How We Build Communities in Social VR

Tried and tested methods to grow communities and help people connect in Social VR apps

Published in

SideQuestVR

7 min readSep 21, 2023

We’re naturally social creatures, us humans. And the more our experience has become dominated by the online sphere, the more imperative it has become to create safe spaces for social interaction across the webiverse.

While we’ve had social media, chatrooms, and apps dedicated to sharing pictures of our pampered pooches and immaculately presented food for a long time now, VR brought something new to the table.

For the first time in human history, the virtual feels less virtual. By just strapping on a headset, people across the world can meet, talk, and interact in real-time almost as they might in reality itself. Platforms like VR Chat, Horizon Worlds, and Alt SpaceVR (RIP) have led the way towards this more interactive and dynamic method of social interaction online — and there’s much more on the way.

After all, when you can’t meet in person, doing it in VR is the next best thing.

But how do these communities get established? How do you build and grow an online space in VR where people feel safe, supported, and inspired to feel expressive? Fortunately, we’ve had some experience with that, creating SideQuest’s very own Social VR app, Banter.

Get social (media)

One of the first things we did was create social media accounts and groups for the app. After building out the first Banter worlds and taking our first players on tour, we knew that we needed an external social presence to spread the word, keep our community informed about important updates, engage with them outside the headsets, and share the in-game banter with a wider audience.

But to build a truly great community, you need to do more than just create the accounts — you need to be active within them.

This is where all your standard tips for social media success apply. To keep your new community both active and engaged, you’ll need to:

Post frequently and consistently — be predictable so your fans know when to expect you
Find your style — get your imagery and tone aligned so people can instantly tell it’s you
Post useful stuff — don’t waste your audience’s time and give them good info
Be active in the comments — answer FAQs, engage with your fans, and show them they matter to you
Mix up your media — keep them engaged with a variety of post types, videos, pictures, and more
Don’t be discouraged — it takes time and effort to build a following on socials, so make a plan and stick with it

Encourage in-game DIY

Not only are we humans social creatures, but we’re also uniquely creative ones. That’s why, to build even stronger communities in Social VR, we’ve learned that it’s always best to give creative power to the community and let them show us what they’re capable of.

At the most basic level, that means providing all users with customizable avatars. With Banter, we’ve chosen to team up with Ready Player Me to help our users create their accurate (or not) likenesses — complete with legs! There’s a wide range of outfits, accessories, and weird and wacky cosmetics to choose from to help them truly make their avatar their own.

But, for those after more than customizable avatars, we’ve also given everyone the tools they need to jump on the worldbuilding bandwagon. We believe that this is a crucial aspect of the most successful Social VR platforms, so it was something we were keen to incorporate from the beginning.

If they’re a beginner, they can take the code for one of Banter’s existing spaces and remix it to their heart’s content. Or, more seasoned creators can use a range of toolkits like Unity, A-Frame, Blender, and more to build the worlds they want from the ground up.

From personalized chill-out spaces to purpose-built sub-community hubs, everything and anything is possible when you give the community the tools they need to express themselves, build, and create together.

Put on a show

Once world builders have done what they do best, you’ll need to encourage the community to populate those new spaces and put on engaging events to cater to more and more interests—and put on your own events of course, as community managers.

Maybe you’ve noticed fans of improv comedy in your group? Get a space up and running for them to hone their craft. Do some karaoke aficionados regularly make an appearance? Give them what they need to host a night of song and dance!

In Banter, we’ve now got a wide range of events up and running, from introductory tours and basic movement controls to advanced ‘parkour’ sessions, comedy clubs, mingle and chill events, goth nights—and many more on the way.

Having a wide variety of events is key to catering to a wider range of interests — and don’t forget to let your community know that they’re happening! Get on the socials and set up reminders to ensure you get maximum turnout.

Plan, plan, and plan again

Creating spaces, setting up events, launching new initiatives — they all need good organization. And if you want your Social VR community to take off, a solid and intentional plan of action is what you need.

What we’ve learned in Banter is to not be too ambitious. Don’t overload the community with updates, messages, and new things to see and do all at once. Plan out a release schedule — and stick to it — to make everyone’s lives easier. Especially your own.

Setting up regular (but informal) stand-ups with your community team keeps everyone in the loop, helps you plug any gaps, and ensures everything stays on track.

Meanwhile, to ensure the future success of your group, keep encouraging them to start their own sub-communities in the space using the tools you’ve provided while building out your social channels and Discord to accommodate the growing range of interests your fanbase will bring along.

After all, they know what they want to see!

The community knows best

Getting to know your community and what they want takes two things: time and effort.

Like the very best relationships, you need to get to know them, spend time with them, ask questions, get feedback, start conversations, and be present with them in the spaces. They’ll be more than happy to tell you what you need to know to make everyone’s experience better. Your community is also a living, breathing thing. It shifts and changes constantly, so you need to ask these questions regularly to cater to their interests and give them what they need to thrive.

If something is going down a storm, ramp it up. If interest is waning in a particular area, think of something new—keep an ear to the ground, get in there, and spend time with your people.

Finally, be on hand to offer support and encouragement as needed. You’re the expert and representative in the space, so people will be looking to you for both of these things — make sure you’re ready with the answers they need, or be willing to find them if you don’t know.

Find your personal touch

Don’t forget: you’re part of the community too — and you have a lot to offer.

If you’re on the team building a community in Social VR, chances are you have a lot of past knowledge and previous experiences within the space to draw from. Think back to what made you happy and kept you engaged when you were a community member in other spaces. Think about what you enjoyed, or what features would have made your life easier. What events you would attend — or always wanted to see, but never experienced.

Ultimately, one of the most valuable things you can offer your community is your distinct personality. Whenever we’ve engaged with Social VR in the past, what stood out the most was always the personal input from the managers and admins of the spaces.

So, ultimately, just being yourself is the best advice we can give!

About SideQuest

SideQuest represents the ultimate community in standalone VR. A place where developers and players around the globe can create, share, and get excited about the virtual reality apps they love.

Developers (like us) are free to experiment with mechanics and modes on their journey to official stores, while players can safely explore thousands of apps across the wonderful world of VR — the biggest collection all in one place, actually.

Because who needs limits, right?

Let’s keep your SideQuest going…