Community:Furry culture in VRChat

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Furry Culture in VRChat

Furry culture is prevalent in the VRChat community. Furry avatars, or furries, are defined as animals or animal-like creatures with anthropomorphic (human-like) or humanoid traits such as speech, intelligence, and/or bipedal body structure. In addition to avatars, the term 'furry' is also used to refer to people who may identify with said avatars, in some way.

Overview

The "PawPhi" logo, sometimes used to represent the furry fandom, as a whole.

The furry fandom is inspired by several types of media involving anthropomorphic animals from around the world, such as written works, video games, and animation mediums such as Japanese animation (anime). People often find themselves joining the furry community through shared interest in these characters from overlapping media.

A unique characteristic within furry subculture, is the creation and identification of original characters and avatars that may represent their creator, or likeness. These characters are typically referred to as a fursona (a portmanteau of furry and persona, often shortened to simply 'sona).

However, not all furry characters are used as a personal fursona; some may simply be characters designed for original fictional works of their own right. They can each have potentially different personality traits or interests, depending on their purpose.

Furries may own a wearable full-body, or partial-body cosplay of their fursona made for them to wear in person, also known as a fursuit.

While fursuits pre-date VRChat, they are still a notable way to express a fursona, or their likeness at a convention or meetup. Acting out one's character, or dancing in fursuit is identical to performing in costume, much like live theatre.

Furries are more likely to identify with LGBT, non-binary or genderqueer identities, or express their fursona with similar orientations.

A fraction of the community, who refer to themselves as therians or otherkin among furries, may spiritually identify closer as non-human, choosing to instead identify as their desired species.

History

In human history

Anthropomorphism has been recorded in human expression for thousands of years. One of the earliest examples for this, is the pre-historic Lion-man figurine, created about 40,000 years ago. Cave paintings throughout time, display interaction between animals and humans. Mythological Egyptian and Greek gods, goddesses and creatures, such as Anubis, Ra, Proteus, or the Minotaur are fables involving human-like bipedal creatures from ancient times, passed down for generations.

Early furry fandom

Modern art and literature containing anthropomorphic animals have been expressed by humans over the past few centuries, however, the biggest influences for the early furry fandom are 20th century science fiction, and animation. Notable examples of this are Kimba The White Lion, Albedo's Anthropomorphics, and Disney movies such as Robin Hood (1977), and Pete's Dragon.

The late Mark Merlino (a.k.a. "Sylys Sable"), attending Furality 2000 in VRChat.

People in the early furry fandom had an overlapping interest with science fiction, and Japanese animation. Niche parties were held at science fiction conventions in the late 1970s, which eventually led to the creation of the "Cartoon/Fantasy Organization" in 1977 by the late Mark Merlino and Fred Patten.

Conventions

By 1988, the first organized furry convention was held in California, USA as "Confurence" Zero. Furry conventions are in-person congregations of furries, and furry fans to meet friends, cosplay, host and attend panels, and exchange art and merchandise with vendors. Most furry conventions sponsor a charity, and host community-run events and panels throughout the duration of a convention.

Throughout the 1990s, and continuing beyond today, more furry conventions began to organize. Many conventions are held yearly, with notable mentions being venues such as Anthrocon, Midwest FurFest, Megaplex, and Further Confusion in the United States; Eurofurence, and NordicFuzzCon in Europe; Japan Meeting of Furries (JMOF), Kemoket, and Infurnity in Asia.

Furries at Furality Online Xperience, in 2020.

Many of these conventions temporarily held online iterations of their venues within VRChat, as an alternative way to attend the convention, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan Meeting of Furries was the first organization to hold a furry convention in VRChat. During the pandemic, a brand new convention dubbed Furality Online Xperience (F.O.X.) would be hosted natively in VRChat, without any previous in-person venues. Furality would eventually become a partnered event with VRChat, Inc.

Online

Furries have communicated online via primitive bulletin board systems (BBS) forums in the 1970s and 1980s; boards such as FurNet which echoed FidoNet protocol, created one of the first dedicated online communities for furries.

In the 1990s, online servers, such as text-based FurryMUCK began in 1990 as a roleplay community for furries. Video games such as Furcadia, a graphical MUD, was launched in 1996. There were also newsgroups and Usenet message boards that began in this decade, like alt.fan.furry and alt.lifestyle.furry.

Second Life is a online virtual world that pre-dates VRChat, and was used (and is still used) by members of the furry fandom. Like VRChat, furries are able to create and share avatars in 3D, but with Second Life's engine, and multiple limitations.

In VRChat

Artists and creators of the furry community have been using the VRChat SDK to create and sell furry avatar base models, as well as customize and upload fursona avatars. These are typically distributed on online stores such as Gumroad, and BOOTH, where these creators are able to distribute their work directly to users.

Furry avatars typically come bundled with source files, in the form of Unity packages, necessary to customize the avatar, including the 3D model(s), textures, and/or prefabs or scenes. They provide a way for furries to create and express a virtual representation of their characters more easily. These packages sometimes simplify the process to only make it so it's only necessary to log into the VRChat SDK, and click 'upload' once the scene is loaded, to have a functioning avatar.

