: discovering the world of Gor, and role-playing on Gorean roleplay sims. While I always take a critical and lucid look at the philosophical aspects of John Norman’s novels, I consider my personal opinion here to be irrelevant.

So why am I telling you about it here? Well, because people are already forming, for better or worse, a certain opinion of my views on Gor. So I’m not risking much! Secondly, because the questions I relayed above are legitimate. And they deserve an answer, as objective and well-argued as possible.

1- Things change.

The world is evolving and progressing all the time. A phase of technological, social and human progress is always followed by a reactionary backlash, and so it goes on: two steps forward, one step back.

I much prefer my contemporary life to the one I knew and lived in the 90s or even the 80s. On the whole, I’m delighted to see how society has progressed in its quest for greater humanity, in the sense of human rights. And of course, I’m a little upset to see that the backlash has happened recently, but… it’s in the very mechanics of the social psychology of our species. What’s been driving us since the invention of speech and then writing is cultural evolution, which, for our species, has supplanted biological evolution.

And, you’ll laugh, but the same thing can be seen on a lesser scale in groups of other social animals with a culture, such as chimpanzees, bonobos, crows and certain parrots. We didn’t invent progress any more than we invented backlash, and that’s not even typically human.

So, things are always changing, always progressing, with their share of positive developments and negative side-effects, their moments of major advances, and their brutal slowdowns.

And for Gor in Second Life, it’s all the same.

21 years of Gor in Second Life.

Yes, Second Life has been around for quite a few years now. For those who don’t realize it, we’re talking about an entire generation! The adults who opened the first Gor roleplay sims are now at least in their forties, more often in their fifties, and even retired, whose adult children are perfectly capable of playing on Second Life themselves!

An entire generation is a paradigm shift in terms of social psychology. It’s the time needed for what’s known as cultural assimilation: a concept, an innovative idea appears. It is debated, studied, analyzed, defended, rejected, the subject of opposing and sometimes irreconcilable opinions, and then it spreads throughout society, which adopts it, takes advantage of it and, twenty years later, it has become natural and obvious to everyone.

Well, I didn’t get to know Gor, via the first novels I read, until 2004. And I didn’t discover Second Life until 2009, when a friend with whom I was roleplaying on an MMORPG invited me to an English-speaking Gorean sim (the Great Ar, for reference). This was not a revelation for me, but a culture shock. So, I’ll just talk about my observation through the prism of my experience, from 2009 onwards.

New paradigms

Consider that we’re talking about a generation between the start of Gor on Second Life and the present day. We’ve already shifted socio-cultural paradigms; everything has changed! But above all, the players themselves have changed, whether they’re from the first generation, or the new one! You, and I, have all changed in twenty years.

Our relationship with an enormous number of socio-cultural concepts has evolved. We’ve learned, understood and integrated things into our human and social relationships that weren’t even comprehensible 15 or 20 years ago. In a strictly socio-cultural context, we’re talking here about the notion of rape, consent, parity and equality between men and women, the complexity of the notion of gender, transgender and intersex people, LGBTQIA+ people, geeks, nerds, racial equality, etc. All this existed long before the advent of the Internet. All this existed, long before they became social issues! Transgender people didn’t miraculously appear in the ^21st century, the issue of consent is as old as time, geeks have been around since the 80s, etc. But it’s in this last generation that we’ve advanced our acceptance of these issues, and their solutions!

There are still questions, suspicions and even fierce resistance. But rejection, from the Western point of view, is now a minority. And all this is having a real and visible impact on the changing mentality of the gaming community on Gor SL.

2- Does adaptation mean betrayal?

I’m a published novelist and an pro author of tabletop role-playing games, and in the literary and transmedia world, there’s a phrase that circulates, as a sort of reminder that every author must be prepared to accept an idea that’s hard to admit, when he leaves his work in hands other than his own: “to adapt is to betray”.

Why is this?

