2022 is upon us, and with it brings the yearly influx of new Quest users. If you tend to stay in private worlds, you might never notice it's happening; but for those that enjoy socializing in public instances, the short-term spread of kids (sometimes called 'squeakers') is very obvious. It's noticed far more than the influx of mature, adult Quest users, and as a result it's become quite the controversial topic in VRChat.

I wanted to learn more about what VRChatters, specifically Nanachis, thought of the yearly influx. Did they see it as healthy growth of the social VR scene, or does it feel more like an unavoidable plague of attention-hungry children? To do this, I reached out to the VR Nanachi community and interviewed a few members (NanachiXIV, Knight, and an anonymous nacho) about their thoughts.

Is the Questpocalypse actually a good thing?

On Reddit, anti-Quest memes are prevalent to the point that many adult Quest users feel embarrassed of their purchase. But the Nanachis I spoke to seemed far less judgemental. "[The influx] is necessary," one player explained. "They benefit the VR community by being consumers, which will in turn make [VR] more affordable and better in the long run." Everyone expressed mild annoyance, but overall acceptance of the phenomenon. "I've learned to just ignore it," NanachiXIV, owner of Discord's Nanachi's Hangout, said.

At least in the Nanachi community, Quest kids don't seem to be a problem. Nanachi Quest users are very uncommon, and almost all of them are adults. Nanachi avatars initially became popular in the early days of VRChat; while they're still very popular, they're no longer trendy.

Despite it being unlikely that kids would become a part of the Nan community, I wanted to address the elephant in the room: What if they tried? The way VRChat users interact with children is extremely varied based on individual moral standards. Some players are polite to the kids that interact with them; others avoid contact altogether due to the innate discomfort it causes.

"I'd definitely steer clear," Knight noted. "I'm older, and while I don't hate children or anything, I spend a lot of my weekends on VRChat partying with people. Sometimes that can entail illicit substances. At that point, it's like taking a kid to a bar...which is weird, to put it lightly."

The rabbit-shaped elephant in the room: How do you behave around kids?

NanachiXIV had a similar take; it wasn't just about finding kids annoying. "Most of my Nanachi friends are guys," he explained. "There’s this stigma that a male being nice to a minor means they’re a pedophile; so we try to avoid [being around children altogether]."

A few people expressed a desire to somehow limit kids' access to VRChat; perhaps raising the age rating, or even requiring proof of age such as a driver's license. One suggested stronger media campaigns on VRChat's part to warn parents of the mature content in the game, while others placed the responsibility on parents. "I don't think most parents care about age rating on games anymore," NanachiXIV admitted.

This image was the 2nd most popular post on /r/VRChat in December 2021. Source: 0x1d4tion

The uncertain future of self-moderation

With no one babysitting young players, the burden is placed on the users. Should they be polite? Ignore them? Block and report altogether? With no clear answer, VRChat users again find themselves in this yearly paradox of choosing between being themselves or moderating their behavior for the sake of the kids. It's no wonder so many users find the Questpocalypse frustrating.

"People are not necessarily against [kids] joining the game," an anonymous Nanachi explained, "They just don't want to be the ones dealing with them."

Chai Latte is a VRChat Garbage Person and your local Nanachi asset creator. You can find more of their work at the button below.

Chai Latte's Gumroad - Nanachi Assets & More

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