Eva
Duncanson is a feminist PhD student researching
the development and maintenance of online intimate relationships,
sex technology, online safety and the ways that technology
is driving intimacy online. This article was first published
in Future
of Sex (March, 2020).
MEET
MELODY
ProjektMelody,
Mel/Melly to fans, is an AI hentai camgirl that has become
popular across a range of social media platforms.
Designed
by Digitrevx, a 3D modeler, artist, game developer, Melody
primarily appears on the live-streaming platforms Chaturbate
[NSFW] and Twitch, posts videos to Youtube, and also provides
exclusive content for her Patreon and OnlyFans supporters.
Digitrevx
appears to be the beneficiary of ProjektMelody's tips however,
this has not been confirmed.
Melody’s
introductory Youtube video and Chaturbate profile describe
her as “The first and only 3D rendered hentai camgirl,”
providing the story of her “creation:”
Melody's
appearance and speech are rendered in real-time speech using
cross-platform game engine Unity and Digitrevx told Vice that
she is run in a similar way to virtual streamer Kizuna Ai.
With
virtual stars such as Melody on the rise, what does this mean
for the future of webcamming?
In
this article, I talk to Sophie, a working camgirl as well
as a fan of ProjektMelody, Mark, to learn what they think
about the hentai sensation.
ALL
ABOUT PROJEKTMELODY
Melody’s
Twitter account boasts 157,000 followers and counting. From
initial estimations, a significant majority of these followers
appear to be men.
Over
on Chaturbate, Melody’s X-rated performances have earned
her thousands of fans. Her “Top Lover” (highest
overall tipper) has sent well over 4,000 tokens -- equivalent
to several hundred dollars -- no small feat given her short
time on the platform.
In
her virtual performances, Melody is portrayed to receive pleasure
from a sex toy, designed to look like the Lush 2 toys from
Lovense. This toy is known for use by webcam models as it
sends vibration patterns to the user, triggered by receiving
tips from clients.
The
left-hand side of the screen during Melody's streams shows
a Lovense Menu with the prices for each vibration level, often
building up a long queue of tips from excited clients.
Melody
is also vocal throughout the show, responding to messages
in the chat-box from clients and even shouting “shut
up” in response to grey demands (requests from users
that own no tokens).
For
the most part, users in the chat-box remain encouraging and
supportive at every action Melody makes, aided by a host of
strict moderators who remove any aggressive content immediately.
WHY
PROJEKTMELODY HAS GONE VIRAL
I
reached out to a fan of ProjektMelody, Mark, to discover why
the virtual star has them hooked to her performances.
I
guess it’s that she’s a unique cam girl, unlike
the countless others that I have seen. She makes all kinds
of good jokes and devotes most of, if not all of the stream,
actually interacting and joking with all of her viewers. .
. she has a great presence with her fans.
Mark
writes that in a crowded field of webcam models, a virtual
performer stands out and overall, they prefer virtual performers
to the ‘real’ ones.
As
a virtual camgirl, Melody does not have to deal with the
fatigue of sexual performances and instead can continue
the same intensity throughout the show. This makes her
more available to chat with her audience and take on their
requests, allowing the viewers to feel involved in the
show.
WORKING
CAMGIRL TALKS CONCERNS OVER VIRTUAL COMPETITION
When
researching ProjektMelody, I decided to reach out to a webcam
model who could tell me about the effect virtual cam stars
such as Melody could have on the industry.
Sophie
who works under the name ‘Dead Puddle’ on Chaturbate
told me that this is not the first time a virtual character
has tried its hand at camming. In the past, other virtual
characters have attempted to perform on platforms such as
Chaturbate but with mixed results.
Sophie
described these virtual camgirls as doing the “absolute
minimum . . . yet dudes were throwing money at them. If an
actual cam girl did that she would make no money.”
This
raises questions to me why men want far less from a badly
animated girl than an actual girl that’s giving
them so much more for a lot less.
This
is a particular sticking point for ‘real’ models
in the industry. Melody has very few moves in her repertoire
-- her performance mostly consists of gentle swaying -- unlike
the often high-intensity and physically demanding shows of
her live counterparts.
However,
this does not seem to bother the thousands of viewers that
watch her streams and with tips coming through thick and fast,
the virtual camgirl is earning well above that of your average
webcam model.
ARE VITUAL PERFORMERS SUCH AS MELODY JUST A TEMPORARY TREND?
Sophie
believes so: “It’s a passing phase. Eventually,
people will realize hentai pornography is far better and cheaper
than ProjektMelody -- they’re not even talking to a
real girl, after all.”
Sophie
taps into what really makes webcamming popular over other
forms of sex work and entertainment -- and it is something
that Melody lacks.
Cam girls have this over porn -- we’re live. We’re
not an actress. We also have infinitely more things we
can do instantly without being coded or controlled.
Although
Melody is interactive, she is unable to fully respond
to things in a way that even slightly approaches Uncanny
Valley and clients are under no illusion that Melody is
real. With bugs and glitches happening during live-streams,
clients can be pulled out of the fantasy at any moment.
Sophie
adds: “Eventually Melody will flop like the last hentai
girl did. Right now it’s the hot new thing but eventually
the clients will go back to their regular girls.”
However,
Mark disagrees, arguing that we can “expect Melody to
stay, considering she has a presence on other platforms as
well,” bringing attention to Melody’s appearance
across several media platforms.
VIRTUAL
CAM STARS CAN REAP THE BENEFITS OF PERFORMING BUT WITH NO
REPERCUSSIONS
When
discussing the impact of virtual performers on the industry,
Sophie raises the point that by being a virtual character,
Melody gets to earn thousands of tokens on Chaturbate but
does not have to deal with the associated risks that come
with being a ‘real’ performer:
There’s
no girl to be stalked or found out in public. There’s
no girl putting her literal body online for the world
to look at and judge. If she’s on the Internet permanently
then who cares? She’s fiction. Yet she makes quadruple
what most girls make.
With
most cam sites taking a hands-off approach to harassment and
other threatening behaviour, many workers in the industry
are unwilling to take up this fight.
According
to sociologist Angela
Jones, this is due to the concern that “more
regulation will mean closer monitoring of models’ performances
and more surveillance of their already highly scrutinized
and stigmatized bodies.”
Despite
being a non-contact form of sex work, webcamming has risks
that must be weighed up alongside the positives of the industry
that include freedom over performance and working hours, ability
to set prices, and high-earning potential.
This
means that managing the individual threats comes as part of
the webcam model package and makes it all the more painful
when virtual camgirls get to collect the tokens but dodge
the danger.
For
Sophie, this injustice begins and ends with the clients:
I
just wish the clients would spend their tokens smarter.
If you want to tip hentai girl, go for it. But she doesn’t
even have to risk herself.
When
it comes to the future of Melody, time will tell whether or
not she outlives her real counterparts.
Regardless,
Melody has shown that virtual characters can amass huge followings,
out-earn experienced webcam models and become a viral sensation,
all without the need for being human.
