VRChat’s surge in popularity

With the newest craze going on, everyone should be more than familiar with the mysteries of VRChat. If you’re unfamiliar, these are the types of comments left on the Steam page for VRChat.

“Was swarmed by a group of Maui’s screaming “You’re Welcome” [and] hid inside a Corey In The House house where I was encountered by a Mini Xenomorph singing Gucci Gang. From that point, I knew I was home. 11/10″

But why the sudden surge in popularity? From the annoying (and possibly racist) Ugandan Knuckles from an alternative Sonic the Hedgehog to a ten foot anime woman chasing you, there are thousands upon thousands of YouTube videos online that showcase what can be expected from each venture into the virtual reality world.

How did this all start? While there have been a few games similar to VRChat, none have actually had the funding nor the popularity that this one has. Created by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey using the Unity engine, VRChat is a free-to-play app that allows members to socialize with expressive avatars that they can upload themselves and use basic physics while going into virtually created worlds with others. Players can stand around, draw on walls with chalk, teach or participate in the Doki Doki Literature Club school, or pretend to serve patrons at a virtual McDonalds along with many other things. Though VRChat might be a big laggy with long load times due to servers being overloaded, it seems to be the place to go for bored teenagers or possibly bored humans in general. What people seem to enjoy the most about VRChat is the chance to escape reality more than just being engrossed in a regular game.

While there are encounters on the site that have been not so accepting, for the most part, everyone is online to socialize and have a good time. Having a few laughs along the way are just extra perks.

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