R00TS CLUB
X META HORIZON
Creating safe and inclusive spaces in the Metaverse
As we build in the metaverse, we can create spaces and experiences that are open, accessible, and safe for as many people as possible.
So how do you build a virtual space that makes visitors feel welcome and cared for in your space? How can an environment help foster connections between people from all over the world? And what does it mean to host a space in a virtual world?
R00TS CLUB creators thoughts on building and hosting safe and approachable worlds in the Metaverse:
While building in the metaverse, we want to create experiences for our visitors that are open and accessible to as many people as possible. And we make good use of our time thinking about how to include diverse needs underrepresented groups might have and how to make people from different backgrounds and age groups feel welcome.
Intuitive Experiences
When designing an experience in the metaverse, accessibility is a key element. Nothing is more frustrating than making it into the Headset and using your precious time and charge on a non-intuitive UI in worlds. Use simple language when writing instructions and opt for international visual cues wherever possible.
Creating Welcoming Environments
Make sure that everyone feels welcomed and respected.
This starts with the place people will appear in the world - the “spawn point”. From experience, a spawn point with a good overview of the world can help visitors orient themselves and give a feeling of safety upon arrival. Like this people are more likely feeling enabled and comfortable to find their destination easily.
Greeting people with a personalized message when they come in or a surprise waiting for a first-time visitor is a nice element to welcome people to your new world.
On the other hand, a spawn point in a dark cell with creepy noises will ensure your visitors know they will need to brace themselves for a spook or something else coming their way. Make use of that special first moment when visitors enter your world to communicate your aim and cause for this space.
Inclusion
We want to create an environment where everyone feels included. This means understanding different perspectives and allowing all voices to be heard without fear of judgment or discrimination. It also means creating an environment where everyone is respected regardless of their backgrounds, beliefs, or values.
Singleplayer or multiplayer?
Will this world hold a story for only one person to explore? Or do I want this world to be a space for bringing people together and fostering exchange? How many users do we want to interact in this environment? What is a good number of visitors in the interesting areas, and are the areas laid out to comfortably accommodate that amount?
For example, we host a music circle in a world that can accommodate 20 people but we only have 5 instruments provided. That won't feel welcoming for the majority of people. Instead, we can make a space with different soundproof zones and lay out as many instruments as we expect visitors to join.
Hosting a safe space
When we want to bring people together in our space and create a safe experience for the visitors, we want to think of rules and guidelines for interactions between people. Those should be clearly communicated and visible inside the environment before entering the space. How an environment is built can significantly impact the ability to ensure all visitors respect guidelines for interactions.
An agreement by the person wanting to enter the space through a physical interaction helps to underline the consent to join the group and play by the given rules one agreed to.
Co-hosts with the ability to mute or ban visitors are helpful to react fast in the event of trolling or other inappropriate behavior.
Community dynamics & collaboration
Hosting a social space for people to come together in a comfortable atmosphere that allows them to express themselves and share their work & explorations with others can be very powerful.
Doing this regularly helps create a community where everyone can feel safe enough to express themselves without fear of judgment and foster a truly diverse space within the metaverse.
It's helpful to create experiences that encourage collaboration rather than competition. For example activities that require cooperation instead of individual effort, allowing players to customize their avatars or simply offering tools that enable users to communicate with each other beyond the spoken word, like paintbrushes or instruments.
Respect
Creating a diverse and inclusive space is built on respect. Respecting people for who they are and what they bring to the table, regardless of their backgrounds. It means recognizing each individual's unique experiences and perspectives, even if they don't necessarily align with yours. It also means treating everyone with kindness, empathy, and understanding.
A lack of respect in a space can quickly bring out the trolls in people, so it is essential to ensure that every person feels empowered and encouraged to comfortably participate in conversations without fear of being judged or misinterpreted.
Representation
Representation matters because it allows us to see ourselves being part of the world around us. When people feel seen and heard, they are more likely to feel comfortable engaging with others online and expressing authentically. In VR, people can also embody shapes and forms that aren't connected to irl bodies and, with that, explore aspects of themselves that wouldn´t be accessible otherwise.
