PLEASE UP VOTE BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION

On launch this game was pretty cool, you could connect with fellow fans in fandoms. Take on avatars and even create your own custom characters to be as you want to appear and explore expanse world maps. Both pre-existing in fandoms and custom creations from some very talented people.

However, it has since become a hot place for children way under the minimum age requirements. Ordinarily I wouldn't care as most developers take measures to ensure that they are protected and harshly punish players who seek to exploit them. However that is not the case in VRChat as devs have actively banned streamers and youtubers who seek to expose some of the largest groups of ERP peds. One of the noticeable groups being High and Tied which have multiple public worlds that any one can join with little to no verification of age. These worlds engage in NSFW roleplaying with full nude models, and though I do not participate in such activities, do not care if the groups engaging are taking proper steps to ensure they are not allowing minors into PRIVATE worlds in which they do so. Their Discord is fully public and have multiple people who are verified as underage with access to NSFW channels as well as NSFW interactions.

PARENTS I URGE YOU TO RESEARCH THE GAME AND PREVENT YOUR CHILDREN FROM PLAYING THIS GAME. There are far safer free alternatives on the Occulus and Vyve platforms that will ensure your children are kept safe. One of which being Rec Room, a social game in which you can play multiple minigames with friends and strangers with a far better Mod team.

EVERYONE ELSE! This needs to be brought to Steam's attention. Far more mild games have been removed from the platform for less. These behaviors cannot be allowed to continue.

One thing you should understand is that VRChat is nothing you think it is, but at the same time, it is everything you might want from it. But first and foremost - it's a social game. And you're going to need to socialize here. There's not a whole lot you can do alone, unless you just want to relax for an hour with some nice backdrop. In all the other cases you're going to need a company. And from now on it's up to you to build your experience! There are countless different events, worlds, locations, avatars and, of course, people - all wait for you to find them! So if you feel interested - just go for it! And that's really all i can say about the game.

But i also want to share some advice to ease the beginning of your journey. Here are some things you might want to know:
- Most of the seasoned players use VR, but it doesn't mean you have to! You can start "desktop" and get a headset later, or even stick to desktop all the way! I do not own a headset [yet, hehe :3] , and all these hours of playtime you see are still worth it!
- Don't need to force yourself, just give it a honest try, maybe another one some time later. And remember to be yourself! You don't wanna make friends for the person that doesn't exist.
- Your experience is the people you meet. You might get lucky and find a nice buddy in the first hour, or you might get unlucky and spend a month without getting a single close friend. So if you like the space the game offers - just don't give up. It comes eventually.
- Try to find someone kind to help you get started. There are so many features that VRC just never tells you about. Feel free to ask them all kinds of questions - how do you get avatars, how do you look for the worlds, ask them what are their favourite worlds! Every person possesses their own secret knowledge.
- If your PC is not a fighter jet, then you might gonna need to tweak some settings. The 2 features you should try are "Shield settings" and "Avatar culling". Just look these up, they can drastically improve your performance. And the reason is...
- Avatars. These affect your framerate more than any graphical settings ever will in this game. Again, low framerate - go to the features from the previous advice. And for the love of god, please try sticking to "light weight" avatars. Check out their "Texture memory" parameter, this is how much VRAM it bites from EVERYONE in the same lobby as you. People rarely care about such things and this is how we end up with 20 FPS lobbies. Please don't be like them.
- And the last one. If you're a fluffy softie [Just like mee :P] , DON'T EVEN TRY GOING TO "THE BLACK CAT". This one is extremely subjective, but i see it as nothing but a toxic pit. It's a default world the game will direct you to and i suggest avoiding it like a plague. Unless you're here after watching some VRC trolling videos and wanna do the same thing. Sicko.

So there you have it! And for those of you who are still doubting if this thing is even legit - i have met some of the kindest people and made some of the most caring friends i've ever had. 555 hours, remember? It's all real, out there. A whole new world for you to explore. Our world. The question is... do you have the curiosity?