Ryan Schultz – News and Views on Social VR, Virtual Worlds, and the Metaverse, plus Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI's Impact on the Metaverse
I was curious this morning, so I went into WordPress and checked out my blog viewer statistics. I used to check them much more frequently during the heady heyday of the metaverse boom-and-bust, circa 2019 to 2022, when traffic to my blog surged to unprecedented levels and then crashed, as shown by a screenshot I took of my WordPress statistics last March:
One notable event during that time period was Facebook rebranding itself as Meta on October 28th, 2021, amid Mark Zuckerberg’s expensive push to transform his company into a metaverse powerhouse (with somewhat mixed but still undeniable success, notably on the hardware side, with its Quest line of wireless VR/AR headsets).
Then, in 2022, the hype cycle for artificial intelligence started, an unexpected surge of interest driven by a tidal wave of new, generative AI tools like DALL-E and ChatGPT, and the world seemed to move on—as seen by a noticeable decline in visitors to the RyanSchultz.com blog! (It also didn’t help that through most of 2024 and 2025, I was swamped at my paying job as an academic librarian, having to put my blog on hiatus for a while as I went on half-time sick leave for six months for treatment of burnout. As a result, I barely posted anything during most of 2025.)
Anyway, as I said previously, I was curious, so I checked to see what my top ten most popular (i.e. most viewed) blog posts were last year.
One of the things that never ceases to amaze and amuse me is how much traffic certain blogposts receive: the relatively rare ones where I write about sexual topics! Let me be clear: while I am not a prude, I am also not that terribly interested in writing about adult/sex-oriented metaverse platforms, because I find pixelsex boring. Therefore, I will leave that particular niche of the metaverse to others to chronicle. 😉
Anyway, 2025 was no exception to the rule, with three of my top ten most popular bloposts being about such adult topics (by the way, all three links are quite safe for work):
Which just goes to prove the old adage: sex sells. Or, at least, that there’s lots of people searching for sex on the internet. (I really should rent out prime advertising space on that sex-in-VRChat blog post; I bet I’d make some income off that! Even though I freely admit in that blogpost that I have absolutely no idea where the sex is in VRChat. Sorry, folks. 😂😆🤣)
In the number two slot is the count of people who just went straight to my homepage at https://ryanschultz.com, without clicking on a link to specific blogpost. No surprise there.
My coverage of the many changes in Second Life during 2025 (most notably, the new Avatar Welcome Kit with its LeLutka Lite heads and Legacy Basic bodies) takes up four of the top ten spots:
And the final 2 slots in my Top Ten are the two lists I maintain, the first of virtual worlds and social VR platforms, and the second of non-combat, open-world exploration games.
Both lists seem to be referred to a lot by other writers on the internet (and, increasingly, by generative AI tools which scrape the web, including my blog). For example, ChatGPT has referred its users to my blog 448 times in 2025 (and, to be honest, I’m not quite sure how to feel about that):
Speaking of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, I do have plans to write more often on this topic, both as it applies to the ever-evolving metaverse, and more generally as well. Stay tuned!
I first read the news on LinkedIn this morning: MeetinVR, a social VR platform I last wrote about on my blog back in 2022, has announced that it is shutting down its services as of April 30th, 2026:
The technology landscape is characterized by constant change. As we look ahead, we recognize significant shifts occurring in the enterprise sector:
Industry Focus Shift:Key platform providers are strategically re-aligning their enterprise VR initiatives.
Market Maturity:The core VR market is evolving, allowing new forms of spatial computing to emerge.
The Rise of AI-Enabled Glasses:We are seeing an acceleration in the development and focus on AI-enabled glasses and next-generation augmented- and virtual reality, signaling the next generation for workplace collaboration.
In light of these industry dynamics, and to finish strong, we have made the strategic decision to conclude MeetinVR services.
MeetinVR services will officially cease on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Now, there is enough technojargon in this press release to make me grit my teeth (and we are far, FAR away from “the rise of AI-enabled glasses,” in my opinion). And the “industry focus shift” gobbledygook of “key platform providers are strategically realigning their enterprise VR initiatives” can brutally be summarized as metaverse companies are folding because there’s still not a market for business users.
Let’s face some brutal facts in the harsh and unforgiving light of the inevitable crash of the artificially-heightened expectations of the recent metaverse hype cycle (of which I, being the writer of a popular blog on just that very topic, was actually around for during the beginning, middle, and end.) Still with me? Good.
