Personalities and Virtual Worlds -Observation During and After COVID Lockdowns
Since COVID, it is safe to tell most of us as a collective are still getting used to communicating and going back out of the safety of our homes. Though some of us couldn't wait to get back out and go places, whether or without a mask, others were a little more hesitant. Of course, this is a natural response to everything that happened in late 2019 or early 2020, and no one would blame you for taking caution. Though it isn't publicized in the media much, COVID is still genuine. It is not gone, but as we all know, life moves onward. With that being said, it made me think about the specifics of us from COVID until now and how it changed the virtual world industry. Did we gain more users on these virtual platforms or lose them? This post will discuss all the specifics, but please remember there won't be any statistics or numbers involved. Everything released in this post will come from personal experience and researching other people's experiences and what I've noticed since COVID, up to the end of 2022.
Introverts Before and After COVID With Virtual Worlds
Let's be honest; COVID only affected a few introverts, if any. We are so used to staying in our hobit homes. Whether creating something new, playing video games, vegging out, listening to music, or watching TV/movies in our spare time. We were in our natural habitat 100%. Nonetheless, if we were sincere with everyone, humans are a communicative species, and we cannot survive without human interaction at specific points. Though introverts like myself tend to keep to themselves, we still crave a little conversation. Because of this, during COVID, a small spike of introverted personality types entered and utilized virtual platforms. Sometimes communication can be overwhelming; however, in small spurts, we love it! We love being spoken to, even if we only sometimes answer.
Many introverts went into these virtual worlds to communicate or even be creative. The thing with this is it's not only about communication but also about experiencing new places that some of us wouldn't think of sharing. Virtual worlds give our personality types an outlet to explore new areas where we either can't go to those places, or it's somewhere we want to go but can't yet afford to go. This became an outlet for communication and exploration! The virtual world industry not only appeals to gamers and tech enthusiasts. They appeal to creatives, singles (for dating), Businesses to stay connected from various areas in the world, and those who are adventurous in nature and enjoy exploring and immersing themselves in multiple worlds.
As most know, many things can be accomplished in a virtual world. More often than not, virtual worlds are a platform for expression and businesses to stay connected. There are so many opportunities virtual worlds provide their users, and the sky is the limit for all virtual world users! Many introverts were found exploring and immersing themselves in new places inside various virtual world platforms, talking to our small friend circle, and enjoying life as if we were in person but from the safety of our comfort zone during a difficult time.
After COVID, you will still see many of us inside these platforms. However, I've noticed through initial interactions that some platforms have fewer introverts and more extroverts. This could be because the rest of us enjoy our solitude by playing various other video games, being creative in spaces that are comfortable to us, and now that we can get out if we want to, we still get that human interaction but face-to-face. It depends on the person, but there have been a few introverts I've noticed or meeting after COVID inside virtual worlds like VR Chat, IMVU, or even Second Life.
Extroverts Before and After COVID
Believe it or not, the virtual world platforms were popping up with those extroverted personalities. Between clubs and consistent chatting and communicating in welcome areas, there was a massive spike in people using virtual worlds during COVID. This was primarily because they were unable to go anywhere during the lockdowns. Extroverts need communication and people to feel energized. They used virtual world platforms to provide them with the same lifestyle they had before having to stay inside. They can still communicate and go out and about from home. They can be as vocal as they are in their reality and even create new experiences with new people for themselves. From what I have noticed, the clubs were packed inside Second Life, and every person's inbox I got into was grateful for the conversations I had. To test this theory, I won't lie; I messaged almost everyone in one club. Also, I knew which one was introverted by responses and who was extroverted. Yup! I see you, my fellow introverts! Ha-ha.
There were so many people walking in different immersive places that, typically, I wouldn't find people. For example, there's a Zen and Yoga place in IMVU, a "class" was going on, and the room was packed. It was crazy; that room never fills up, so keep that in mind. The number of people experiencing various experiences in a virtual setting was impressive during COVID. The clubs in any virtual world were packed, and people were just living their best lives in these virtual worlds! It was truly enlightening to see.
After COVID, I tend to see more extroverts hanging around than my introverted tribe! But this is, of course, a good thing. I love that even though extroverts love to be out and about, they take in their creativity and love for technology even after COVID lockdowns.
Conclusion
Overall the increase in users was drastic in virtual world platforms during COVID. It has subsided quite a bit since then, and though there were a lot of active users during that time, there aren't as many now. Your more avid virtual world enthusiasts are the ones who continue their stay. But it is important to note just because numbers dropped doesn't mean they won't be back. Virtual worlds have become popular since they were given a title thanks to Zuckerberg at Meta. When you're rich, you can name anything; hence, Metaverse was born to relate to virtual worlds and their industry.
Avatar's Johannes Eckerstrom: 'I Don't Want My Metal To Be Safe and Comfortable' [Interview]
Speaking with Full Metal Jackie, Avatar frontman Johannes Eckerstrom discussed the band’s new album, their theatricality and not playing it safe in metal.
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Avatar’s Johannes Eckerstrom: ‘I Don’t Want My Metal To Be Safe and Comfortable’ [Interview] was originally published on 440 South