Equity
Equity means ensuring everyone has access to resources needed for success in the metaverse—regardless of how much money they have or what their background is. This means providing resources for users who may not have access to certain technologies due to financial constraints or lack of education on how to use them effectively. Additionally, it ensures opportunities for users from underrepresented communities—such as women and minorities—to participate in projects if they choose to do so.
Diversity
Building a diverse space requires recognizing individual differences in background and experience. It means celebrating people from all walks of life and valuing the unique perspectives they bring to the table. Diversity should also extend beyond race or gender, including age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, and more.
The goal is to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves authentically without fear of being judged or excluded because of their differences.
Building Community in Virtual Worlds
Online Presence
Using various online networks can help grow awareness for your cause and reach your virtual community. Posting regularly on different platforms will enable more people to discover your community – not only those who were already part of it but also new members who may be interested in joining.
Sharing stories from within the virtual community will also help build trust among its people and increase engagement.
Establishing Clear Community Standards
Setting up clear rules and policies for your virtual community is essential. This will help ensure that everyone understands what is expected of them and make it easier for moderators to enforce these rules.
This helps everyone understand what is expected of them and makes it easier for moderators to enforce these rules. To do this, you should create a code of conduct that outlines the expectations for community members.
This should include how to behave respectfully in conversations, what content is allowed (and not allowed), and how disputes should be handled. Make sure this code of conduct is easily accessible so everyone can refer back to it when needed.
Vision & Identity
Every community has a vision, purpose, and goals that help shape its identity. What are the shared values that drive this community? What does it stand for, and where is it going? At its core, a strong community identity is a shared set of values and goals that unite individuals in pursuit of a unified mission.
Help New People Get Started
Having new people feel welcome and at ease in your virtual community. Make sure to provide clear instructions for how to join the virtual space or event, and make sure that someone is available if any help or troubleshooting is needed—this could be yourself or someone else in the team who has been designated as responsible for helping out with technical issues or questions about using the software platform used for your event.
Being supportive and giving insights into mistakes and learnings
Being aware of community needs like setup/hardware or software issues and addressing them in detail // integrating community wishes and needs in the environment and program of performances/events
Also, make sure that people know their contributions are valuable— whether it's ideas related to programming or technical setup. We want members to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves while also having an opportunity for self-expression in the collective whole.
Encourage Authentic Interactions
Your members should interact authentically with each other for meaningful relationships and connections within the virtual community to form. Encourage mutual support by ensuring everyone can participate in discussions or activities and that their contributions are recognized by the rest of the group. This will help create a sense of belonging within the community while also fostering relationships between individual members.
Integrating Community Wishes & Needs
Listen carefully to participant feedback and consider their wishes and needs when organizing future community gatherings & events. For example, if people have expressed interest in having longer sessions with more interactive elements, consider incorporating this into future programs. Also, make sure your community is enabled when you are not around. Create ways and tools for people to use your virtual spaces for their own expression in their own time.
Recurring Meet-ups & Events
Making sure your community members have something to look forward to each week through regular meet-ups and events is a great way to keep the conversation going and help connections form. Think of creative discussion topics and activities that you know will make for an enjoyable gathering where members feel comfortable sharing with each other.
Empowering Moderators & Ambassadors
Once you have established your code of conduct, it's time to empower your moderators and ambassadors with the tools they need to uphold it. This includes giving them access to moderation tools such as banning users who violate the rules or removing offensive content from conversations.
You should also provide them with resources such as training on how to best handle difficult situations or templates they can use when responding to member queries or complaints.
Finally, make sure they know who they can go to if they need extra help or advice – this could be you or another team member with more experience dealing with these types of issues.
Conclusion
Creating inclusive and diverse virtual spaces is essential for cultivating meaningful connections between underrepresented groups and the overall future of the metaverse ecosystem. When crafting our virtual worlds, we can help make the experiences of our visitors from all over the world a better one with keeping these thoughts in mind.