VRChat

 VRChat's reputation as a kind of chaotic nightmare chatroom isn't entirely undeserved, but the worst of it is largely confined to public worlds—understandably, these very first (and sometimes only) experiences people will have with the game color public perception. Sure, the public side of the game is chock-full of snot-nosed racist children being raised by Meta Quest headsets instead of their parents, but those public worlds aren't where the magic happens. You can't enter any other game's lobby with the worst of its players and expect a good time—this isn't an exception. VRChat starts to shine when getting together with a group of close friends or joining a private group of more mature users. There are a lot of worthwhile worlds with unique experiences to explore, and while solo searching can be fun, it's great to find a group of people who are willing to engage in a bit of world-hopping.

 The worlds themselves range from silly games to cozy hangout spots to artful and atmospheric creations—my personal favorite being the last group. Before delving deeply into VRChat, I really wanted more abstract worlds to explore in VR, but very few seem to really exist on Steam. However, they thrive in VRChat, where they've established themselves as a kind of niche. You have brutalist concrete mazes, working recreations of worlds from Yume Nikki and .flow, ports of levels from LSD Dream Emulator, and unique hand-crafted environments—not to mention the working Jet Set Radio Future fan world, laser light shows synced to music, amusement parks with working rides of varying quality, horror-themed worlds, puzzle-based worlds, art museums, heartfelt memorials, virtual markets, music festivals, and nightclubs that only open once a week. Then, of course, the seemingly endless feed of limited-time promotional worlds that corporations pour actual money into—often to promote their brand or even sell tickets to their digital, in-VRC events... which appeals to me less than the other stuff, but it can be interesting to explore those worlds for the strange sensation that you're existing in an ephemeral space that will cease to exist soon. Point being, for those open-minded digital explorers who are willing to dig, there are a lot of great little gems in VRChat.

 And then there's the avatars, of course. VRChat is the best, most accessible vehicle for seeing myself as, and being perceived as, my fursona. In VRChat, this happens in a very physical-feeling way, like a layer of separation has been removed between my real self and the skull-headed bat monster I depict myself as online. Being able to have that experience with others who are doing the same is uniquely affirming. At the same time, that ability to position yourself in a physical space, to gesture at directions and objects and others, feels like a step in-between an online group call and meeting in real life. It's more "real" than a regular chat over Discord, even if you've found yourself at an interstellar aquarium or an architecturally impossible maze.

 I'd urge those who tapped out early due to bad experiences in the poorly moderated public worlds—particularly people with headsets—to give VRChat another shot, to go solo or get a friend group together, and to let its more unique and interactive worlds have their chance to win them over. Some of the most creative visual and exploratory things in VR are happening in VRChat, and they're well-worth exploring.

one time one of my friends convinced me to get this game and go to a nightclub world with her. so I went, and there were a lot of half-naked people. i presumed the world would just be a place for people to dance and listen to newgrounds audio portal-level EDM. in a way, I was kinda right. but the only issue was that I haven't had a vr headset for roughly 4 years now, so I just kinda stood around like an awkward kid at a school dance. so to give myself something to do that would be interesting and not boring, I just kinda walked around and looked at shit. i came across a bathroom, and inside was two people e-fucking each other on the toilet. i decided to stand there and look at them to make things awkward between them. so what they saw next to them while they have the loneliest form of sex was a random 16 year old with a rabbids skin. weird experience looking back at it. the stuff jameskii did in the game was kinda funny tho.

Not really a fun experience, Filled with racists and gross people, You're better off taking your experiences to somewhere like Second Life or Worlds.com, If you actually want to play a FUN vr alternative to this, Play rec room, its polished and fun. This however is Not fun, Genuinely boring, And left a bad taste in my mouth, Especially the tedious process on having to make avatars to not look like some little kid who just got into the game, Etc. Play this game if you want, its fun with friends and there is some very cool worlds, but thats not the game redeeming itself, Its the community having some talent.

Try it if you want, This is just my experience.

Evolution of toxicity/edginess in gaming/internet culture:

1992: Mortal Kombat
1995: Newgrounds, GameFAQs
1996: IGN
1997: Postal
2000: Counter-Strike
2001: Halo CE, Smash Bros Melee
2003: 4Chan, Postal²
2004: Halo 2, Counter-Strike: Source, World of Warcraft
2005: Reddit
2006: Garry's MOD
2007: Twitter, COD 4: MW, Halo 3, Team Fortress 2
2008: Left 4 Dead, Smash Bros Brawl
2009: Omegle, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, COD: MW2
2010: COD:BO, Halo: Reach
2011: COD: MW3, Minecraft
2012: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, COD:BO2, Halo 4
2013: 8chan , Dota 2, GTA Online
2014: VRChat, Gamergate, Yandere Simulator, Smash Bros 4
2015: Discord
2016: Overwatch, Halo 5
2017: Tik Tok, Fortnite, PUBG
2018: Smash Bros Ultimate
2019: Apex Legends, COD: Warzone
2020: Valorant, Halo Infinity, Among Us
2023: X, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2