- [Narrator] The appeal of a virtual world is obvious.
Unconstrained by anything but our imagination,
we can create worlds without limit.
That's what Lauren and Andy are doing.
They're building Zenith,
a virtual universe that they hope
will be a social and entertainment hub
for millions of people.
- [Andy] When you look at a lot of what's going on
in the world right now,
it's driven by fear
and it's driven by isolation.
- [Narrator] They have vision for a new type
of community that unlocks the potential of VR,
while addressing the challenges
plaguing many online communities.
- [Laura] You can have experiences that you just physically
cannot have in the real world.
- These virtual world can be empathy machines.
- [Laura] We think that we can help people
to be their best and most authentic selves
and that that will spill out into the real world.
I mean in a sense
what we are doing is beta testing a universe.
(upbeat music)
- I'm sure you guys have seen or heard of Ready Player One.
What Spielberg was selling was the vision
of living in a virtual world,
not just watching it.
And so that's what we're building.
We're building a virtual world that people can live in,
just like Ready Player One.
- [Narrator] Andy and Lauren are the cofounders
of Ramen VR.
The small studio coming of Y Combinator
and backed by Oculus.
They're trying to create Zenith,
an entire universe set in virtual reality.
- [Andy] We've used Zenith as not just a game.
We see this as a bonding experience.
It could be that third space where people gather together
and have meaningful social experiences.
A third space, for some people, is a cafe or a bar,
or even a bookstore where they can socialize
and connect with others outside of work or home.
I think people don't give games a lot of credit.
You can learn a lot from games about problem solving,
about cooperation and working with other people.
When it comes to Zentith,
we've designed it with this bigger picture in mind
which is to build a world that people can live in
and spend a lot of time in.
- You can do anything and be anyone.
We're just building a world that's as real and visceral
as the one we're sitting in right now.
So how can we create a world that is a positive influence
on society when it is just yet another virtual world
that people can get lost in?
- [Laura] There isn't really a blueprint
for how to design a world.
How to design a culture.
How to design a society.
The first step to doing that,
I think, is to just to make a game that's fun.
- The gameplay modes do have an impact
on what kind of culture is built.
Our first iteration is going to be focused on PVE content,
which is player versus environment,
so you and other players are collaborating together
to kill monsters that are driven by artificial intelligence.
We think the community building
and that early seed of players we bring in
is just as important as the game that we're building itself.
So, part of the reason why we're working on this
is to make sure that VR is a more social experience
rather than an isolating one.
- [Narrator] If recent history has taught us anything,
it's that our virtual personas sometime inhabit
pretty terrible virtual worlds.
These are all online phenomenon
that can and do have negative impacts on the real world.
To be honest,
it's not entirely clear that Lauren and Andy
have all the answers.
And I think they would be the first to admit that.
And they're working really hard
to learn from those mistakes.
They're building the universe that they want to inhabit.
- Some people feel like they can never be their whole selves
ever in front of anyone else.
Anonymity is definitely a double edged sword
because people can do great things
and they can do terrible things
if you don't know who they are.
So I think one thing that might be interesting
is the concept of pseudonymity.
First thing, we wanted to make sure that people's avatars
could reflect how they wanted to look.
Everything from the height, to the face,
to the skin tone, to the hair.
And we also wanted the voice to reflect
how people wanted to sound.
It happens a lot where women who are in online games,
as soon as you say something into the mic,
there's a flood of harassment that comes in.
So we want people to have the option to change their voice.
And not just out of fear of harassment,
but just because that's a part of who you are, too.
- I guess everything can be used for good
and for bad, right?
I think it's more about,
does that engagement lead to a positive outcome
or a negative outcome?
So for us, it's about building the positive feedback loops
that cause people to be friendlier
and better to each other
and to really realize the potential in themselves.
- [Narrator] I think it's fair to say that
right now no one knows how to do this.
This is a new thing that people are still figuring out.
And it's nice to know that people like Andy and Lauren
are putting the right kind of energy and intention
into answering these questions.
- [Lauren] The game isn't in anyone's hands right now.
But, honestly, one of the things that I'm proudest of
that we've done so far is build a community.
We have a community of about 6,000 people
right now on Discord.
And that community is very strong.
It's very passionate.
This is when you see,
does this float when you stick it all together or does it,
does it sink?
- [Narrator] One thing is clear.
More people will be doing this.
And that means more people
will need to ask a serious question.
What kind of universe do I want to create?
- [Andy] With Zenith, gameplay becomes the shared experience
that people bond over.
I think if this succeeds,
it'll have a transformative effect on how our society
works and functions in the long term.
- [Narrator] Thanks for watching.
I hope you liked this video.
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