Yamanashi Prefecture has begun providing support to people who are withdrawn from society by utilizing the metaverse, a virtual space on the Internet. *Image You can make friends and receive individual consultations at regular social events. According to the prefecture, for people who are reclusive, going out and connecting with society is a big burden. For this reason, we launched “Furatopia,” an online community space that can be easily accessed from a home computer or smartphone. The target audience is people living in the prefecture who tend to live a reclusive lifestyle or who feel that life is difficult. People who are worried about family members becoming withdrawn can also participate. The prefecture’s dedicated website serves as the contact point, and participants enter the room after registering a nickname for their avatar. The entrance, which is designed to resemble the Fujiyama Twin Terrace, a scenic spot from which to enjoy views of Mt. Fuji, features a bulletin board with various support information and event schedules. The Communication Plaza is a virtual space set on a floating island in the sky. Social events are held here about twice a month. Approximately 20 people participated in the first exchange event, held on October 29th. Participants interacted with each other by taking photos of their avatars jumping and playing a treasure hunt game. The events are scheduled to take place on December 12th, 19th, January 8th, 15th, and February 12th next year, starting at 3:00 p.m. (reservations required). In the individual consultation room, a space designed to resemble the clear streams of the Southern Alps, you can receive advice from a prefectural counselor (advance reservations required). You can choose between day and night views depending on your mood that day. In 2020, the prefecture conducted a survey on hikikomori through a total of 2,282 welfare officers and child welfare officers in the prefecture. There were 615 people in the prefecture who had been confined to their homes for more than six months. People who had been in a state of social isolation for 10 years or more accounted for 46.3% of the total, and 20.5% had been in a state of social isolation for 20 years or more. A staff member from the prefecture’s Health Promotion Division, who planned the metaverse support initiative, said, “We hope that by using the metaverse, people who are socially withdrawn will be able to alleviate their feelings of loneliness even a little, regain their connections with society, and become more positive.” The metaverse will be open to the public until March 14th next year, and depending on user reaction, they will consider implementing it after April. (Fujimoto Hisataka) [Asahi Shimbun] 2024/11/23 (Sat) 11:00.
>>1 Can you provide a virtual space that can lead to work, even if it’s just for part-time work, instead of just for the purpose of socializing like this?
>>20 I miss Second Life lol It was a crazy place where people were gathered somewhere and you could play 24 hours a day if you wanted to >>1 This metaverse has lame avatars and is a wholesome virtual space with no gambling or sex, so it’s safe You’ll probably get sick of it and want to run out the house.
I think it would be dangerous if there wasn’t a sense of identity between your real self and your virtual self. There’s a danger that the virtual self could end up looking down on the real self.
A monster is born that enters the metaverse and uses tubes to eat and excrete. If there’s a power outage and you’re cut off from the metaverse, you’ll die.
>>26 I’ve been a hikikomori for 3 years lol 3 years? Are you stupid? That doesn’t count as being a hikikomori. Wait until you’ve been a hikikomori for over 10 years, you newbie! Is there going to be an auction for hikikomori?
The metaverse was a big deal at one point, but it hasn’t caught on very well. If things stay this way, the metaverse will end up being full of shut-ins lol.
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