Because any change of medium requires a reinterpretation of the original material: what works well in a novel or a play will not work in the same way to ensure the success of its adaptation into a game, film or series. Of course, you can adapt without betraying, but then there’s a major problem: if the adaptation in a new medium is going to be a commercial or critical failure, because it’s incapable of meeting the expectations of the new audience that’s going to discover it, well, you don’t do it. You don’t spend money or time on a predicted failure.

The challenge, which is in fact an incredibly arduous task, is then to know how to adapt the work, i.e. to betray part of the basic material, without betraying the spirit of the work. And it’s done! Films such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Logan’s Run and the Lord of the Rings trilogy all manage to do this, while at the same time having made narrative choices that are betrayals, because whole sections of the source material have been interpreted, modified or, in some cases, set aside. And Villeneuve’s “Dune” is clearly well on the way to achieving this, too, whereas Lynch’s unforgettable film was a disaster in terms of its adaptation of the novel (and also a disaster in terms of its production).

There are also resounding failures. David Brin’s The Postman, an incredible book that I thought would be easy to adapt into a film, with a little effort and resources, turned into a disastrous and totally irrelevant film directed by Kevin Costner; and Francis Lawrence’s “I Am Legend”, a sympathetic film starring Will Smith, has very little to do with Richard Matheson’s cult novel of the same name. And there are many others (“I, Robot”, yes, I’m thinking of you too).

Finally, there are some works that you just can’t seem to adapt: what to keep, what to set aside, how to modify the narrative for a new medium? The best example I know of is Arthur C. Clarke’s cult novel Rendezvous with Rama. For 50 years, a host of directors and producers have been dreaming of turning it into a film. Denis Villeneuve was approached in 2021 to direct it, but since then, nothing. Because it’s a fascinating book, but with a contemplative rhythm, devoid of thrilling action or powerful suspense. Its entire narrative needs to be adapted, and here lies the problem of how not to betray the novel too much. Clearly, for the moment, this is an unanswered question.

Gor on SL is not Gor according to the novels!

Norman’s novels were betrayed as soon as they became the support material for role-playing sims in Second Life. Firstly, because the very principle of role-playing on Second Life is a common story shared by all participants, each bringing their own interpretation of the original material, but also because each participant arrives with his or her own certainties, preferences, wishes and mistakes!

As soon as I arrived at Gor SL, in 2009, I came across onlinisms, i.e. practices and ideas that have no source in the novels themselves, but which are accepted as a reality – and sometimes bitterly defended – in the world of Gor. The betrayal was there, and it’s a logical one, since everyone involved is constantly interpreting and adapting a work, and often with very little knowledge of its content. Seriously, who among you has read all 38 novels? Or even twenty? Or ten? And of those of you who have read all the novels, who has memorized them all? Anyone who claims not to betray Norman’s work is lying to himself. We all do it, more or less, sometimes without realizing it, and I’m one of them!

This interpretation then grows, with the participants, over time. It evolves, and has even divided into several distinct currents. There are the lifestylers, followers of Norman’s Gorean philosophy, who strive for the closest possible experience to complete immersion in Gor’s fundamentals. There are the By the Books players, who try to play the role of their character as closely as possible to the cultural, social, geopolitical and civilizational concepts of the novels. Then there are the Gor Evolved players, who integrate modern socio-cultural concepts totally absent from the novels into their very free vision of Gor. And finally, there are the Gor Raiders, for whom Gor is a setting for mass First Person Shooter-style player-versus-player combat.

And none of these approaches, even those that most factually betray the novels, are fundamentally wrong! They’re just very different gameplay pleasures, more or less close or distant from the original material. And they’re not closed boxes either. There are BtB role-playing sims that are quite permissive, others that are very strict, there are lifestyler sims that are open to other practices, others that are deliberately closed to protect their complete immersion, and there are also Gor raider sims that practice good By the Books roleplay and Gor Evolved players who adapt their practice to respect the rules of other types of play and approach to the world of Gor.

The right way to play Gor?

