On the deworldification of Worlds

GZ | 26/09/2026

Worlds was always meant to be a space where users can express themselves in various creative ways. And it is all about connecting with other people and engaging in group activities. However, recent behaviors of younger and newer users seem to mistake the generosity of Worlds' features for something that extends outside of Worlds itself, almost as if they are outsourcing the experience. The ongoing modernization of avatars and discordification of Worlds must be stopped before the experience becomes identical to that of an anime discord server in 2020.

3D Avatars over Articulated Avatars:
Creativity belongs in Worlds. It is inherent in the generous avatar options available. One can load custom Holograms or make use of the articulated avatars to present oneself as one pleases to other users. However, it also allows importing custom 3D models. While the last option does not seem to be problematic, it seems to be increasingly used for very special avatars.

It might provoke some people, but the truth is relying on imported 3D models as avatars is nothing but lazy and when combined with the lack of Worlds-native avatars, can be reasonably regarded as foreign to Worlds and destructive to the culture. One custom 3D model is not a problem, but we are seeing GroundZero being dominated by them, and soon enough galleries will be filled with them. And their use is even becoming a new trend in Worlds building.

We can solve this problem by creating and enforcing rules related to the use of custom 3D models in Worlds and as avatars. And we must also recognize the need for new, simpler, and more detailed Articulated Avatars tutorials, as the current ones are clearly insufficient. Worlds is meant to be a creative outlet, but we must not ignore the fact that it itself provides us with tools to be creative and we must use those tools in order to remain within the realm of the Worlds experience.

Discord as an Alternative:
Worlds is first and foremost a social game. It is meant for connecting people. Perhaps the model of Worlds is outdated for our highly connected culture. Worlds does not allow you to send a direct message to someone not currently online, and it does not save chat history. As a result, users are turning to other applications to communicate with one another. The use of discord is not a problem in itself, but the behavior of certain users is concerning. These users are generally active on discord, but do nothing other than AFKing in GroundZero when they use Worlds (which is rare for them anyway). And recently a suggestion was made to hold a movie event on discord.

The only explanation I can think of for the discordification of Worlds is that it stems from the lack of interest in Worlds itself. People join because of some Youtube video talking about the cult nonsense. Then they find a community and eventually become attached to it—a community which is more active on discord—and simply abandon the experience of Worlds altogether. Discord must be made into a secondary option, a checkpoint, not the main gathering spot of the community.

We need to preserve the experience even if it is at the expense of some newcomers who already do not have any interest in the Worlds experience. We must appreciate Worlds for its features and try to work around its limitations, rather than outsource the entire experience to 3D models and discord.