VRChat (2017)

VRChat is less of a traditional game and more of a sprawling social platform, it gives you the freedom to create avatars, design worlds, and interact in countless ways, from casual hangouts to elaborate roleplay communities. The creativity of its user base is its strongest asset, leading to wildly diverse experiences every time you log in. However, the open nature can also result in chaotic or unmoderated encounters, which might not appeal to everyone. For those seeking a mix of social interaction, creativity, and unpredictability, VRChat is a fascinating virtual playground.

Particularly I never experienced the VR side of this game since I can't afford the necessary gadgets, but I enjoyed the time even though I played using a keyboard and mouse. Though I don't recommend this one for people who don't have the necessary peripherals to achieve the main idea of the experience, about as much as I could take out of this was practicing my english with people around the world, and also the laughs of the memes that came out of it, such as the Kuckles "Show me the way" one and a couple of others that were created by the natural trait of the assets being community-based.

Despite its rough edges, VRChat captures a specific moment in internet culture where creativity, memes, and social experimentation collide. Its lack of a traditional structure can feel aimless at times, but that same absence of boundaries is what allows memorable, unscripted moments to emerge naturally. Whether you stumble into a deep conversation, a bizarre performance, or a fleeting joke that becomes a shared memory, the experience is defined almost entirely by the people you meet. As a product of its community, VRChat may not offer a polished or guided experience, but it succeeds as a unique digital space where social interaction itself is the main content.

I was pretty late to experiencing VRChat because I thought it could only be experienced in VR. Then I found out it can be played on desktop (and due to a recent update, on mobile phones too). In addition to it being free, this is a very accessible and enjoyable game to play with your friends. Obviously playing in VR is going to make it a more immersive experience but before I was able to get a VR headset, I had tons of fun just playing from desktop and even after getting VR, I still occasionally choose to play on desktop.

The main premise of VRChat is its social aspect. These chat rooms are presented in the form of worlds of varying shapes, sizes, ambience, and play. Most worlds are created by the players but you'll also find them created by companies as well. Worlds can range from a cozy, soft lit bedroom to train stations, cities, or places modeled after real life locations, or a murder mystery game, trivia pursuit, music visualizers, and much much more. There are online conventions and events that VRChat will host as well. There are even language classes and culture tours, workout clubs, dance groups, live comedy, and many other group clubs and activities.

With all this in mind, there is a lot of toxicity and trolls in online public lobbies, as there always is when participating in highly active online spaces. Thankfully you can choose to explore only with your friends so if you want to avoid the randoms, it's very easy to do so. It's up to the player how they want to play and what they want to do. There are various tools for blocking, muting, and kicking players too.

The ability of expressing yourself through the avatars you choose to wear is a fun and personalized experience. I will mention the popular trend of hyper-sexualized avatars but there are ones available that are not. Since avatars are user-created, the developers mentioned releasing an official avatar marketplace later this year which I'm really excited for. Right now if you want to purchase a creator's avatar, you have to purchase them from a third party website such as Gumroad and upload them manually through Blender, which is a pain in the ass for those who aren't familiar with Blender and also requires you to download additional programs, files, etc. Hoping the official marketplace will curb all these extra steps and streamline that experience while helping support the users who create content for this game.

This game is still in early access with regular updates about once a month. A VRC+ subscription is offered for additional perks but is a bit too expensive for the benefits received and think it is used more as an official crowdfunding service.

At this point I've spent nearly 170 hours in VRChat and enjoyed most of my time in it. I'm looking forward to what new updates and features they'll bring this year.