So, to the question: is there a right way to play in the world of Gor? Neutrally speaking, no. Everyone is free to find what they’re looking for. Each sim created by owners indicates, in its presentation and rules, what kind of approach to the world of Gor it wishes and admits, or refuses. So, all players can hope to find the way they like to play, as long as they respect the rules and conditions of each sim! Wanting to play a Gor Evolved character on a BTB sim is like wanting to play soccer and wanting the right to touch the ball with your hands!

And me, do I think there’s a right way to play in the world of Gor? Yes, but because that’s my preference, and that’s what I’m looking for. But that’s not and can’t be a truth, only a personal opinion, more or less enlightened! For example, I’m all for the strict but benevolent By the Books roleplay.

And no, I would never defend the idea that there is a right and a wrong way to play in the world of Gor. There’s a way of playing that’s adapted to the sim or group you’re joining, and one that isn’t, because it contravenes the codes of the group or sim. And, yes, I already know I’m not going to make any friends with that bias. On the other hand, there are ways of playing that I find preferable, more interesting and respectful of the work, and others that I don’t like, that I find regrettable and that I reject, like everyone else. The Gorean Archives are strongly oriented towards game advice for BtB players, with a bias towards benevolence between players, and this is entirely voluntary.

Now it’s time to talk about the letter and the spirit of an adapted work!

3- Letter & spirit.

Respecting Gor’s world to the letter is pretty much impossible, for a number of reasons, mostly due to the contradictions inherent in Norman’s work, but also, as we’ll come back to, to the way Second Life’s player communities interpret and adapt the source. To be honest, I have no idea how this could be done. You’d have to study all the novels in depth, just as you’d have to learn every last code of a foreign culture at university. It could be done, of course. But the people who come to play Gor on Second Life come to play, to have fun, not to spend years mastering a complex skill. Respecting the letter of the law is, moreover, hardly commendable, if you don’t respect the spirit of the work.

Respecting the spirit of Gor, on the other hand, is much easier. All you need to do is understand its fundamentals : a universe straddling antiquity, the late Middle Ages and elements of retro-futuristic science fiction; a sexist, male-dominated world; rigid, codified social positions; a strict place in society for each individual, with a closed social caste system; a mentality based on a sense of honor and respect for individual worth, the only trait that can transcend the balance of power between men and women; and a very special status for slaves, unique to Gor’s world. Add a zest of the philosophy extracted from the evolutionary psychology hypotheses that inspired Norman, and you have a common base.

Respecting this common base then makes it easier to respect the letter: habits and customs, settings, technologies, materials, laws and codes can all be discovered and learned, as you go along, by playing games, reading a few novels, getting information on the Internet – that’s the purpose of this website!

Certain aspects of Gor’s mind are then altered, modified or adapted. The social position of women can range from the most restrictive to emancipation and high social status. The principle of rigid, closed castes can be more or less ignored to allow players to change roles as their experiences and adventures unfold. Slave servitude can be made more flexible with more permissive rules on emancipation or punishment, and so on. In some groups, the strict social rules governing the relationship between slave and master will extend to the OOC; in others, they will be limited to the IC, making a clear difference between player and character.

It’s all about a common, consensual social contract: the rules of the group or sim. These define, for a group, for a sim, the restrictions to be respected, the freedoms offered to players, the type of atmosphere and game proposed, what is allowed, and what is forbidden. I sometimes see sim rules that forget to specify what kind of roleplay and Gorean atmosphere is expected of their players. The rules are about respecting OOC prohibitions and freedoms, but they don’t address the IC aspect. This is a necessity, because, for example, an exotic slave with pointy ears and blue skin, I’m sure exists in the gor world, given Norman’s description of exotic slaves. But does the sim where this slave will come to play accept this kind of fantasy? Or does it consider it a breach of its requirements to respect the spirit of Gor? If the rules don’t clearly address this kind of IC point, it’s likely that the exotic slave will meet with rejection from some of the sim’s players, unwilling to play with “what isn’t Gorean”, from their point of view.

The “good old Gor”.