Facebook (which had gone to all the trouble and expense of rebranding as Meta during this ridiculous hype cycle) has dropped literally hundreds of millions of dollars into acquiring Oculus and trying to build a business metaverse platform, and failed to even to entice its own employees into using it (let alone anybody else). Linden Lab (the makers of Second Life), a much smaller company than Meta, poured millions of dollars into building a shiny new social VR platform called Sansar, which never took off, and now languishes in a near-moribund state, supported only by a passionate cadre of volunteers determined to keep it alive. (Now, Sansar was designed for consumer as opposed to business use, but I’m quite sure the original development team would have been happy to see it take off for corporate use, too. Aside from a few music festivals, that never happened, though.)
And frankly, given the perilous political and economic times in which we now live, people have far greater concerns on their minds than whether they can meet up as avatars to conduct business in a flat-screen virtual world or on a social VR/AR platform accessible via a headset. The learning curve/cost of entry is still too high, compared to alternatives like Microsoft Teams, Cicso WebEx, and Zoom.
The current tsunami of generative AI tools like ChatGPT threatens to lead to massive layoffs among lower- and middle-management white-collar jobs (something that’s not being talked about enough, in my opinion). And if metaverse platforms weren’t able to sell themselves during a pandemic, when everybody was forced to sit at home, they certainly won’t be able to sell themselves now, when businesses are cutting costs, trying to stave off insolvency in some cases, and people are worried about keeping food on the table and a roof over their heads.
I predict that we are going to see a “metaverse winter,” much like the previous “AI winters,” when the initial promise and hype of the technology hits what the Gartner Group politely calls “the trough of disillusionment.” And I predict we are going to see a lot more shutdown announcements like this throughout 2026.
All the PR spin in the world (“to finish strong”? Really? Really??!?) cannot hide the fact that the metaverse business is in a period of retrenchment, possibly a long one. And no, generative AI is not suddenly going to be some sort of magic wand that can make everything all better again. That’s just laughable.
It’s time to go back to the drawing board, for a rethink (that, I can agree with in this press release). And, despite my sarcasm, I do wish the team behind MeetinVR every success in whatever they decide to do next.
PLEASE NOTE: This is now a somewhat edited first draft of the notes I was frantically taking during this livestream, because I wanted to get the information out there on this very interesting application of the Apple Vision Pro! Yesterday I came across this announcement of how the Apple Vision Pro was being used in research to determine its effectiveness as a support for those suffering from anxiety and depression. As an avid AVP user, as a subscriber to Explore POV, and as a mental health consumer, I was definitely not going to miss this presentation, which was being streamed on LinkedIn (a first for me; usually I am on Microsoft Teams or Zoom for this sort of online event).
I was originally thinking I would go in using my AVP’s Virtual Display feature with my MacBook Pro (my usual work setup lately, what with my neck and shoulder pain), and then I thought: naaah, let’s not overcomplicate things. Apparently, this is also being streamed to YouTube, which I will look for later. UPDATE: Added the YouTube link at the end.
Any omissions and errors are my fault; sorry guys, I can only take notes so quickly!
The speakers in the livestream were:
Hala Darwish, Associate Professor, School of Nursing/Neurology/Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan (currently conducting research, still in its very earliest stages)
Jeremy Dalton, XRHQ (moderator of the event; formerly PwC Head of Immersive Technologies)
James Hustler, Explore POV (3D video creator, whose app was chosen as the Apple Vision Pro App of the Year 2025, https://exploreimmersive.com)
Event description: By immersing patients in breathtaking natural environments using the Apple Vision Pro, research is now underway to discover whether these experiences can support those suffering from anxiety and depression. Join James Hustler, creator of the award-winning Explore POV app, and Dr. Hala Darwish, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, for a live discussion hosted by Jeremy Dalton from XRHQ. Together, we will explore the technology, the clinical thinking that inspired it, and what it could mean for the future of digital therapeutics.
(Unfortunately, I missed the first few minutes while I was fiddling with my sound settings, and trying to get my earbuds to work properly, so I missed Jeremy’s and Hala’s introductions.)
James Hustler travels the world to record amazing 3D videos and share them via his subscription service, Explore POV (which I have written about before here). He had been living in a motor home in New Zealand during the pandemic, when he had started recording 3D videos to share with friends.
