Thanks to topics like the Meta-verse, virtual reality (VR) is a hot-button issue in 2022. Will our lives change drastically and turn our world into “Ready Player One” as technology grows and people become more and more interested in living virtual lives? Well, if the documentary “We Met in Virtual Reality” is any indication, it sure does seem like there are groups of people who much prefer digital worlds to our real world.
As seen in the trailer for “We Met in Virtual Reality,” the documentary follows the lives of several folks who spend a lot of their time in VR Chat, a virtual reality software where they are allowed to join classes, talk to other people, and generally live lives behind the safety of an anonymous avatar. People learn new skills, make friends, and fall in love. It’s a little scary, but also kind of sweet.
What makes “We Met in Virtual Reality” a bit more interesting than that is the fact that the film is created entirely in VR, meaning there are no actual IRL humans to be found. Talking head interviews are with avatars. Scenes are set in weird, wild VR landscapes. It’s a bit otherworldly, as you might imagine. The film is directed by Joe Hunting.
“We Met in Virtual Reality” debuts on HBO and HBO Max on July 27. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Filmed entirely inside the world of virtual reality (VR), this immersive and revealing documentary roots itself in several unique communities within VR Chat, a burgeoning virtual reality platform. Through observational scenes captured in real-time, in true documentary style, the film reveals the growing power and intimacy of several relationships formed in the virtual world, many of which began during the COVID-19 lockdown while so many in the physical world were facing intense isolation. Although remaining wholly within the VR domain of avatars and imagined worlds, the film has elements of humor, serendipitous interactions and unexpected events that characterize real life. WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY tenderly documents the stories of people experiencing love, loss and unexpected connection, expressing vulnerability around mental health struggles and questions about identity, offering a hyper-real journey into the human experience of an online world that may soon shape the future.