Two players are using an in-game camera to take a screenshot of themselves in a cityscape virtual world.
Credit: @RtoVR
Because virtual reality headsets are becoming more common in households, people are falling more in love each day with the new virtual way of playing video games and the immersion that comes with it. However, while first-person games have become abundant in this field of gaming, multiplayer gaming has barely been touched. “VRChat” has broken through as one of the most popular multiplayer experiences with the VR headsets since the holidays. Developed and published by VRChat Inc., this game is a virtual chat room Vwhere the player can chat with people around the world and interact with them inside the many creative worlds from which to choose in the game.
Using a VR in “VRChat” allows the player to move his or her arms and hands which also move the arms and hands of the character model he or she currently has. It also allows them to interact with objects within the game. For instance, if the player is in a bar world drinking with some people, he or she can go to the bar and grab a virtual drink and hold it in his or her avatar’s hands. Desktop users, however, are not left out of this game. While “VRChat” is meant to be used with a VR headset, there is a desktop mode for people who don’t own VR. While they can’t move the arms of their avatars, they can still pick up items using a mouse and keyboard and enjoy talking to people.
There are many worlds to go to in the game, from bars and cafés to talk to people, to theatre worlds that play actual movies, and even some mini-game worlds and amusement park worlds. Another interesting thing about this game is the way the avatars work. The players can only see in first-person so that the immersion of the game isn’t broken. However, many of the worlds have mirrors for the players to see themselves, and this is where 3D models come into play. The players can choose from an abundance of character models from specific worlds that creators have specifically made for avatar models. Players can choose from Disney characters, video game characters, or even anime characters. Even better, players can upload other models into the game if none of the ones they find are appealing to them.
One of the biggest worries some might have coming into this game is meeting rude individuals who are just there to make fun of people or ruin their day. “VRChat” has a way of thwarting this issue by blocking people in that same world server. With just a few clicks, an annoying player can be blocked or muted, making them silent or out of the player’s view. Obtaining friends and keeping track of them is also easy in the game as the main hub menu keeps track of friends that are online and offline and ones that are in a player’s current world. Players can even lay down portals to other worlds for their friends and make them private if they wish.
“VRChat” has a lot of unique ideas that can help people make friends and have some good times in a virtual setting. The game is currently still in early access on Steam, meaning it hasn’t officially been released, but anyone can still play it for free as if it was. While “VRChat” is a fun experience, this is more of a game for adults than children, seeing as anyone can join and say anything they want. If anything, people should give it a try and see if they run across any interesting individuals in the virtual worlds of this game.
The game gets 4 paws out of 5.