Hala is in early stage research, interested in the relationship between mental health and the environment. Many people do not have access to certain environments (e.g. an urban environment with very little nature). Also, people can have access issues (e.g. a disability). Hala was looked into VR as an alternative to real-life nature experiences, and in 2019 when she started, the tech wasn’t quite ready (they tried with 360-degree videos, and she felt it didn’t really work well, i.e. low resolution; caused motion sickness, etc.). She then tried computer-generated nature graphics for patients with MS (multiple sclerosis). In 2023, the Apple Vision Pro was released, and Hala had a demo. The decision was made to switch from 360-degree VR video to 180-degree VR video.
James: The VR 360-degree video format is not new, but until recently, it hasn’t been at a high-enough resolution to create a true sense of presence. i.e., it changes from an intellectual response to an emotional response of being there. Explore POV is now recording at 16K resolution, and experimenting with Apple Immersive Video. The goal is to capture a scene so that the user feels like it’s lifelike and real to them.
Hala: transporting the individual to these natural environments does appear to have health benefits (mental and physical health, stress relief, etc.). In addition to anxiety and depression relief, Hala’s area of research, VR is also being used for the treatments of phobias (exposure therapy), performance anxiety (e.g. fear of public speaking), and as a method of pain management and distraction, among other uses.
James, when asked about feedback to his videos: Explore POV was created as a travel app, but people by the hundreds are contacting him about the mental and emotional response to the VR video scenes, telling him it’s the first time they’ve climbed a mountain or paddled a kayak. People have told James that they use the Explore POV app to relax after a stressful day’s work. This sort of feedback has opened James’ eyes to the possibilities of 3D video in VR. He had originally approached his work from a technical challenge (e.g. how do I create the highest-resolution 3D videos in VR?). He stressed that all these responses are anecdotal, but that we need scientific evidence.
Hala, in talking about her research: we want to run clinical trials (but we are currently testing feasibility and safety with a limited number of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis and depression). If we give AVPs to patients to use at home (e.g. with disability), how are they going to be able to use the headsets? The first study splits the patients into three groups. It’s a cross-over study: one group gets standard treatments first, then VR treatment, the second group gets VR treatment first, then standard treatments. The third group has just standard treatments, with no VR intervention. It is an early-stage feasibility study, with 14, 14, and 12 patients in the three categories of patients being looked at. She is also interested in researching longer-term responses to VR treatment.
Hala: in my opinion, exposure to natural scenes in VR appears to be a good adjunct to standard therapy. It’s still too early to come to any definitive conclusion. We first want to see if it has an impact on stress and anxiety levels, and then eventually expand to a larger number of patients (right now it’s a small number).
Which environments create greater impacts? James: we would expect to see what we’ve seen compared to previous academic research studies using real-life nature scenes (e.g. MRI brain scans after exposure to nature, e.g. taking a hike). There is already a good body of academic literature dealing with the impact of real-life nature on people’s anxiety and depression.
But we don’t have anything beyond anecdotal results for the use of nature in VR so far, nothing scientific; this research is still in its very earliest stages. For example, one early patient had a very good response to a desert environment (but it’s only a sample size of one!). James: if we’re aiming for calmness, certain VR video environments would probably help with that, e.g. flowing water, watching a sunset while sitting on a mountain, etc.). But again, at this point it’s purely anecdotal.
I asked a question in the text chat during the livestream that was actually asked of James, the creator of Explore POV, which was: Has James created specific VR video environments for Hala’s research? The answer was no; James has not yet created specific VR video environments for Hala’s research. However, they’ve now shot approximately 200 videos in 20 different countries so far for the Explore POV app (I think he said 200, but it was hard to take accurate notes!). He notes that they are a small, nimble team who can rapidly adjust to meet any requests from Hala’s research team, if needed in the future.
My question got asked!!
In response to a question from another user about the use of Apple’s SharePlay feature, where you can share an experience together with other Apple users via their Personas: James would love to add this feature, if he can. Yes, he would love to make Explore POV more of a multiplayer experience, if possible. He talks about people sequentially experiencing the same VR video in Explore POV, and thereby “sharing” the experience with others (e.g. a father and his daughter, if I remember correctly).
James: for people who can’t physically travel due to disability or for soke other reason, the technology is unlocking experiences that they might never experience otherwise. He thinks that it’s an amazing position to be in where we can give some of these people a taste of visiting remote places, with impacts in not just healthcare but also conservation, education, etc.
Hala: the academic research process is slow due to recruitment bottlenecks, but she estimates 2 years for the duration of the study (before results are published). he notes that most of the time, the people who most need the nature exposure do not have the opportunity to access it (for example they cannot afford an Apple Vision Pro).
