Making Sense of VRChat, the "Metaverse" People Actually Like
Why Hacker News recommends it
Recommended as a mini documentary that explains VRChat's culture and contrasts it with Meta's Horizon Worlds.
What it is
People Make Games explores VRChat, the social virtual world that many consider the metaverse people actually like, interviewing users and covering its communities and uncertain future.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2022 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Recommends AlexandrB · 2022-05 · on “What is the web revival?”
There's a great video[1] on VRChat and how its current state seems to encapsulate a lot of the article's ethos but for emerging metaverse tech. I suspect that if Meta is successful with their metaverse efforts it will be a repeat of the Geocities -> Facebook transition. [1] [this video]
Recommends cagenut · 2025-12 · on “VRChat: “There are more Japanese creators than all other countries combined””
People Make Games did a mini documentary on almost exactly what you're asking: [this video] Its three years old so things have slightly matured.
Cites lapetitejort · 2022-06 · on “Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO”
VR Chat is Second Life 2.0. Horizon Worlds is shaping up to be VR Chat 0.8. People Make Games interviewed people in VR Chat [0] and gave great examples of how behind (intentionally in some cases, in terms of not having lower halves of avatars) Horizon Worlds appears to be. [0]: [this video]