Ghost Hunters is a new social party game in VRChat that's got a great asymmetrical twist: One player gets to be the ghost, everyone else (1-11 other players) get to be ghost hunters trying to tag the ghost before they're spooked into unconsciousness. World link here.
It's the latest game by longtime community creator Jar, a star subject in my Making a Metaverse That Matters book, as someone who's managed to turn their virtual world creativity into a full-time job supported by a community of supporters. Her Patreon is backed by nearly 3000 subscribers, earning her an income that would easily put her in a top earning bracket. (And is far less susceptible to job cuts now plaguing the game industry.)
Which is no surprise -- her VRChat games are more popular than most "professional" VR games. As I wrote:
Jar's VRChat games are more popular than most professionally made VR titles. Since launching last December, her survival co-op game world Murder 4 has been visited nearly 8 million times, and her two most popular games typically attract 2,000 to 4,000 concurrent players at any given time. By contrast, as I write this, only 1,800 people are playing Beat Saber on Steam, while less than 600 are playing Half-Life: Alyx (according to VRLFG) -- and those are among Steam's most popular VR titles...
"I feel so much more liberated," Jar tells me. "Being able to do what I actually enjoy doing during the day is working wonders for my personal well-being. Like a kid in a candy store, I have a huge list of ideas, and I get to choose whichever ones I am most passionate about."
It's given her an almost daunting level of creative freedom, but also supports her through the inevitable periods needed to keep her games running smoothly: "Especially when it comes to making sure the technical bugs in my world are under control... that can be a little stressful, and while I'm used to that kind of work by now, supporting those worlds is more important now that it's my livelihood." But, adds Jar: "Overall though, my heart and mind are at ease, having saved a bit of money from my first year on Patreon in my bank account, and knowing that the patrons who support me now do so because they trust my creative decisions."
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