(Unfortunately, Hala crashed out of the stream soon her comments, and the other two speakers wrapped it up!)
Conservation, education and healthcare are the three areas of what James wants to focus on with Explore Immersive. In addition to working with Hala on her research study, he’s also working on conservation and education applications as well. He hopes to start new partnerships in these three key areas, and wants to make Explore POV more than “just a travel app.”
Here’s the 53-minute YouTube video, in case you missed the livestream (unfortunately, you do have to actually go over and watch it on YouTube, as I am not allowed to embed it into my blogpost). Sorry! I do very strongly urge you to go over and watch it, though; it was amazing and inspiring.
No, I will no longer be writing about Second Life, although yes, I still will be playing it.
Well, as long-time readers of my blog know by now, I am absolutely terrible at sticking to any promises I make about my blog content. Right? Right??!?
My four-week Heated Rivalry-inspired endorphin high ended when I got into a car accident last weekend (ironically, on my birthday). Both vehicles involved were damaged. I was badly shaken up, and the accident triggered some body aches, and, of course, aggravated my already-existing neck and shoulder pain. It was my first car accident in almost twenty years, and I feel like such an idiot. Now I have to fit in visits to my insurance agent, my car dealership, and a bodyshop in between visits to the physiotherapist, massage therapist, and doctors. I have been exhausted, and I have been taking some sick days to rest, relax, and recuperate. Frankly, I’ve been a bit of a mess these past few days.
To get my mind off my current troubles, and to avoid a depressive spiral, I have been doing a deep dive into the Heated Rivalry fan fiction community over at Archive Of Our Own, as well as popping in to check the latest fan art, memes, and fan fiction recommendations on both Reddit and Tumblr. And so it was, that I decided to take two of my minor male alts (i.e. alternative, non-main avatars) and transform them, as best I could, into the gay hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov of the hit Crave television series Heated Rivalry, based on the Game Changers series of novels by Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid. (Some people who are artists can draw fan art; I instead choose to use my 18+ years of Second Life avatar creation and styling know-how to create models for my own form of fan art.)
I posted the results in several successive Primfeed posts (which most people probably don’t have access to, since you need a Second Life account to access the posts, as I have my account set to private), as well as to Tumblr, where they have been favourably received (you have to agree to view potentially mature content to see my pictures, even though there’s no nudity or sex, and you might have to actually sign up to Tumblr to see this, I don’t know; all the pictures are reposted below, anyway).
So, I decided this evening to finally share some pictures of my works-in-progress, as well as include detailed styling notes for both my Shane and Ilya avatars. First some pictures (please click on each one to see it in a larger size):
Ilya Rozanov Styling Credits:
Head, Eyes, and Hairbase: LeLutka Kris head (a freebie from a previous LeLutka December event)
Head Skin: Varka by Gloom (Velour Ivory skin tone; this was a previous weekend sale item Dreamer Pixelmaid told me about)
Eyebrows: Nuve Charlie eyebrows (EvoX, light brown tintable; free group gift; the Nuve group costs L$350 to join, but you get dozens of EvoX eyebrow fatpacks!)
Facial Moles: Ellie beauty marks and moles for EvoX from Guapa (not a perfect match, but close enough for now)
Neck Moles: Izzie’s neck moles (medium)
Hair: WingsDG ER0714 brown pack (this was probably the hardest thing to find; I tested out a lot of hair at a LOT of different places before deciding this one came closest to Ilya’s shaggy, curly hair!)
Body: Meshbody Legacy Special Edition Basic (free, from the Avatar Welcome Pack)
Body Skin: Velour Picasso Homme fit figure in Ivory skin tone (along with chest, leg, and happy trail body hair and body moles included in the package).
Toenails: Purec Nature Nails Male (free group gift; group is free to join)
Shape: My own, starting from the included body and eyebrow shapes included in the Varka skin package, and playing with the face, head, and body sliders to match up with internet pictures of Ilya Rozanov/Connor Storrie (still a work-in-progress, although I am very happy with this result).
Animation Overide: Tuty’s sLIFE Free Male AO (free)
Plaid Jacket: Rowers Beck Jacket #1 Legacy/Athletic (got this for free with a Rowers store credit from a previous Shop and Hop event)
Shorts: Hardcore (HD003ST) Men’s Slim Fit Shorts black (I bought this for free using free Hardcore store credit from a previous Shop and Hop event)
Head: LeLutka Eon Lite head (free, from the Avatar Welcome Pack)
Head Skin: Nick skin from Alexandrite (Velour Moon skin tone; this was also a weekend special deal that Dreamer Pixelmaid told me about)
Eyebrows: Nuve Dylan eyebrows (EvoX, black; free group gift; the Nuve group costs L$350 to join, as I said above, but you get dozens of EvoX eyebrow fatpacks!)
