By SEVINCY
When Reality Fades, We Log In
Since we’re all withdrawing into our homes, I thought: why not explore alternative realities and conduct an interview inside a virtual one?
Let’s be honest — everyone is better than us at something, so in that space, I figured I could at least ask: “What are you looking for here?”
They could’ve been on Instagram, after all —
Where the epidemic isn’t a virus, but vanity:
“Me in front of this wall, me at this desk, my outfit, my bag, my shoes, my makeup… and here’s the sushi I’m about to eat.”
We live in a reality crisis, and the age we’re going through — which I suspect won’t last long — is a full-on Post-Truth era.
Inside the Machine: VR Chat
I entered the world of VR Chat — an app that doesn’t work on mobile but through the Steam platform like other virtual reality software.
VR cafés today feel like a modern echo of early internet cafés before people had PCs at home.
To enter this world, you need:
- A powerful PC
- A professional-grade VR headset
- High-speed fiber internet
ADSL won’t cut it. English is the default language.
My VR station was in a beautiful home, with forest views and dual wall projections — one side for games, the other for apps like Viveport.
That app had created a shiny, futuristic city — flying pod-shaped homes made of steel, and massive floating screens surrounded by digital platforms.
On Acute Art, I could fly above Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Mastaba sculpture in Hyde Park.
Boxing Gloves and Bullet Paint
Before entering the chat, I visited a “Boxing Room.”
Red gloves appeared on my hands — like candy.
Punching bags swayed like in real life. A ring stood in the center. Two avatars — legless, with matching gloves — were mid-match. Since they were fighting, I could only watch.
Next, I went to a target shooting range.
I grabbed two bizarre weapons and knocked down every target — the bullets were splashes of paint.
Social, Sonic, and Fully Avatar
Then I entered the chat zone.
Imagine a leveled-up version of old-school internet chatrooms.
You’re fully cut off from the real world.
No typing — just your voice. Your avatar. Your name floats above your head — usually a nickname.
Years ago, these places were deserted.
I’d wander through castles, spaceships, tropical islands like they were mine.
Now they’re never empty.
The Russian Robot & The Black Girl From LA
While exploring a museum-like space, a massive, all-black robot — ten times my avatar’s size — sprinted toward me and shoved a giant gun barrel into my face.
He was likely a Russian-speaking kid, maybe 10–15 years old. He vanished as fast as he came.
Still stunned, I waved at an avatar that looked like mine.
She was from a neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles.
She lived with her grandmother and had logged in from a friend’s house.
When I told her the meaning of my name, she sang Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” to me.
I asked if she feared COVID.
“I’m a Black girl — you think I’m afraid of that virus?”
I laughed:
“I’m not Black, but in this world of white people, I feel like I am.”
Real People, Real Issues, Digital Space
She told me she was heartbroken about Harvard University shutting down.
In New York, everything was closing. In California, San Francisco schools were already closed.
She worked as a volunteer nurse at UCLA, and the thought of it shutting down was painful — especially because homeless students who got in through scholarships would have nowhere to go.
She talked about inequality. About how even emergency measures created new victims.
Where she lived, toilet paper and bottled water were the first to disappear from stores.
Suddenly, she said she had to go.
No selfie. Just poof — gone.
I sighed:
“At least she could’ve taken a virtual selfie with me.”
Dreaming Inside Google Earth
I love exploring Google Earth in VR.
Everything is modeled in detail — and constantly evolving.
Imagine if VR Chat merged with Google Earth…
We could socialize anywhere in the world, with avatars.
Even better — imagine modeling the world 100 years into the future.
Synthetic humans wandering around.
Robot waiters in restaurants.
Or the opposite: visit the world 500 years ago.
Soon, I suspect we’ll be able to travel to Elon Musk’s Mars — in VR.
I hope Musk also designs the journey experience.
These aren’t fantasies. They’re probably already in development.
An Alternative Reality for the Rest of Us
This parallel world creates new rituals for life.
I’ve visited cities I never saw in real life — like Hong Kong.
I’m not a fan of tourist crowds. I only travel for occasions.
But this space…
It might just be enough for people like me who want to experience the world — differently.
