Social VR Experiences Are Unlike Anything Else… Ever!

We have all been introduced to Social VR platforms in new and unique ways that were not possible before VR HMD’s existed. Some of us have accidentally wandered into VRChat during a Gunter’s Universe episode, or maybe even virtually visited your favorite webpage in JauntVR, possibly you attended a live Oculus stream in ConVRge, or lastly you might have drawn cocks in Sketchy Quiz with your buds in AltSpaceVR. Regardless of the platform Social VR can almost instantly change your perceptions regarding the future possibilities of virtual reality as a whole and it’s role in the future of human development.

When I think about what excites me the most about Social VR spaces/places it is simply that you have the ability to interact within a 3D environment with someone else that maybe very far away. Depending on the application you can really feel when someone is looking at you, not only that, when mouths are rigged to move properly and movements are fluid the whole thing comes together very convincingly. I’ve had moments of panic, nervousness, excitement, and joy! All the while my brain registers the emotions as real because they are real. It also registers the people as real, well because they are! Thus the memories are very real and next thing you know you are re-living virtual experiences in your brain as if you were really in that virtual world!

Eventually when the Oculus CV1 does ship there will be an offical Oculus Social platform that will allow users to connect and see what the other player is currently involved in. Toy Box is another Oculus application that will allow us to enjoy of myriad of objects in a “toy box” like approach to playing with friends. Personally, I do think I will spend a lot of time with this feature, but in the long run I will want to be in an environment with full avatar customization and larger areas of interaction.

courtesy: oculus.com

Luckily there is a great community that haslong been working on many well developed platforms that fulfill these desires. That’s right! There are many places you can currently visit right now whether you own a VR HMD or not! One of my most visited VR Social spaces is VRChat because there you can customize your avatar to your hearts desire and enjoy newly developed worlds on a daily bases.

As stated earlier, VRChat allows users to customize their avatars. I always like to choose the Duke Nukem avatar because he was easily one of the most identifiable characters for me while growing up, I love that he as well as many MANY other characters are available for free usage within VRChat!Although I have had many unforgettable moments in Social VR places, I’d have to say that I have the most memories hanging out in Gunter’s Universe within VRChat. For those who do not already know, Gunter’s Universe is virtual talk show hosted by none other than Gunter Thompson himself! Each week on Tuesday evenings developers and industry experts talk all things VR in an environment unlike any other!

Although I have had too many experiences to include in this article I would be very upset if I left out one of the most important experiences of all! During my first month in VRChat I met a lot of people that I still call friends today. One of the coolest people/robots that I’ve met in virtual reality is easily the IRON GIANT! Completely out of the blue and unexpected, I actually got to high-five the Iron Giant while randomly running around developer worlds. I can now die happy! 😀

Lastly, but certainly not leastly.. I’d like to quickly touch on ConVRge! This amazing VR Social space creates a unique polygon-esque world that is very comfortable on the eye and easy for the brain to relax in for long periods at a time.

courtesy: roadtovr.com

One of the key features that first attracted users to this application was the campfire vr talks that were literally taking place around a virtual campfire! It was an ingenious way of creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for anyone lucky enough to join in. Users can also create and use different avatars within ConVRge to create the look that there going for. As far as I go… I AM BATMAN!

ConVRge has hosted many important people for speaking events and has allowed the community to grow closer to industry leaders stronger than ever before possible. Not only can we listen but we get to ask questions and get direct feedback from those we are seeking it from.

To date, ConVRge seems to be the most popular place to watch Oculus Live Streams. I can’t explain it but there’s just a lot of people there during vr streaming events. Make sure to check it out!

I know Social VR is a HUGE topic but I’ll end my rant for now. If there is something that I obviously missed that you would like to hear more about please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to remedy it! Make sure you take some time out to check out all the awesome features that each social platform has to offer! Also make sure to say HI if you see me in Social VR spaces and don’t forget to give a high-five! See you around!

Brought to you by RealityCheckVR
of the VR Spies
www.vrspies.com