My Night in the Metaverse
Finally last night I dusted off my Quest 2 and spent a few hours in VR, something I have done surprisingly little of in recent months. I had a really good time. I started off trying a golf game that I bought months ago but never tried before. The realism was pretty amazing but I stopped after a couple holes because my play area was a bit too tight, I was worried about smacking the TV accidentally.
Next I fired up Eleven, the excellent VR ping pong adaptation. I did a few practice games to refamiliarize myself with the controls which are pretty natural. The physics of the game are damn near perfect. I then went online and played a couple matches, losing both but not by a huge margin. Again my play area felt a bit constrictive as I bumped up against the walls of it several times.
I decided to do some some seated VR activities. I went into Venues and VR Chat, two social apps. I spent the time just mostly being an observer as it seemed almost everyone in both spaces was very young. VR Chat is especially insane, it has to be seen to be believed. I finished up the night in Big Screen which is sort of like a huge virtual theater filled with other VR people. In there you can watch tv shows, movies, games, or just hang and talk in virtual environments with up to 15 people.
I was in one room where a kid was hosting a stream of him playing Beat Saber at a ridiculously high level. I had never seen anything that crazy. He then was able to turn on his web cam so we could see him both in and out of game playing. I just could not believe he could do what he was doing, it was pretty crazy to watch. I then went into a room labeled Let’s Talk About God. This venue was outdoors, seated around a campfire. It was hosted by what sounded like a high school age kid. There were maybe a half dozen other people in there.
So the kid asks me what my relationship was with god. I politely told him that I don’t really have one but I respected anyone that did. I said if it works for you that is what matters. He asked why I didn’t have one. I said I don’t think it would work for me. A couple others in the room chimed in encouraging me to be open to such a thing which I didn’t respond to. Another guy popped in and was asked the same question, “What is your relationship with god?” His answer was “The same as my relationship with Santa Claus, which is pretty damn good!” I laughed out loud at the comment. The guy didn’t say it in a biting way, just very matter of fact.
The younger kid talked more about how sin was a problem and he mentioned things like viewing pornography as an example. The santa claus guy chimed in again, admitting that he watched pornography. He asked if that meant that he was going to burn in hell. The kid and others in the room immediately assured him he would not burn in hell for this. Right about then my Quest shut down as I had burned through the entire battery. It was really an interesting and diverse time in VR. It motivated me to get back into it more often.
Tonight I am planning to do another live stream, hopefully after getting my road bike ride in. This weekend a very COLD front is coming through that will push temps real close to the freezing mark. In the past this would be a four alarm fire moment. I would scramble around the property trying to cover up anything outside that could take damage from the cold. That concern has totally evaporated, I now have a much more Ivan Drago attitude about it. If it dies, it dies….
If it’s not too ridiculously cold I would like to use the electric pressure washer to give a quick blast to the pool deck area. I also would like to take Elsa on another park walk. It’s good for her and for me.