Furries and VRChat

VRChat allows for a way for furries to virtually identify, or roleplay with their fursona through avatars, and uploading custom creations, using the VRChat SDK. The platform provides users with several anthropomorphic and kemonomimi avatars, featured in the public avatar row, as well as community created furry avatars.

Featured "furry" public avatars

Public Avatar row

Avatar Name	Author name	Link
A-Cat	Asio_JPN	A-Cat
Alex	WalGesicht	Alex
Atena	GabSith	Atena
Bestboi Chibi	Bestbois	Bestboi Chibi Public
ccoogoo	シーレ／crepix	ccoogoo
[Protogen]Kuro	Furriest	[Protogen]Kuro
Cube Kitty	SylviaCrisp	Cube Kitty
Cyberwolf	Gambit	Cyberwolf
Darcy	Jorror	Darcy
Finny	Olivian	Finny
Freakhound	Ghost Cabbit	Freakhound
Little Griffin	Estefanoida	Little Griffin
Lunar Lizzy	it's moe	Lunar Lizzy
Meownyrn Catbot Public	FrostKittyPaw	Meownyrn Catbot Public
Mururu	kuroneko_tsuki	Mururu
Pupbot	Widget365	Pupbot
Rex the Raptor	Zab	Rex the Raptor
Robocoon	ぶろ⁄blo	Robocoon
Robodog	Bob_irl	Robodog
sania3․0	alt_tamaki	sania3․0
Simple Fox*	cellomonster	GitHub link
Space Kitty	MonAmiral	Space Kitty
Teenage Boomer The Dino	Dangleberry	Teenage Boomer The Dino
The Awtter VRChat	Shade the Bat	The Awtter
The Professional	Bāph	The Professional
Tigerbee	Tokyozilla	Tigerbee
Xperiment	speedbuiz	Xperiment
VRCat Animatronic	Slorg	VRCat Animatronic

* This avatar was once on the Public avatars row, but was removed by the author.

VRChat's animal mascots

VRChat's feline mascot, VRCat.

VRChat has a cat mascot, named VRCat. Later, created a rat mascot, named VRRat. While these mascots are more animal-like, they are shown to speak. VRCat also has an animatronic form that is bipedal.

Furry conventions and events

There are several furry-themed groups and worlds in VRChat. Some groups may host events, and instances for users to congregate. With in-person furry conventions coming to a halt in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, VRChat's furry userbase increased. Virtual conventions were held on VRChat, to continue the tradition while venues were closed. Furality Online Xperience became wildly popular, and became partnered with VRChat, considering it to be one of the largest annual furry events in the community.

List of furry conventions in VRChat

Name	Dates
Virtual Anthrocon/AnthrocOnline	July 3-5, 2020; July 2-4, 2021
AnthroExpo	April 10-11, 2021
Anthro Northwest	Multiple; first iteration December 26, 2020
Blue Ridge Furfare	Multiple; first iteration March 12-14, 2021
Confuror	Multiple; first iteration Oct. 9-11, 2020
CozyCon	Multiple; first iteration Sept. 2020
Furcation	November 6-8, 2020
Furpocalypse	Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2020
Further Confusion	January 15-18, 2021
Fur Squared	February 26-28, 2021
Furnal Equinox	Multiple; first iteration March 19-21, 2021
Furality Online Xperience	Multiple; first iteration May 22-24, 2020
Furrydelphia Virtualcon	August 14-16, 2020
Furry Migration Online	Dec. 31, 2020-Jan. 1, 2021
Furry Weekend At-Home	May 7-8, 2021
FVRUM	December 18, 2021
Hex Furryfest	Multiple; first iteration July 17-19, 2020
IndyFurCon Live!	August 28-30, 2020
Infurnity Online	Multiple; first iteration October 29-31, 2020
Japan Meeting of Furries	Multiple; first iteration Oct. 2019
Little Island Furcon	Multiple; first iteration November 13, 2021
Megaplex Online	August 21-23, 2020
OwOmaCon	October 24-25, 2020
Texas Furry Fiesta	March 26-28, 2021
The Energetic Convention (T.E.C.)	Multiple; first iteration Oct. 25-31, 2020
Vancoufur - EvfurQuest Online	Multiple; first iteration March 6-8, 2021
VirtualFurence	August 21-23, 2020

Furries, VRChat, and the media

There have been instances of furries in VRChat being covered by various media outlets:

• Four Seasons Total Landscaping becomes a VRChat hangout for furries on The Verge, published on November 9, 2020.
• How furries are making virtual reality actually worth visiting on INPUT Magazine, published on July 27, 2021.
• While Meta struggles with legs, VRChat gets finger tracking good enough for sign language on GamesRadar, published on October 31, 2022.
• Virtual reality levels up dating apps on Proto Life, published on February 16, 2023.
• Furality's 8th gathering brings together 21,000 furs to VRChat event raising $42,269 for charity on Flayrah, published on July 12, 2024.

See also

• Community:Culture
• Community:LGBT culture in VRChat
• Avatars