I raise this point, just because it’s something I often read, although this argument, used as a criterion for a type of group and sim, is clearly disappearing. “Good old Gor” never existed. From my earliest experiences on Gor SL, there were already all types of interpretation of the Gor world, and they had existed since long before my discovery of Gor SL.

It is, in the vast majority of cases, a phrase repeated by people with very conservative and reactionary opinions, dreaming not of a return to the roots of sims and Gor groups very respectful of the novels, but of a fantasized vision, and distorted by their own opinions, of their personal memories and experiences. From the very beginnings of Gor on Second Life, debates on how to offer, or not, a place, for example, to more feminist players, or to people from the LGBTQIA+ community, were well underway. It’s one of the ways in which the Gor universe has adapted to a society whose socio-cultural references have changed enormously in 20 years! In fact, these are even points of view, and therefore answers, addressed in Norman’s novels over the years. Even if he remains conservative in spirit, and therefore doesn’t explore these subjects in depth, he himself has evolved over time, and so have his novels.

Having said that, once again, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for people to create “good old Gor” sims and have fun together. I’m not judging the types of game and atmosphere. On the other hand, to use this argument to complain that Gor has changed for the worse, and to justify fantasized and erroneous ideas, is an opinion that I consider, in this approach, indefensible.

That said, this fad obviously only lasted a year. We must not have had all that much fun on these sims.

Do you play with lifestylers?

Playing with lifestylers is a big word. Lifestylers attempt a more or less deep immersion in the fundamentals of the spirit and letter of Gor. They don’t play a role, but a way of life. They experience it and live it. But I play a slave, I’m not one. I can get out of my slave role, in OOC, if I want to. Which a lifestyler might not appreciate, or even fully understand.

That said, adapting to relationships with lifestylers isn’t difficult at all! Being polite, respectful, and calling someone master, even if I’m OOC, isn’t going to kill me! I just have to tell them that I’m a roleplayer, it’s not a way of life, and since I make an effort to respect them, they do the same! And so, yes, I have good experiences with some of them, bad experiences with others. Behind their type of game, they’re just players, people. There are people you get on well with, and others you don’t. I wouldn’t go and play on any of them sims. I wouldn’t play on a lifestyler sim, because it’s not a game, for them, but a total immersive experience, so it doesn’t suit me.

4- What’s changed

Some things have changed for the better, and for the worse, in twenty years, and I’m going to try and talk about what I think things has changed for the better, or for the worse. I would like to remind you that these are more or less informed opinions. It’s impossible to list these points in a neutral way.

The positives

Let’s start with the good stuff!

Sexism, racism & homophobia:

Clearly, this is one of the two points, along with the next, that has improved tremendously. I remember some sims, from 2009 to 2013, where in the OOC rules it was clearly written: no gay players, no black characters. No, I’m not kidding. As for sexism, it was a veritable war, with online harassment campaigns, against certain female players whose charisma made them community or sim leaders. I myself was a target. For some players, Gor was a men game, by men, for men. A misconception from the outset, but one that created havoc.

This was particularly the case in French-speaking Gor (but also in German, Italian and even English-speaking Gor), and these rules didn’t go down very well, but clearly underlined a problem of opinions drifting into ideology. Time has done its work, these subjects have often been debated, and now they’re no longer a problem. Sexism and racism are a thing of the past (yes, I know, there’s still a minority of die-hards out there, there’s nothing we can do about it), and homophobia is rarely admitted in SL Gor groups.

Of course, in the Gor world, homosexuality has a special place, discreet and hidden, and clearly the Gor world isn’t kind to transgender people either. But if this implies difficult roles to play, socially, they are no longer rejected at all. I wrote about it here: Homosexuality on Gor (and according to Norman)

Emotional security & behavior between players:

Another point that has radically changed is the notion of respect and benevolence between players. In the early days of Gor SL, concern for the emotions of others was totally secondary, if not treated with disdain. But we all have traumas and mental limits to what we can endure. A torture or rape scene, in roleplay, can really be traumatic! The idea that “it’s your fault you’re not tough enough, after all, it’s only roleplay” has been abandoned in favor of greater consideration for players’ emotional safety. We even find this subject clearly addressed in the rules for groups and sims. What was implicit is now clearly formulated, with rules to be respected.

