Trans people are turning to VR as society fails them
Metaverse game VRChat, where users can embody any avatars they like from e-boys to furries to a cursed Marge Simpson, is one of the biggest VR social platforms by user numbers. According to users Mashable spoke to, it’s also the most common social VR platform trans people are playing. One of the main reasons that VRChat is used over other options, like Meta Horizon Worlds, is due to how freely you can customize your avatar. Being able to select from a wide range of avatars in a broad spectrum of art styles is fun for anyone, as you can visually embody anyone or anything you’d like. Looking at yourself in the mirror as an avatar, seeing your movements perfectly mimicked by the digital suit you’re wearing, is riveting. But, for transgender people especially, this visual embodiment can be life-changing. “When I put this avatar on and saw myself in the mirror, I was like oh — my egg cracked at that moment,” Penny Buttercup said, looking at herself in the mirror wearing the feminine avatar that changed her life two years ago. “I felt like me, in a way I never had before.”
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