On Papermint

Today is a sad day.

My friends at Papermint shared with me a pretty harsh article that accuses them of “promoting promiscuity in children” through their “sex game.” For anyone who's ever met the Papermint team and heard them talk about the game or even, dare I say, actually taken the time to play it, you can't help but laugh at the idea. Papermint a sex game? For kids? Really? There's not even sex in the game. Or nudity, or sexual overtones for that matter.

There is, however, love. Creating love and, thus, creating life through love.

While aesthetically Papermint looks as though it's meant to appeal to the kid demographic, the themes and ideas in Papermint are strictly meant for adult players-- young yet mature adult players who are ready to grapple with real emotions and intangible ideas like love, responsibility, friendship, relationships, community, and peaceful living. While to some these notions may seem childlike, these ideas are so dynamic and complex that they throw many adults for a loop sometimes. Everyone struggles with finding love or peace, with building communities and relationships at some point in life. Luckily, adults are privileged to have a virtual space like Papermint to confront and experiment and tackle how they feel about these ideas in a safe environment.

Now imagine a place where there is no war, or hunger, or disease, or violence. A place, in its essence, that is made from pure love and pure creativity. Where everyone can barely wait to be your friend and to meet you. Where everyone is happy. That place is Papermint.

In my opinion, I feel as if Papermint tries to capture a very real and exciting point in a person's life, when her heart is still open even though she's scared. She's young and alert and ready to face the world even if she hasn't quite figured out how. It's the excitement and confusion and the bliss of being young.

Papermint isn't vile or malicious; it isn't sick or pornographic. Papermint is love in every meaning of the word. Papermint is an experiment to see if you can capture love in a virtual world and boil it down to its essence rather than spreading it out all thin and watery-like.

Papermint is the 22 year old you who's still filled with wonder. Who's just starting out and oh-so scared but still extremely excited and hopeful for the future. Who just wants to take a bus to anywhere and ride for a while, and find her fortune where ever it leaves her. She ready for her big adventures, her greatest romances, her final fights with the Atlantic ocean.

In Papermint she can live that pseudo-dangerous life for once and be free of the fears that plague her. And maybe, just maybe, she secretly hopes to find love, to get married, to have a baby. In Papermint she can. Now what's so evil about that?

This post isn't a debate on whether or not it's ok for young children to be exposed to serious adult issues like sex and promiscuity;* it's not going into video games and their role in promoting healthy sexual ideas in the community; it's not even a technical critique on the game of Papermint itself. It is, however, my viewpoint on what the Papermint world is trying to achieve as someone who has spoken with the team and has played the game.

Papermint aspires to be a place for young adults to explore and play and grow. To seek out how they feel about these broad ideas of happiness and love and peace. And to do it in a safe, nurturing, fun, and cute environment.

It is, in no way, a game for children. Nor does it want to be a game for children. It merely targets those adults who are still children at heart.

Gross and misinformed allegations like this are no laughing matter. In an age where even the idea of selling sex to children (and teens) can keep a news network fed with viewers for days, a small indie company can be destroyed in the wake. One lie, however noble its intentions, can kill. That isn't make-believe. That isn't child's play. That's real life. This article could potentially destroy real lives and real work.

And for all that Papermint is or isn't, that fact is very, very sad.

Papermint is still young. The creators are still learning. They will make mistakes and they will work very, very hard to remedy those mistakes. In fact, I can almost hear them clicking away in their studio far across the sea right now setting up an even better infrastructure in order to protect children, protect the community, and protect Papermint. So please, do not turn those mistakes into imaginary monsters or villains, for they are not. Please do not mistake creating love and creating life for something vile, for it's not. Please give Papermint a chance, and in doing so, give love a chance.

*For the record, no. It is in absolutely no shape, way, or manner ok. Kids only get a limited time to be children and, I feel, that pushing them into sexual awareness too soon is wrong.