MUST WATCH: The new feature length documentary called Virtual Cultures In Pandemic Times premiered via YouTube on Saturday 2nd April 2022 created by the well known Draxtor Despres. It’s 1 hour, 24 minutes and 15 seconds long. It features how the COVID-19 pandemic has effected every day lives and how it’s had an impact on virtual worlds.
If you have missed the film then here is another chance to view it again. The film does contain flashing content. This is well worth watching and so far the overall reaction to this full length documentary has been all positive with over 4, 100+ views on YouTube so far.
About the documentary…
Since March 2020, Draxtor has been following UC Irvine Department of Anthropology researchers Tom Boellstorff, Evan Conaway, Chandra Middleton and Sandy Wenger around Animal Crossing and Second Life to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping online interaction.
In the film, protagonists from all over the world open up about their anxieties and everyday challenges during the last two years, and share what virtual worlds and social games mean to them in the context of a global health crisis.
Many hours of mixed reality interviews, group discussions in Second Life and a comprehensive survey filled out by over 4000 players/residents provide the basis for a sprawling narrative. What emerges through participant observation is a mosaic of impressions, voices and worlds belonging to people from all walks of life, who are actively engaging in community building in the digital realm as they are trying to make sense of a new age dominated by uncertainty and physical isolation.
Please spread the word and I do believe this film needs to win medals. Woooot! 🙂
Great job Drax ! 🙂
Daniel Voyager 