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I felt like the last couple of days were lackluster in quality, so I decided to do an extra day of photography. Once again I started off with a minigame world, and once again I came across a heated argument on race.
This world had a functioning basketball court for users to play in. It's fascinating to see movement-oriented sports adapted in the virtual world, mainly with the compromises made to accommodate for real-world space.
It's a large court, yet users are physically restricted by the room they play the game in. How do you translate dribbling a ball down a court when users are physically in rooms much smaller than that? It's a unique game design limitation that sounds fun to tackle.
The bear and Patrick Star were still arguing about race when I decided to leave. The last thing I heard as soon I left was the N-word. How do moments like this even start?
Another familiar avatar, this one sang as well. I think it was Disturbed? The world was full of users with similar avatars so I'm guessing this is a niche fandom I'm not aware of.
The graffiti was shockingly impressive, much like the Dandy's World Lobby. I hope these designs exist somewhere other than this temporary world instance, they're too good.
Another funny interaction. This girl confronted me with an angry tone and asked if I was taking pictures. Nervously I said I was taking pictures of everything. She then struck this pose and told me to take one. When I asked why she sounded mad she said "I just like being a bitch."
This one was by far the most beautiful world I had visited. I think if I had to call any of the places I've visited so far home, it would be this one.
The lighting here was top notch, although I wish the bloom on these trees in the dead of night wasn't so damn bright.
These two ran by, the girl saying how she ran into "that guy" again. The boy next to her was shocked to hear this because "that guy" had been following her frequently. They agreed she should find a different world to hang out in.
I'm not familiar with Japanese architectural layouts, but this tiny street with a restaurant and what I assume to be a post office makes this area feel quaint in a way I can't describe. It's like a simplified reality that wouldn't be practical in real life but ideal for a representation of one.
Walking through a Japanese home was intriguing. I've only ever seen these types of buildings on TV or in manga. Actually walking through one put my understanding of their design into perspective.
I don't know which one was which, but these two were an American and a Chinese man talking about the differences in how their governments handled employee healthcare. Out of all the conversations I've witnessed this one was the most special. It's nice seeing two people from different countries get along and share experiences.
Exploring the larger temple I saw these miniature shrines. I'm not too familiar with Japanese mysticism so I wonder what they're for, or who they're for.
Seeing worlds this detailed makes me forget it's virtual. Not in the sense that I believe it to be real, but more so in that the feelings I had exploring this place felt real. If the feelings are real, does that make this virtual place real in a figurative sense?
I hope the creator is proud of their work, and that others tell him he should.
Took a detour to feed some ducks in a virtual duck sanctuary. A step down in realistic environments but fully makes up for it in interactivity.
These ducks are much like the penguins I talked about from the previous day, although they do not speak. They wander around a quack like normal ducks should. I know the sign says “Bird” but there were mostly ducks here.
There was a surprising variety of ducks present. I assume the creator is an enthusiast of aquatic birds, or at least enough of one to create a digital sanctuary for them.
There was even a table with bread you could feed to them, and they'd even follow you around while you held it. This was a very cute detail to add.
Stopped by a spooky motel in the middle of the woods. Despite the creepiness there was still a sleepy tone to the place that I wouldn't mind taking a rest at.
I ran into Donald Trump arguing with a black woman about the definition of the N-word not being racist, and how it actually means "ignorant person".
While taking a picture of this computer set-up, some guy walked into frame and thought I was taking a picture of him and gave me a wave. I thought that was hilarious so I kept it.
Next place I visited was Wikipedia. As far as I could tell, you couldn't actually look up Wikipedia articles from her. If you could, that would be so cool.
I loved the multiple stories that tapered upward. It felt like it was built this way so that the giant Wikipedia logo could fly through it if necessary.
Have you ever read the manga Girl's Last Tour? This world gave me a similar feeling to that, with its white and gray architecture and its human-hostile layout. It gives the feeling that we're in a space not meant for people but for something else. Knowledge I presume.
This was the edge of the world, I could go no further. It's understandable since there looks to be nothing there for miles, but I still want to go out there just to see how far it went. Mega structures are fascinating to just ponder about.
This one was a bit of self indulgence. With virtual reality, you have the opportunity to visit anyplace, anywhere, at any time. The most obvious thing to do is visit the location of one of your favorite movies, in this case the Ghostbusters firehouse.
Ghostbusters is great but not one of my all-time favorites, but when you mention the 2009 video game is when I go nostalgic. From what I can tell this version of the firehouse might use that game's assets for this recreation.
The detail is impeccable, which was only something developers were starting to figure out in the late 2000s. This makes me believe that at least some of the assets seen here were purpose built for this world.
If you leaned very close to the containment unit, you could actually read the warning labels!
The musky haze gave me a chuckle. If you needed any indication that this place was not at all up to code then there you go. It's these little details added by the world creator that helps tell the story of Ghostbusters.
My next stop was a beach. I had trouble finding a good spot to capture the vastness of the ocean, so I settled on this head-on view of the shoreline.
Off in the distance I saw a little building and a lighthouse. Since it was so far away I knew I absolutely needed to go over there.
The trek wasn't too long, and the view from the road was aesthetically pleasing. Not many users headed out this far, so I knew I was in for something special.
The building turned out to be a small shrine, although I could not enter this one. What a strange theme going on this day. Japanese shrines and people saying the N-word.
This steep staircase led up to the lighthouse. I thought I'd get a good view from up here but what I actually got was bizarre.
I'm guessing a user joined with an avatar that changed the outside of the world, resulting in this strange fake sky circling my view. I don't know this for sure because I was far away from anyone. Who knows what was going on.
This dark and flat lighting and circus top looking sky was eerie in a way that actually made me uncomfortable, so I left.
I decided to go back to the Black Cat Bar. I heard voices but saw no one. Seeing this weird treehouse, I figured that's where everyone is. Now the question is what is going on up there that has caused everyone to investigate?
As soon as I went up I saw the woman avatar bouncing up and down on the man's crotch. They were having sex. The patrons of the bar were hysterical. I doubt they were actually having sex since they claimed to both be girls, but the idea they could have been is still hilarious.
This world was about exploring exoplanets, which happens to be one of my favorite scientific topics. I didn't stay long enough to know if the ship hopped from planet to planet but regardless I found the concept neat.
The ship we were in felt like it came from an advanced alien civilization, or that starship Neil deGrasse Tyson flew in NOVA. It's probably the only time I've ever felt like the unknowable intelligence from outer space.
My main question is what exoplanet is this, if this is based on a real exoplanet? If it is, then I would love to know if this is what it might actually look like to fly over it. That's what I love about exoplanets; the certainty that this world exists and the tragedy that we'll never visit them.
My back was killing me from wearing such a bulky headset, so I stopped at a bar to sit down at one of their booths. This was actually the same nightclub I visited from day one.
I wanted to take a picture of the patrons, but this guy came up to me and demanded I take a picture of him instead. It was the only time in all my sessions that I didn't want to fulfill a user's request, but I did it so he would go away.
The entire time I was here, this guy was sitting in a booth alone flipping a coin. I honestly have a lot of respect for users that are dedicated to playing their role, in this case the mysterious loner at the back of the bar. I said he was cool and he called me cool too.
I agree stranger. Daft Punk is pretty cool.
I ran into a user showing off some pictures he took in VRChat. He was actually able to place them in the world thanks to premium account benefits. The irony is not lost on me, and I think this is the best way to end my week in VRChat. A reminder that there are others like me.
After Virtual_Lu1g1