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AltspaceVR, a “cross-platform virtual environment” that launched on Oculus Rift earlier this month, is supposed to be a kind of giant, immersive multi-player version of “The Sims.” Users can explore a VR landscape and carry out “real-world social activities” with other players such as watching movies, playing games, and shopping in virtual stores. It’s a cool-sounding, far-out idea—which is why AltspaceVR has raised more than $15 million in venture capital from prestigious firms including Google Ventures and why early testers have raved about the platform’s “profound” potential.
Unfortunately, AltspaceVR’s virtual world isn’t fun for everyone, particularly the women who say they’re being continually harassed inside the virtual space.
