Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced Friday that users now have a personal boundary in its virtual reality game Horizon Worlds to prevent users from virtually harassing other users’ avatars. Horizon Worlds is a game on the Oculus that allows users to create their own avatars and worlds.
“Personal Boundary prevents avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, creating more personal space for people and making it easier to avoid unwanted interactions,” Horizon Worlds Vice President Vivek Sharma wrote in a statement. “Personal Boundary will begin rolling out today everywhere inside of Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues, and will by default make it feel like there is an almost 4-foot distance between your avatar and others.”
Sharma did add that the distance may be altered in the future. Should a user virtually approach another, the system will halt their avatar’s movement at the boundary without any tactile feedback. When users want to high-five or fist-bump virtually, they will have to stand apart and fully extend their arms.
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This announcement comes after a woman reported that she was virtually groped in December. Since that incident, Meta implemented a measure in which an avatar’s hands would disappear if they encroached on another avatar’s personal space.
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Horizon Worlds is rated as suitable for teenagers, with users playing live across the world. It is a default game, so a free download comes with the purchase of a Quest 2 Oculus.
