<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
is	O
an	O
online	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
platform	O
created	O
by	O
Graham	O
Gaylor	O
and	O
Jesse	O
Joudrey	O
and	O
operated	O
by	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
others	O
with	O
user-created	O
3D	O
avatars	B-Application
and	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
is	O
designed	O
primarily	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
virtual	B-Device
reality	I-Device
headsets	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Oculus	B-Device
Rift	I-Device
and	O
Oculus	B-Application
Quest	O
series	O
,	O
SteamVR	O
headsets	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
HTC	O
Vive	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-General_Concept
Mixed	I-General_Concept
Reality	I-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
is	O
also	O
usable	O
without	O
VR	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
desktop	O
"	O
mode	O
designed	O
for	O
either	O
a	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	O
or	O
gamepad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
was	O
first	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
application	O
for	O
the	O
Oculus	B-Device
Rift	I-Device
DK1	O
prototype	O
on	O
January	O
16	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
early	O
access	O
program	O
on	O
February	O
1	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChats	B-Protocol
gameplay	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
and	O
Habbo	B-Application
Hotel	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
made	O
up	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
connected	O
worlds	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
can	O
interact	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
through	O
virtual	B-Application
avatars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avatars	B-Application
and	O
worlds	O
are	O
created	O
and	O
uploaded	O
by	O
their	O
users	O
using	O
a	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
for	O
Unity	O
released	O
alongside	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
avatars	B-Application
are	O
capable	O
of	O
supporting	O
lip	O
syncing	O
,	O
eye	B-General_Concept
tracking	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
blinking	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
mimicking	O
head	O
and	O
hand	O
motion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trends	O
and	O
variations	O
of	O
avatars	B-Application
spread	O
through	O
the	O
community	O
like	O
memes	O
,	O
and	O
avatars	B-Application
themselves	O
are	O
sold	O
on	O
places	O
like	O
booth.pm	O
or	O
given	O
for	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
is	O
also	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
in	O
"	O
desktop	O
mode	O
"	O
without	O
a	O
VR	B-Device
headset	I-Device
,	O
which	O
is	O
controlled	O
using	O
either	O
a	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	O
or	O
a	O
gamepad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
limitations	O
exist	O
in	O
desktop	O
mode	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
inability	O
to	O
freely	O
move	O
an	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
limbs	O
,	O
or	O
perform	O
interactions	O
that	O
require	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
hand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Vrchat	B-Protocol
introduced	O
Udon	O
,	O
a	O
visual	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
which	O
uses	O
a	O
node	B-Architecture
graph	I-Architecture
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third-party	O
compiler	O
,	O
UdonSharp	O
,	O
was	O
developed	O
to	O
allow	O
world	O
scripts	O
to	O
be	O
written	O
in	O
C#	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
are	O
classified	O
into	O
various	O
"	O
trust	O
levels	O
"	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
factors	O
such	O
as	O
their	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
promoted	O
to	O
"	O
New	O
User	O
"	O
(	O
blue	O
)	O
rank	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
given	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
upload	O
their	O
own	O
content	O
using	O
the	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
SDK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
toggle	O
communications	O
,	O
avatars	B-Application
,	O
and	O
avatar	B-Application
features	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
trust	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
gain	O
a	O
"	O
Nuisance	O
"	O
rank	O
(	O
grey	O
)	O
after	O
gaining	O
too	O
many	O
infractions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
being	O
muted	O
,	O
and	O
having	O
all	O
communications	O
,	O
avatars	B-Application
,	O
and	O
avatar	B-Application
features	O
blocked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
announced	O
the	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
Plus	O
subscription	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
launch	O
,	O
it	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
display	O
a	O
custom	O
avatar	B-Application
image	O
on	O
their	O
nameplates	O
,	O
increases	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
avatars	B-Application
they	O
can	O
save	O
in	O
their	O
favorites	O
from	O
50	O
to	O
300	O
,	O
grants	O
them	O
an	O
"	O
increased	O
trust	O
rating	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
allows	O
them	O
to	O
attach	O
an	O
in-game	B-Application
photo	O
to	O
an	O
invite	O
request	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
has	O
extensive	O
support	O
for	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
PC-compatible	O
VR	B-Device
headsets	I-Device
and	O
accessories	O
,	O
including	O
Oculus	B-Application
,	O
and	O
SteamVR-compatible	O
headsets	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
HTC	O
Vive	O
series	O
and	O
Valve	B-Device
Index	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
of	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
is	O
also	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
native	O
app	O
for	O
Oculus	B-Application
Quest	O
,	O
which	O
supports	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
with	O
PC	O
users	O
;	O
due	O
to	O
hardware	O
limitations	O
,	O
only	O
maps	O
and	O
avatars	B-Application
optimized	O
within	O
specific	O
