Is Virtual Reality a Social Media Platform?

Virtual Reality has always been a bit of a concerning subject, especially for those who don't understand it. People think it could replace reality itself for the youth, and in an irrational opinion, for the entire world. Now, even though it's a bit pricey for some, it's becoming a large deal very quickly, with people making VR experiences of already existing games, and some for new games, and not to mention the fact that some games now just have VR mode as a standard feature.

So what does this exactly mean? Is it the signs that this is where games will go, the direction they will follow? Well, I don't believe that just yet, but that's not to say that the system of VR will fail. There's one game that has made a huge impact on the idea of Virtual Reality itself. I'm talking about a game called VRChat. In VRChat, you do exactly as it's not so creative title says; you go in VR, and you chat. Well, I mean, of course there's more to it than that, but that's what the base premise of the game was until people began to get creative.

People began to make different worlds to explore with your friends, all different types of experiences and games, such as a cowboy shootout kind of game, or a map where you can draw on a 3d plane by moving markers through the air, maps that are extremely detailed to be a beautiful landscape to roam around in, or even horror maps where you go through labyrinths of scares and spooks with your friends.

Not only that, but you can customize your character if you know how to 3d model and animate (Or you can choose one of the models that have already been made and are public). Because of this, you can be virtually anything. You can have people walking around as the giant robots, or small little people, almost every single one being unique. You have characters from games, anime, television, memes, or even real people at times. I've seen everything to characters from games like League of Legends to 3d scans people got of themselves, or for some of the more resourceful, people who are several 2d images of themselves that cycle as they move around.

So how exactly is this a social media? Well, I can say as someone who uses VRChat quite a bit, I'd say that without a doubt it is a social media in my eyes. The fact of the matter is that even though I'm not talking face to face with someone, it sure feels a lot more connected than something like Facebook or Twitter. The fact that people can look or do virtually anything they want is fantastic and awesome as you can see the true colors of the people in the game. I've connected far beyond my reaches of New Hampshire, meeting people from the UK, Colorado, Germany, Japan, Australia, and many more places far and wide. I've talked with people who are funny and creative, finally finding an outlet to express their artistic talents, and also people who are just there to talk.

You may say that people like me need to go out and meet more people, but now, talking face to face with people has never been easier, and trust me, with this I've gone far and wide.

Citations
Guy In VR Headset. Mar. 2016. npr, 8 Apr. 2016, www.npr.org/sections/      alltechconsidered/2016/04/08/473436382/      wearing-vr-headsets-in-public-is-now-a-very-awkward-thing. Accessed 13 Nov.      2019.