VRChat: “There are more Japanese creators than all other countries combined”

My experience is in the US they are no less talented, there is just a much wider abandonment of doing anything which isn't going to generate money, along with being disparaging towards anyone that does pursue things as an amateur.

i.e. being a "sports fan" is more socially acceptable than being someone that actually plays a sport enthusiastically but not at a high level.

With full health coverage, people in Japan can pursue simpler jobs and get by, with more free time for artistic endeavors.

Personal individuality in Japan is so repressed, people have no choice but to express themselves through art or online creative spaces.

In the US, there are more ways to express yourself, so art becomes less of an obvious outlet.

Government initiatives and subsidies. Big push to export culture post WW2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Japan#:~:text=Cool%20Japa...

It's the next level of social gaming, being in VR makes the experience a lot more immersive and visceral.

I provide full livecast coverage by visiting every booth at Vket, which takes place in VRChat twice a year, and over time I’ve noticed some clear patterns.

In Japan, the market for 3D models and other VR/metaverse assets has steadily flourished. Within VRChat, it’s fairly common for users to purchase avatars from platforms like booth.pm and then customize them to their liking—sometimes as simply as changing colors, and other times by adding clothing, accessories, or other elements. The market itself is quite approachable: some avatars are used by thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people, while others cater to much more niche tastes. Either way, there’s something for almost everyone.

Originally, the focus was largely on avatars themselves. Over the years, however, we’ve seen a noticeable shift toward clothing and accessories. Looking at booths in recent Vket events, roughly 40%—if not close to half—of the offerings now fall into those categories. Tools such as ModularAvatar and Mochifitter have made applying and adjusting these items easier than ever, lowering the barrier even further. More broadly, many Japanese users don’t seem to find working with Unity particularly daunting, and that comfort level has helped form the foundation of the ecosystem we see today.

While comedy and roleplay certainly appear from time to time, many people treat their avatars as genuine representations of their identity. This doesn’t mean that identity is fixed—some users switch between multiple avatars—but there is often a strong sense of attachment. The avatar functions not merely as a surrogate in a virtual space, but as something that defines how they present themselves within that world.

This emphasis on originality, combined with a general avoidance of ripped game assets or avatars based on existing IPs (at least compared to trends outside Japan), appears to have played a significant role in shaping this distinctive Japanese VR culture.

People Make Games did a mini documentary on almost exactly what you're asking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHT-zBxKQQ

Its three years old so things have slightly matured.

I find the vtuber effect pretty offputting myself. It's so flat.

It's going to wander into entirely different problems (one with a much more uncanny valley), but i'm curious to see how the field develops when facial animation systems start being able to parallel people's faces more.

It’s an outlet for younger socially unable people to be social. Throw a rave. Argue. Crap on each other. Have virtual sex. Exploit children. Engage in pedophelia. It’s a crappy VR version of Roblox for degenerates.

If you have friends with VR then it’s a way to hop in a lobby together and talk over mics and wave virtual hands.

I’ve owned all oculus rift models since kickstarter.

https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/1dlg01v/the_problem...

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/vrchat/user-re...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365733387_Risks_of_...

Feels like there is some correlation here to the Anime / Manga industry, creating VR avatars and drawing manga characters aren't that far apart. Japan has always had a large pool of aspiring Anime and Manga artists, and this would be a pretty solid side hustle.

People that make 3D models and sell them on Etsy style websites for ~$50 each. Others then gather and buy them. It require basic skills in Unity to use them.

tbhimo, this is beyond bad omen to VRC and VR at large from profitability angle. To me it looks the exact path that Twitter went down.

You can commission people to make custom avatars for you if you don't know how to make one yourself. This is a fairly complex process, at least if you want a nice one that has full rigging and mocap support using external cameras and body tracking. I met someone at a party who does this as a side gig and brings in about $15K/year from it.