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VRChat did not respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Siggens said that after encountering harassment while playing the Population One virtual reality game, she joined a virtual support group for women, many of whom also play the game. Members said he regularly deals with harassment in-game. In June, Meta acquired BigBox VR, developer of Population One.
Another member of the support group, Mari DeGrazia, 48, of Ariz, Tucson, said she sees harassment and assault “two to three times a week, or even more” in Population One.
“Sometimes we see things that break the rules of the game happen two to three times a day,” he added.
BigBox VR did not respond to a request for comment.
Ms. DeGrazia said the people behind Population One are responding to their complaints and are interested in making the game safer. Despite the harassment, he said he found a community of virtual friends where he regularly played games and enjoyed these interactions.
“I’m not going to stop playing because I think it’s important that a variety of people, including women, play this game,” she said. “Even though it’s hard at times, we’re not going to give up on it.”
In July, Ms. DeGrazia wore a tactile vest that transmits the senses through buzz and vibrations to play Population One. “It felt so bad,” another player said when he touched his avatar’s chest. He said Mr. Zuckerberg had described a metaverse where people could wear full-body clothing that allowed them to feel more sensation, and that was troubling.
Ms. Siggens said she finally reported the user account of her abuser in Population One via an in-game form. He then received an automated response saying that criminal action has been taken against the user.
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