constraints	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
on	O
the	O
Oculus	B-Application
Quest	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Finger	B-Algorithm
tracking	I-Algorithm
and	O
gesture	B-General_Concept
recognition	I-General_Concept
is	O
supported	O
on	O
controllers	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Index	O
Controller	O
and	O
Oculus	B-Application
Touch	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
 '	O
finger	O
movements	O
to	O
be	O
reflected	O
by	O
their	O
avatar	B-Application
,	O
and	O
hand	O
poses	O
to	O
trigger	O
linked	O
animations	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
corresponding	O
facial	O
expression	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
also	O
supports	O
SteamVR	O
full-body	O
tracking	O
for	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
of	O
waist	O
and	O
leg	O
motions	O
,	O
typically	O
by	O
using	O
HTC	O
's	O
Vive	O
Tracker	O
peripherals	O
or	O
alternative	O
devices	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
popularity	O
has	O
been	O
attributed	O
to	O
use	O
by	O
YouTubers	O
and	O
Twitch	O
streamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
has	O
spawned	O
media	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
weekly	O
newspaper	O
in	O
its	O
forums	O
,	O
and	O
talk	O
shows	O
and	O
podcasts	O
dedicated	O
to	O
a	O
discussion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
recorded	O
spikes	O
in	O
viewership	O
of	O
VRChat-related	O
Twitch	O
streams	O
in	O
mid-2020	O
and	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
reported	O
a	O
record	O
of	O
over	O
24,000	O
concurrent	O
users	O
over	O
the	O
Halloween	B-Application
weekend	O
(	O
with	O
over	O
half	O
using	O
it	O
on	O
a	O
VR	O
platform	O
)	O
,	O
spurred	O
by	O
holiday	O
events	O
and	O
the	O
recent	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Oculus	B-General_Concept
Quest	I-General_Concept
2	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
VRChat	B-Protocol
gave	O
rise	O
to	O
a	O
meme	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Ugandan	O
Knuckles	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
use	O
crude	O
in-game	B-Application
models	O
of	O
Knuckles	O
the	O
Echidna	O
from	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
while	O
repeating	O
the	O
catchphrase	O
"	O
Do	O
you	O
know	O
the	O
way	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
generated	O
controversy	O
from	O
many	O
sources	O
;	O
Polygons	O
Julia	O
Alexander	O
labelled	O
it	O
"	O
blatantly	O
racist	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
problematic	O
meme	O
"	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Habbo	B-Application
Hotel	I-Application
raids	O
,	O
and	O
Jay	O
Hathaway	O
of	O
The	O
Daily	O
Dot	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
racist	O
caricature	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
3D	O
model	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
meme	O
expressed	O
regret	O
for	O
having	O
made	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
urged	O
players	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
do	O
not	O
use	O
this	O
to	O
bug	O
the	O
users	O
of	O
VRChat.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
published	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
on	O
Medium	B-Protocol
,	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
developing	O
"	O
new	O
systems	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
community	O
to	O
better	O
self	O
moderate	O
"	O
and	O
asking	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
built-in	O
muting	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
has	O
attracted	O
various	O
music-oriented	O
communities	O
and	O
events	O
;	O
dancers	B-Language
have	O
leveraged	O
full-body	O
tracking	O
support	O
to	O
give	O
virtual	O
performances	O
and	O
classes	O
within	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
ballet	O
,	O
breaking	O
,	O
and	O
pole	O
dance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
dance	O
music	O
events	O
have	O
also	O
occurred	O
on	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
,	O
especially	O
since	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
French	O
electronic	O
musician	O
Jean-Michel	O
Jarre	O
presented	O
a	O
virtual	O
concert	O
experience	O
in	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
,	O
"	O
Alone	O
Together	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Jarre	O
presented	O
a	O
second	O
virtual	O
concert	O
for	O
New	O
Year	O
's	O
Eve	O
,	O
"	O
Welcome	O
to	O
the	O
Other	O
Side	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
broadcast	O
across	O
other	O
radio	O
,	O
television	O
,	O
and	O
online	O
platforms	O
from	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
Notre-Dame	O
cathedral	O
,	O
and	O
featured	O
an	O
interactive	O
companion	O
experience	O
on	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
,	O
taking	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
world	O
recreating	O
its	O
interior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
implement	O
Easy	O
Anti-Cheat	O
(	O
EAC	O
)	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
protect	O
against	O
prohibited	O
modifications	O
to	O
the	O
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
announcement	O
specifically	O
cited	O
griefers	O
using	O
mods	O
designed	O
to	O
crash	O
other	O
users	O
out	O
of	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
sessions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
issues	O
with	O
account	O
hijacking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
was	O
subsequently	O
review	O
bombed	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
while	O
some	O
community	O
members	O
urged	O
others	O
to	O
cancel	O
their	O
Plus	O
subscriptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
criticism	O
,	O
VRChat	B-Protocol
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
amended	O
its	O
development	O
roadmap	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
prioritize	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
new	O
accessibility	O
and	O
QoL	O
features	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
highly	O
requested	O
by	O
the	O
community	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
being	O
scheduled	O
for	O
shipment	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
following	O
week	O
.	O
</s>
