Keeping Virtual Reality Environments Harassment-Free

Touch adds intimacy to VR experiences — but how do we make it safe for everyone?

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I was in the living room of my childhood home, watching my mother as she stared out of the window, reeling from the news of her diagnosis. I could feel the carpet soft under my toes, and hear music in the background. “I wanted to save you from all the suffering,” Mom said as she turned and then embraced me with one of her never-let-you-go hugs before I said goodbye.

And then it all vanished, because this was just a virtual reality (VR) experience — one nothing like anything I’d experienced before. Draw Me Close is a VR-meets-theater performance that takes the audience on a journey through the memories of its creator, playwright Jordan Tannahill. The experience centers around interactions with his own mother, played by a flesh-and-blood actor who was in the virtual space with me.

Penny Layden (mother) in “Draw Me Close” with an audience member.

The use of touch throughout the performance has a huge impact; my virtual mother and I drew pictures together, held hands, and she even tucked me into bed. Before the performance began, I was reassured that there would be “light…