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Our Online Identity Crisis
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Our Online Identity Crisis

Why it's time we face ourselves

Matt Klein
Feb 02, 2018
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One January night in VRChat, something peculiar happened.

Suddenly, a red and black robot avatar dropped to the ground and began to convulse. While VRChat is described as a meet-up-chatroom-esque virtual world, it’s worth remembering all of its characters are very real. Concerned, a Pokémon, leprechaun, and skeleton — among other avatars — ceased their activity to examine what was happening.

The robot didn’t stop, unresponsive to the other players’ worry.

Thoroughly evident due to their motion-tracking gear, the robot, and its controller, were having a seizure.

With no name, no location and no context to what was happening, bystanders in this virtual reality watched helplessly.

Fascinatingly though, despite the reputation VRChat received at the time for sophomoric behavior, the onlookers here all knew, there was a real person behind this robot avatar.

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