As a result, players have also changed their behavior towards each other, with more attention paid to this point, more benevolence, and therefore, more respect. It’s okay to mistreat a slave in roleplay! But the player who does it without OOC precautions, and without respect for his or her playing partner, to gratuitously satisfy his or her ego or sadistic inclinations, is quickly denounced and pushed towards the exit. And that’s just fine! Gor shouldn’t be a playground for misogynistic, violent and sadistic individuals! What’s more, gratuitous violence and sadism are not Gor elements at all.

Respect for the Books:

More years spent playing in the world of Gor, more years spent learning from the novels, and passing on this culture and this knowledge, through Gorean campuses and universities, on Second Life, through websites too, has greatly improved understanding of the novels of the Gor saga, and therefore, respect for the books. Yes, we don’t think about it, and some chagrined minds think it’s the opposite (“good old Gor” above), but 2024 players are often veterans of sims and Gor groups, and know the universe much better than they did in 2009 or before. They pass on their knowledge, correct onlinisms and make it easier for newcomers to enjoy the world of Gor without going astray!

Of course, there are always beginners who haven’t figured out how to take advantage of this learning, not knowing where to find it or who to ask, and others who hold on to their fragmented knowledge, feeling that they don’t need to know any more. But, on the whole, I’m always amazed at how well people know the world of Gor, compared to when I started on Gor, and how much better they respect its various aspects.

Welcoming newcomers:

This, too, has changed for the better, although it could be improved. Even ten years ago, it was very difficult for a beginner to arrive at a group or sim and say: I don’t know anything about Gor, and receive a warm welcome and help in discovering this universe. It was often unwelcome, even rejected, or ended up with tons of indigestible notecards to read.

And while I still see lost beginners, most of the time they’re welcomed and given help, advice, support and kindness. Which makes sense: Second Life is no longer as successful as it was in 2010-2015. So every new player is precious, and deserves our time and help!

Negative points

And let’s move on to what could be improved or what we regret.

Gor has always been a girls’ game, but…

A point of view that will make some people cringe, but it’s factual: Gor has always attracted more women than men. Women have always been heavily involved, and in many cases, the quickest to approach the novels from a BtB roleplay angle and organize groups and sims.

That said, there was always a certain balance, reflecting the foundations of Gor’s spirit: the leaders were generally men, seconded by women. And no, I’m not shocked! The idea was to offer a welcome and a place to everyone, and to please both men and women. But in recent years, the male community has dwindled and become less involved. There are many reasons for this, which I won’t go into in detail. But the imbalance is regrettable, and I think inviting men to participate and get involved, and helping them to do so, is an important thing.

Fewer daring men:

And precisely when we talk about the problem of men on Gor, we address the other problem that has emerged in recent years. Socio-cultural changes have led men to question the way they play a Gor man (who, after all, is a sexist macho and a bit rough, in general). And without an answer to this questioning, they dare to do far fewer things than the freedom of a male character on Gor allows them.

It’s also a certain ignorance of the basics of Gorean society that amplifies a problem that has always existed: free men flirt with free women, but neglect slaves, because what’s the point of flirting with a girl who’ll say yes to anything (I’m quoting a player’s answer, I didn’t make it up!). That’s forgetting that a kajira can be seduced by a master – and not just his – and that the game of seduction doesn’t have to stop at: if I own you, it means I don’t need to seduce you and play this game with you.

And of course, kajirae ladies, you can also encourage boldness in players who play men, by being bold yourself in your role and its erotic aspects! I remind you that kajira exclusive to a master, from a sexual and emotional point of view, is not a Gorean concept either. So hit on the players! Make them want to be daring!

Too much self-censorship:

The flip side of a generation that has embraced human progress in terms of respect, emotional security and relationships with sex, self-censorship is an expected reaction that affects everyone, but especially men. The latter, fearful of overstepping the bounds of what is acceptable, censor themselves, and don’t dare address all aspects of the role of the Gorean male, and the freedoms available to him.

