Social VR

Virtual reality platforms and applications designed for social interaction, where users represented by avatars can meet, communicate, and engage in shared activities in virtual spaces. Popular social VR platforms include VRChat and Engage. In accessibility research, social VR raises unique considerations compared to VR gaming: users generally prefer more realistic avatar representation including disability depiction, more natural interaction paradigms like hand tracking over controllers, and realistic virtual environments. Social VR can provide disabled users with social connection opportunities that may be limited by physical accessibility barriers in the real world.