Introducing Content Gating
One of the core values of VRChat is empowering users to express themselves. That has led to our platform becoming a vibrant hub of creativity. It’s something we’re very proud of!
However, when you allow hundreds of thousands of people to build all manner of avatars and worlds, sometimes they’re going to create things that others might prefer not to see. Likewise, there’s a chance that the things they create might not be appropriate for everyone.
In order to help people fine-tune their VRChat experience, as well as keeping younger players safe, we’re going to be introducing a new system: Content Gating.
Starting with VRChat 2023.3.3, creators must appropriately label their content via the VRChat SDK or the website. In a release soon after, players will be able to filter the content they see in VRChat based on those labels. If a player is under 18, the content filter is enabled and cannot be turned off.
Let’s get into how the system will work.
How Content Warnings Work
When you upload content to VRChat – either avatars or worlds – you will be asked if what you’re uploading fits into or contains any of the following Content Warning labels:
Sexually suggestive
Adult language and themes
Graphic violence
Excessive gore
Extreme horror
You can apply these labels at upload time in the SDK, or you can apply them on the VRChat Home website. If you want more details on these labels, check out our updated Creator Guidelines.
Applying these labels doesn’t permit you to break any rules, and none of our rules have changed. The rules are the same, but now you can warn people that your world contains things closer to the line than usual.
Accurately labeling your uploads with appropriate Content Warnings is important. If you’ve used the old labels, we’ve migrated those over. If you didn’t label that older content, that’s okay, you’ve got some time. However, if you upload new content and consistently fail to label it appropriately, you may be subject to moderation action.
How Content is Filtered Inside VRChat
How this system impacts users will largely depend on their age – determined by what birthday they used when registering their account. If they are under 18, Content Gating for all labels will be turned on and cannot be turned off.
For users over 18, Content Gating will be off by default. However, if you’d prefer not to see certain types of content, you can toggle each label on or off individually.
Avatars that are blocked by Content Gating will be replaced with the default VRChat robot. Likewise, worlds that are blocked by Content Gating will be hidden from search and menus, and you will not be able to enter them.
If someone invites you to a world that is blocked by your Content Gating settings, you’ll receive a notice, and will be unable to join their instance.
Finally, if you encounter content that isn’t properly labeled, you’ll be able to report it. We’ll use that information to correct and apply labels where appropriate.
Content Gating Timeline
We’ll be rolling out this system in stages.
Starting with VRChat 2023.3.3, users can add Content Warnings to their content. In a later release (we’re aiming for Q4 2023), we’ll roll out the filtering system to the VRChat client, enabling users to choose what content they’d prefer not to see within the app.
Creators, please label your previously uploaded content through the VRChat website! Doing so will guarantee a much better experience for all VRChat users, and we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for creators to do.
Eventually, we would like to roll this system out to more things within VRChat – not just avatars and worlds. That’s a discussion for another day, though!
Wrapping Things Up
Content Gating will make the VRChat experience better for everyone. This feature will ultimately give users a lot more control over the sort of content they interact with in VRChat. It’s a win for everyone – people get a more curated experience, and creators enjoy unchanged creative freedom.
Take “extreme horror,” for example – as we approach Spookality, some folks might want something gorey and in-your-face that makes their pulse race, but others might just want a lighter scare.
As always, for continued updates on this system or any other, we strongly suggest checking out our bi-weekly Developer Update post, which you can find on our Ask forums.
Thanks for reading, and thank you for labeling your content!
For press or media inquiries, please contact press@vrchat.com
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