I’ve seen this effect even in certain sims, where it was the general pressure of certain players defending a certain restrictive morality, often unrelated to the spirit of Gor, that forced everyone into this self-censorship. From my point of view, it’s as much a problem of ignorance of Gor’s fundamentals as it is of RL morality interfering with role-playing in Gor’s world.

Reread the basics of the world of Gor, and note what you can and can’t do as a character. Second Life has a very clear ToS prohibiting certain abuses, and the sims rules also address the limits that must not be crossed. But be daring, be bold and don’t censor yourself! Gor is a universe with a great deal of sexual freedom, even if it’s codified, so don’t be afraid to use it!

An abandonment of certain Gor roleplay settings:

This is a side-effect of the self-censorship that strikes all players: places like taverns, public baths, but also to a lesser extent kennels and slavers’ establishments, are being abandoned as places of open erotic and sexual activity. For a community with a weak and unbalanced population, they also have the disadvantage of separating men and women (in a tavern, only men and slaves go).

For this, no surprise, the solution is the same as the one I mentioned above. Don’t censor yourself, be a little more daring in social relations and sex by playing your part, and eventually, find arrangements to make with regard to the separation of men and women, so that these places are more easily open to all.

Fewer large inter-group interactions:

I don’t really like raids. It’s not really roleplay, and I’m not a fan of FPS combat in Second Life. But the notion of raids – attack and defense battles between troops and sims in SL Gor – was a tool designed to create narrative elements for roleplay and character adventures in Gor. Diplomacy, alliances and hostage-taking are all part and parcel of Gor, which is about interaction between sims and groups.

And this is now much less present, as are diplomatic evenings, inter-sim fairs, various competitions, etc… For a group to survive, it needs a wealth of content, and therefore events that create twists and turns and narrative intrigue. And that, in recent years, has tended to run out of steam.

Hesitant management of assholes:

What to do with a player who behaves abusively, plays an overly sadistic or violent character, or expresses racist, sexist or homophobic opinions (they’re often the same)? Throw him out!

But it’s not that simple, because an unfortunate bias in the decline of Gor’s sims is that they don’t want to deprive themselves of players. I still see this hesitation among moderators and managers of sims and groups. Which is a mistake: a problematic player (or group of players) like this causes far more players to leave than it can attract. So, yes, I know, we may have to wait, weigh up the pros and cons, procrastinate before making a decision. But from my point of view, any delay or hesitation in this management is detrimental to the group or the sim, which has to deal with this type of player. It’s better not to wait, or procrastinate. The world of Gor is generally better off without these people.

5- Conclusion

Has Gor changed? Yes. Was it better before? No, it was different. Can we regret certain changes? Yes, just as we can rejoice in others!

The idea, often fiercely defended, that Gor SL is immutable, and that By the Book is an absolute, clashes violently with the reality of the very notion of adaptation and interpretation, which itself is constantly evolving with time and socio-cultural changes. Some fundamentals have changed little, and the core spirit of Gor’s world is still generally respected, but other aspects have been preferred, modified and adapted to the players of 2024, who are no longer those of 2009 and before.

Personally, I don’t feel any nostalgia. I don’t have any nostalgia for the past, or for my life, let alone for what, for me, is a leisure activity in a virtual world. I wouldn’t at all like to return to certain aspects of the interpretation of Gor’s world that I experienced in 2009, I wouldn’t like to revisit certain communities that I came across in 2016-2018, and I regret certain current developments in role-playing on Gor, which you’ve listed above. But do I have any regrets? Yes: I miss the inter-sim intrigues and adventures, including raids and war, and I regret the excessive self-censorship of current players on Gor.

But no, Gor wasn’t better before. And it’s very good now. We wouldn’t complain about having more participants, and we’d be happy to help them fix a few problems to improve the role-playing, but I’m pretty happy with it. It’s a bit different. And that’s all to the good!