Hugs in virtual reality. Online social connections are forever changed.
Body language in multiplayer VR adds a layer of depth to online player relationships never before seen.
Stepping into the lobby of Smashbox: Arena I am greeted by fellow VR players. We speak to each other over voice chat, just as we have done in various online games for a decade or more. At first glance it seems the only new feature of virtual reality is our ability to stand next to each other’s avatars in full 3D.
Three dimensions is just the start.
A player waves at me, greeting me over voice chat as well. Another player, a newly made friend of mine, moves closer and we embrace in a digital hug.
The nature of online interactions between people will never be the same.
Body language in multiplayer VR adds a new layer to online player relationships.
Friends can sit down and chat together before a competitive match. Give each other a hug for comfort. Wave to each other from across a literal digital canyon. And one day soon, hold each other’s hands.
It is my opinion that the ability of VR to transmit our body language will lead to deeper social bonds between people online. Where once spent months learning about other online players before truly trusting them, a digital hug might speed up that process, just as a physical hug does in real life.
Real life hugs increase oxytocin and trust.
When hugging, levels of oxytocin in each person increases. This increase causes a reduction in stress as well as a marked increase in trust between the two individuals.
While a digital hug may not achieve the same levels of oxytocin in the blood, we might assume the brain goes through similar processes. Perhaps oxytocin does increase when hugging in VR, and the user’s brain will begin to trust another 3D avatar more than before.
Making online friends has always been possible, but now it’s probable.
I moved a lot as a kid. Every year it seemed I had to reinvent myself to fit into my new school’s paradigm. It wasn’t long and I found myself in a shell of my own creation. It was easier to just fit in than take a chance on being myself. I sat quietly in class, did my school work, and went home.
From dawn until the bell rang all I wanted was to get home to my computer, my access point to the online world, where I could be myself.
Online I was free to be myself, for better or worse.
I could escape the real world at any moment by hopping into a favorite game with a group of friends.
Face to face interactions are not a necessity for two people to form a strong relationship. All you need is a way to communicate and a place to play.
For years I was closer with online friends than those I met at school. I became best friends with someone I had never seen face to face. Our interactions consisted solely of voice and text chat, and in game experiences between our avatars.
To this day I am close friends with someone I met online. We roomed together for a time after I recommended him for a position at a startup business accelerator. Human connection is real whether face to face or not.
The online world is social for those who want it, but virtual reality can be social for everyone.
I can only imagine what childhood would have been like if I had been able to stand next to my online friends. I came out of college still connected with a couple online friends, and many more real life ones. If I had grown up with virtual reality, the ratio between online friends and offline could have swapped.
In virtual reality we can stand at each other’s side, lean in close for a hug, shake our heads in agreement, and dance together like fools. The interactions of the online world remain available to us, and virtual reality brings our bodies back into the equation.
Denizens of the internet are no longer limited to the words they speak, images they share, and keys they press.
When we are online in VR we bring our bodies.
For many people the online world has been a place to be themselves without fear, but much of them was left behind in a chair behind a screen. Online we could be ourselves, but we traded this for a piece of our ability to deal with the real world.
I am excited for the friends I will meet during my adventures in the metaverse. To me, these people and their 3D avatars are as real as anyone I could meet on the street. They have lives and families, stories and aspirations. We can shake hands, wave goodbye, and share hugs.
Body language is just the beginning for online VR.
One day soon eye tracking, face tracking, and full body tracking will bring even more of ourselves online. Sitting next to a new friend in VR will be akin to real life. We can watch as our jokes land, as our concerns are appreciated, and as our affection is shared.
There is a lot of talk on how VR might be used to increase empathy. While I am optimistic in this proposition, I never understood it until I experienced my first virtual hug.
Today is Day 10 of my 90 day VR experiment. Join me here for a daily dose of VR thoughts, experiences, side effects, benefits, worries, hopes, and most importantly: adventure.
