Virtual Journal #7: Vket 2024 Summer
Tag: Virtual Journal »
Summary
Quickly going through the massive world that is Vket 2024 Summer, and highlighting some favorites.
Content
I’ve been trying to finish my blog post for last year’s Virtual Market (or Vket) Winter, but since the summer version of it is already here, I figured I should write about it first.
The event was a blast! Walking around several giant worlds—each with its own unique design, stories, and gimmicks—was a pleasant experience.
It was a good breather for me especially, after dealing with sickness that was then followed by the worst tropical storm. July was such a month…
In any case, the event is still ongoing until August 4, so feel free to visit Vket’s website and wander about at your own pace.
You might end up spending a whole day if you decide to go through it all in one go though, haha. It took me a few sessions to see everything. Some of the areas just have too many interesting booths!
This time, instead of going in solo, I tried going through the areas in public VRChat instances. I’m glad that it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.
Seeing other people around really made things feel different. The occasional banter and laughter, the random streamer conversations, or even just small groups quietly looking at the booths made the mood feel similar to (or perhaps even better than) being in a real life convention.
The main hub, Parareal Central, looked like a mysterious, futuristic underwater island this time, with a virtual guide character and an easier way to select which areas to teleport into.
A separate stage with a giant screen was present in the area, which I assume is for live events. I wasn’t able to be present for those, but there were multiple livestreams to watch in its place.
Another stage was also available for navigational tutorials and just hanging around with friends. You can leave messages made up of pre-written words around the stage with a pen, which other people in the instance can see.
There’s a few more areas this time, compared to last year’s winter version of the event. Some of them are on the small side though, without booths and only products to show.
There’s also some that were re-used version of the previous year’s worlds, but separated into two with less interactions. It doesn’t mean that going through them were any less enjoyable, however. Continuing the stories from the past event’s worlds is a neat design idea.
The event also had a few browser-only worlds to explore, which mostly showcased products for their room-maker. I didn’t try it last year, but from checking it out this time, I think I’ll appreciate it more once I get to try making my own room. Maybe someday…
Parareal Yokohama might be the most colorful out of all the areas, with buildings and structures that are full of life, and ships flying around a bright morning sky.
Yaizu City’s booth had a merry-go-round from outside, allowing you to view the whole area from above. Inside, they showcased their city’s local food specialties beside a tuna fishing photo spot, as well as 360° videos of daily life in the city.
The booth from Messe had a lot of fun mechanics to play around with, like having a sauna experience that literally teleports you to a heavenly land with how good it would have felt in reality, or a cafe corner that lets you mix and match ingredients to make your very own coffee.
A trailer for ForgeVision’s VR ASMR experience, Michikusa-ya VR, was shown from a TV screen in their virtual inn booth. Accompanied by someone during a hot summer day, it seems that you get to relax with everyday life sounds. I wonder if ASMR combined with VR would be dizzying… I haven’t tried it, but I like the atmosphere from their booth, so I hope it goes well.
GraffCity has the best background music, and along with the structures and walls covered with graffiti, it makes you feel like you’re in a game similar to Jet Set Radio. I want to jump around and do some cool tricks! Speaking of the music, K,O, the composer for this area, had their own booth as well.
The space-themed booth by Betabgt had a neat interaction of coloring a spaceship through a UV map with Felicelia, their upcoming original character model. In their shop, there’s a few more cat-eared models and cute outfits.
There’s a lot of booths for VTubers in the event, which is always welcome. Some of them are Sol Fira, which had a small version of her celestial red panda self that looked like a stuffed toy, and Tetra, which had an exhibition that they’re hosting, Taneket, and a few free road sign models on display.
Parareal Dubai lightened the evening sky with its high-rise buildings. Robot guides assisted you throughout the area. You can even ride a robot camel! It’s… quite slow though, haha.
Kao’s moon-themed booth had a few games inside. One of which was a multiplayer game where you protect the world from space dirt monsters with their hygienic products. It was fun playing with random people!
Videos of activities by Medecins Sans Frontieres were played on their virtual base booth. It appears that donations will be made, partly based on the visitors and the amount of virtual trees planted in their booth. They also had a heart-catching minigame, but it’s a bit hard to play in non-VR mode.
The booth by Universal Entertainment had a big swimming pool with a stage at the top, where you can watch your avatar dance like an idol. They also had a few products on sale, as well as a giant water slide minigame. After you fall down from the slide, you get to see a picture of your avatar having fun in it, alongside your score!
Bewitched Forest Noctorl had you rescuing several fairy-like creatures as you go deep into the woods and try to leave the mystical area you’ve been trapped into. It leaned more into a comical kind of scary, so I was able to go around without feeling too unsettled.
Cloud Star Cafe, a joint booth of mimi_house and Dove from the Right, had a cute cat-themed interior that makes you want to take a break in it for a little while. One of their recent dresses that mirrored the stars and the sky in pink was on display.
Bean Jam’s booth felt like a mini comfy bear playground, showcasing a variety of bear models and graphics. What attracted me to their booth was the music video of bears having a good time outside. I think it’s a trailer for an update to their bear model, but the atmosphere in the video was on point.
A few VSingers had booths in this area as well, like Toka Hoshi’s mini booth that showcased her original song, Dokurenbo, and the joint booth of Mokz and Vivi Zena, where they pose beside a sinister cauldron as a music video plays in the background.
I have fond mall memories, so browsing around The Alter Vista—with its floors named after flowers, and magazine covers all over—was a treat… though I don’t think I’ve been in a mall as fancy as this one in the last decade or so, haha.
Atelier Lalaluu had a fashionable booth, presenting a fluffy long skirt, as well as various other accessories from within, like a satchel bag or comfy boots.
The booth from Studio Shaclo was quite stylish, with a pink and white theme that showcased various original models that they’ve made. I like their character designs.
Ultra Nemi Nemi Shop had a bunch of posters for their models at their booth. They have a few ocean-inspired clothing in their shop that were well-designed, so I had to include them in here.
There were a lot more areas that had interesting gimmicks and booths, but I’d be writing forever if I listed them all.
I’d at least quickly write out a few because I can’t stop myself:
- Parareal Osaka with its crab fights and flying takoyaki everywhere.
- Discovering the VSinger Nekobiyori Calico’s booth at World End: Utopia.
- Approaching the mad scientist-like booth of VSinger unit Milleneige at Kowloon Empire Hachiban Ward.
- Observing the art style of the models from Kugurobonchi at Imperial Scorchclad Gorivagg.
- Hakama no Kitsune showcasing their recent character model, Amatora, at the aquatic bar called Philip’s Sheep. (They also had a booth for their upcoming model at World End: Utopia.)
To finish things off, here is the (self-proclaimed) highly-requested bench report: There were a lot of benches, and only a few were interactable. However, there were a lot of other interactable seats and rides! The bench experts should at least be satisfied with that.