Stay In to Go Out: Explore the VRChat Club Scene
I
It's 1 a.m., and my friend and I are in the smoking area outside the club. Someone is lying on the floor, probably drunk, and when we ask him if he's okay, he whispers that he's stuck in an endless cycle of unrequited love.
While asking around to see if any of their friends are nearby, a wide-eyed loudspeaker on wheels whistles past my legs, shouting something in a language I don't understand. down a flight of stairs and the speaker vanishes into a sea of light and sound, never to be seen again. This is the reality of clubbing at VRChat, a compelling cocktail of authenticity and absurdity in an age when British nightclubs are still closed.
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You see, the speaker on wheels is the avatar of a real person, a boss of the underground virtual reality place
Tube
where I currently find myself. A recent project led by a British DJ
Hadean
, Tube is a user-generated club inside the virtual reality MMO VRChat. It also makes a strong first impression, with its custom projected wall visuals, DJ booth dancers, and groups of laughing and shouting clubbers. set to punchy music. It's got a lot of the stuff you'd expect from a typical IRL nightclub experience, plus a costumed anthropomorphic frog taking two steps in the middle of the dance floor.
i am here to meet
Zealous
, an Australian DJ who will become my tour guide in this brave new world. Zeal is part of a collective called
online solitaire
, the name and its scowling face logo are a tribute to a beloved Doner kebab shop the troupe frequents in their local Melbourne. The Loner team hosts in-person events and now virtual reality events, in their own custom club inside VRChat.Loner's virtual space is inspired by real clubs like Melbourne's Sub Club and Japan's MOGRA, delivering an immersive grungy rave aesthetic.
Volume 31
, titled by
Ninajirachi
, takes place on May 29.
After a short intro up the stairs to Tube, Zeal and I start talking about the stage as the set (provided by drums and bass
DJ Muzz
) rages in the background. At one point, a clearly amused user transforms into a gigantic camel and then back into a sleek anime avatar. My eyes roam the room as Zeal explains how he performs in live in VRChat while wearing his
Valve
Hint.
“You lift your headphones slightly, but since the Index already has that little gap, the immersion isn't spoiled and I can just look down to see my DJ decks,” he explains. “And when I look up, I can see a crowd and hear everything they're saying – total immersion.” Valve's articulation peripherals provide greater finger freedom, which means Zeal can interface with its turntables while maintaining his virtual presence on stage.
It's a new frontier for virtual performance, one I didn't really understand until a fortnight later, when I saw Zeal's incredible closing set at Loner's 30th event in mid-May. You can
catch my shiny delusional avatar all night long
in this VOD of the
Loner Online Twitch Channel
.
When you arrive at Loner, you'll be outside the venue itself, with the Tokyo skyline looming and a quaint konbini across the road. A rolling artist archive shows you the list piled high with the talent that performed in the venue, before neon signs and scanned posters lured you into the main area. Stepping inside is an atmospheric sight in itself, and I haven't touched the screen yet. aesthetics of the current DJ set.
The most impressive thing about the club is its realistic lighting system, controlled from a station behind the bar. Red beams flash from the ceiling, with circular sirens and a strobe boosting key moments for performers and audiences, illuminating ceiling vents and illuminating avatars.
There's also this remarkable sense of community in there because you can see and hear the people around you. People were chatting and anticipating the songs as they were mixed, then roaring and pumping their fists as the drop was landing. At one point during the night, there was even a virtual reality moshpit...
It's clear that the Loner VR project was born from a place of pure passion, but it's the fine level of detail that elevates the game's immersion into the stratosphere. For example, Loner also has its own toilet when you have needed a break from the show.I spotted customers napping in cubicles and having their heart's content in front of a long mirror, the walls behind them covered in shiny stickers and custom graffiti.The whole thing was a reintroduction breathtaking experience with authentic club culture, from the comfort of my living room.
And while it's been vastly improved by VR, it's worth noting that VRChat also has a desktop client for those who don't have the expensive gear. With or without the kit, it's worth it check it out if you're trying to re-engage with some of those communal club feelings that we've missed during the pandemic. It felt like the cutting edge of music, technology, and creativity, and j can't wait to see what this community does next.
To verify
ONLINE Solitaire
for more details on their upcoming virtual club night.