Serious question, what's the protocol when you accidentally walk through a virtual person in a crowded VR concert?

Last weekend, I was at this massive VR concert in the Neon Nexus world, and it was packed shoulder to shoulder with avatars. The music was phenomenal, a live DJ set with visuals that made my head spin in the best way. I was trying to weave my way closer to the stage when my movement controls decided to have a mind of their own. Suddenly, I glitched right through the torso of a neon fox avatar, who immediately popped up a shocked emote above their head. I've been dipping into VR worlds for ages, but I've never had such a blatant breach of virtual personal space. It left me feeling weirdly embarrassed, like I'd committed a social faux pas in a place where the rules aren't even written down. The rest of the show was incredible, but that moment has been bugging me. So, for real, what do you do in that situation? Is there some unspoken apology dance, or do we just shrug and accept the jank as part of the charm?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_perry381h ago

Recognize that most seasoned VR users expect these glitches and don't take it personally. I usually throw out a quick text apology in local chat if I phase through someone, it's the digital equivalent of a nod. The lack of physical feedback means these breaches happen constantly, so the etiquette is still being written by users like us. Honestly, if someone gets offended by a VR collision, they probably haven't spent much time in crowded spaces. Just keep enjoying the show and don't let a bit of jank ruin your vibe.

beth_bell1h ago

Okay, so I get the sentiment, but remember that even seasoned users can get thrown off by certain glitches, like when a phantom limb clips through during a handshake in Altspace. It's not about taking it personally, but more about preserving the social bubble we're trying to build, you know? Sure, we're writing the rules as we go, but platforms like Rec Room have actual conduct codes that influence this. So while a quick apology works, being aware of your avatar's position helps avoid breaking immersion in key moments, like during a puzzle solve or a performance.

thea3881h ago

Beth's point about phantom limbs is spot on, but let's not pretend we're all ballet dancers in VR. Karen's right that a quick apology in chat is the digital nod, but sometimes it feels like we're apologizing for existing in a broken world. I've seen avatars phase through each other so much it's like a ghost convention, and no amount of conduct codes can fix that. Taking every glitch personally would mean we'd never log in again, so maybe we should just laugh it off. Platforms like Rec Room can set rules, but until they fix the jank, we're all just ghosts in a machine, bumping into each other. Maintaining that social bubble means accepting the jank as part of the experience, not letting it ruin the vibe.