Caught: Is City of Persons a Real Game? Is ConX an Actual Website?

‘Caught’ is a Spanish crime show that centers around a mystery that stems from the disappearance of a teenage girl amidst the authorities’ pursuit of a child groomer. The celebrated journalist Ema Garay is working on an expose sting operation to unveil the identity of a local groomer whom she suspects will be targeting the youth in the city. However, things take a drastic turn once her investigation brings her to Leo Mercer, a man known for his work with kids in a charity Foundation.

As the blame for the recent child abuse crimes and Martina’s disappearance falls squarely on Leo’s shoulders, Ema finds herself in for a reckoning as other truths about the case unravel. The show boasts an authentic depiction of the reality of online grooming crimes against children through interactive platforms like City of Persons, an otherwise innocent roleplay game, and ConX, a website for explicit content. However, while these platforms accentuate the realism behind the show, do they possess any actual counterparts in real life?

City of Persons is a Fictional Game That Depicts a Real-Life Issue

In ‘Caught,’ City of Persons is an online game in which users interact with each other within a virtual world. Although the game isn’t directly based on a real-life gaming platform, it plays a crucial part in the fictionalized on-screen story. Even though the specifics of the platform aren’t clear, it remains evident that players utilize interpersonal interactions with other users as a prominent feature. As a result, it opens up the space for abusers to seek out minors, establishing a rapport with them in order to manipulate and groom them for their own twisted benefit. Consequently, the game ends up becoming a notable hunting ground for a local online groomer who has been luring minors into illicit meetups to assault and abuse them.

As per UNICEF, gaming platforms often become an ideal setting for groomers and child abusers in real life. A 2019 report uncovered that gaming platforms tend to lack safeguards against sexual exploitation by allowing anonymous sign-ups, leeway in age declarations, and complicated data retention. As a result, the implementation of strict rules against problematic interactions between minors and adults essentially remains impossible on many platforms. Consequently, a lack of internet safety measures and support systems inevitably presents the possibility of young children falling victim to grooming and other forms of abuse. As such, City of Persons and its storyline revolving around the topic of online grooming remains relevant to reality despite the direct basis of the fictional game in a real-life platform.

ConX Portrays the Reality of the Dangers of Explicit Subscription Platforms

‘ConX’ arrives as a later addition in the show once Martina’s past begins to unravel under Ema’s scrutiny. Unbeknownst to most people in her life, Martina used to make videos of self-pleasure to post on the platform. She garnered a substantial fan following and paid subscribers on it before her cross with Fran Briguel, a wealthy businessman. As a result, it opens up the space for the older man to attempt to manipulate and exploit Martina through personal connection. Consequently, ConX ends up mirroring a darker part of reality. Still, the platform itself has no direct basis off-screen. While the audience may be able to find a similarly titled business for builders and subcontractors, it has no relation to the on-screen explicit content website.

Instead, websites like OnlyFans, Fancentro, and Fansly offer a better and more accurate counterpart in reality. In fact, the former website even had a previous controversy with the rise of underage users selling explicit content. In 2021, a BBC-led investigation, it was revealed that despite the platform’s 18-only guidelines, minors were selling explicit videos of themselves on the website. Furthermore, there were also instances of children being exploited on the platform. Although OnlyFans reacted to the breach of guidelines and claimed to shut down those accounts, concerns about kids accessing the platform and getting exploited on it remained. As such, ConX seems to bring to light the rise of the same real-life issues through its fabricated storyline.