Eyes: Florest eyes from Alexandrite
Freckles: Voglia Freckless at 25% (a gift from a previous shopping event, which will do for now until I find the perfect Shane freckles!)
Hairbase: Dura black hairbase BoM EvoX (F1-01; free group gift)
Hair: Jack hairstyle by ADE (free group gift; group is free to join)
Body: Meshbody Legacy Special Edition Basic (free, from the Avatar Welcome Pack)
Body Skin: Velour Eros Lite for Legacy (Moon skin tone; this was a freebie from Velour from the very first LeLutka December event, six years ago)
Shape: My own, starting from the included Nick body and eyebrow shapes, and playing around with the face, head, and body sliders to match up with internet pictures of Shane Hollander/Hudson Williams (still a work-in-progress).
Animation Overide: Tuty’s sLIFE Free Male AO (free)
Plaid Jacket: Hardcore (HD008JK) Men’s Jacket with Hoodie R/B (I bought this for free using free Hardcore store credit froma previous Shop and Hop event)
Shorts: Arcback Shorts Blue – Legacy Basic (free; I believe I picked these up at the new Avatar Shopping Island here).
Bed with built-in cuddle poses and animations: Dutchie’s gay sex bed (I had Shane and Ilya test out the in-store model to take the cuddle poses, but I’m pretty sure I am going to go back and actually buy this, because the animations are marvelous! UPDATE Feb. 1st, 2026: Yep, I bought it!)
All other pictures taken on my super-secret desert island where I can rezz objects like pose stands for a short period of time before they are automatically returned. And, no, I am not telling you where it is! One new place I can recommend is The Fitting Room (I wrote about it on Primfeed here, but my Primfeed is set to private, so you’ll need to set up a Primfeed account to be able to read that post).
The Fitting Room offers private change rooms and photo studios.
UPDATE Jan. 30th, 2026: Okay, I finally found a good, large, front-facing picture of Shane Hollander from the internet (thanks again to Dreamer Pixelmaid!), and I spent some more time fiddling with the head and face sliders to make my Shane Hollander avatar look a little bit more like Shane Hollander/Hudson Williams. Here’s what he looks like today:
I’ve still gotta work a bit on the head shape (or perhaps, use a different head than the LeLutka Eon one). However, this is (as a drugged-up Shane Hollander in the famous hospital scene from episode 5 of the TV show would say), BET-TER. 👍😉
Also, based on a helpful suggestion from Graeme Strange on Primfeed, I found a modify/copy/no-transfer gay cuddles/sex mat, which can be made invisible, and therefore can be incorporated with any Second Life bed! While I still like the Dutchie’s bed I mentioned above, and I am probably gonna go back and buy it, the Devinz mat cost only L$1,499 and was therefore an instant buy for me. Thank you, Graeme!
I couldn’t find it on their SL Marketplace store, but here’s the vendor at the Devinz Designz PG & Adult Furniture Store (exact SLURL), plus a few poses of Shane and Ilya cuddling that I took yesterday evening using their gay sex mat (click on each picture to see it in a bigger size):
UPDATE Feb. 1st, 2026: Okay, I bought some more hockey equipment for Shane and Ilya. First, some more pictures (please click on each one to see it in a bigger size):
I already talked about the hockey T-shirts above in my avatar styling credits, but here’s what I added:
The hockey pants from Meva (which only come in a Gianni size) fit my avatar’s Legacy Basic body fairly well, with a few alphas required in the hips. upper leg and knee area. These come in a very complete fatpack to change the texture of multiple parts of the pants and knee guards, and are L$495 here: exact SLURL (the Meva store has a central spawn point, so use the Show on Map feature and follow the red arrow/beam to the menswear section).
The only decent black hockey ice skates I could find were part of a hockey gacha from Sese PA, which I bought for L$120 from a reseller here on the SL Marketplace: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/11-Sese-PA-Winter-Hockey-Skates-black/26694430 (again, I needed a foot/ankle alpha and a toenail alpha for the Legacy Basic body used here).
To cover the bare skin between the skates and the kneepads, I just created a new underwear layer, using a wool fabric texture, adjusting the waist and length, and tinting it dark grey.
