Melancholy of VR

Worlds of #Cluster, that will touch your heart.

Published in

Merzazine

5 min readApr 4, 2022

Even if in VR you cannot touch things, VR itself can touch you. In our last journey around Cluster Official, you’ve already seen the variety of worlds, which cannot cover the full diversity of this VR system. In my today’s walk, I want to show you the realms that moved my heart. And will surely move yours.

Virtual Reality is not only about this flashy action-packed thrill. It’s also about serenity.

Sincerity

by: Gureumi / on Cluster
Link: https://cluster.mu/en/w/4773c8fa-da46-4f0a-8057-8f3ae8429330

Here is a place where sincerity and serenity merge. A remote location — and spacious at the same time.

You find yourself on a platform over a lake, with the gorgeous vista of the sunset, some bokeh-alike lights on the shores (distant cities?), a shape of a ship, and falling leaves. Behind you is a beautiful forest with rocks, but you cannot enter it. Everything you can do is contemplate the skies, be alone, or be with your friends summoned to the same place as you.

無職のおじさんがいる公園 / A Park with an Unemployed Uncle

by: こんにちは。世界 / Konnichiwa.Sekai — Cluster / Twitter
Link: https://cluster.mu/w/bf1cb324-ab92-402b-a38e-b1b30043198b

Room and space have their own narrative. Sometimes you need just a little to create an entire story.

This one pierced my heart. Immediately.

Created by an artist with the symbolic name (こんにちは。世界) “hello.world” and probably autobiographic, this place immerses you with deep melancholy.

An almost empty space surrounded by construction walls. Nothing there. Just a lonely man on a swing.

Sometimes he takes a swing. But mostly, he is sitting there, deep in thoughts. Or without thoughts anymore.

You can join him — the second swing is free.

To keep him company. To make him less alone.

But the more you swing, the more motion sickness you get…

And outside, beyond the walls of isolation, you can guess the chimera of the endless city. Unreachable and alien.

Hello.World created many stunning worlds, which I will review next time. But this one is an entire universe, a book. You exit this place and soon come back again. To be with the man and to spend some solace in his sadness.

何でここにいる / Why are you here

By: 怠けパン / LazyQB — on Cluster and Twitter
Link: https://cluster.mu/en/w/82002bf0-e670-412d-a3a0-a5bb8dda9366

An outpost. A solitary train station somewhere in-between. I feel the dreamish melancholy of Ghibli Studio and the distant feelings of Oshii Mamoru (together with Kawai Kenji).

But let the references aside, enjoy the view.

Endless rails, and you in the middle, looking to the sunset. With a silent but powerful music soundtrack.

Why are you here? Probably, a rhetorical question. A question to your inner world. Who are you? Where are you going? Are you going somewhere, or will you stay here for eternity?

To be honest, the latter is the case.

But you are not alone. Sometimes somebody joins this world.

Suddenly you are not alone anymore.

And all these people are standing in awe, looking at the distant sun. And asking each other, “why are you here”?

Here I’ve got many friends, gained by joint contemplation of the clouds, and sea waves, and white birds shimmering in the sky.

あの日の雨が還る頃には / By the time the rains of that day return

by: 休止アカウント / 9191, on Cluster and Twitter
Link: https://cluster.mu/en/w/35d5e703-c0ca-4282-a64f-fa35f1ba779b

If you have been to Japan, you will recall the rainy days as you stroll around the wet streets, listening to the rain.

This city is empty. Perhaps.

In the beginning, it’s just you — and an umbrella falling to your feet.

Everything happens in the twilight of rainy clouds. The streets lantern doesn’t spend any light on your journey. You equip yourself with the umbrella and begin your walk across the abandoned world.

Suddenly you see a ghostly white cat rushing across the street. You are chasing here — and discover a small shape of a girl, staying lonely under the rain.