Reaching Gen Z on Virtual Reality (VR) Chat
Screen Name: Coco-the-floof
Screen Name: JackUltraMotive
Did you know 70% of Gen Z hang out in game worlds (called The Metaverse) without playing the main game? This is true all over the world. It is a place to socialize and create community internationally with people in an anonymous way.
Holly’s team (Evangelism Initiatives) were together in Orlando and went on their computers to “meet” people through VR Chat. These two pictures are of people we met.
As we got to talk to Coco-the-floof he said that he wished the world would slow down. When we bridged into spiritual things, he said that he identifies as gay, but his family is Christian. He said he lost his faith when he wrestled with identifying as gay. He believes there is no afterlife. When we asked him how he came to that conclusion, he said, “It’s just what I believe.” He said his favorite song was “Take Me Back to Eden.” It shows how he longs for a paradise where the broken are made whole. When we asked if there was something we could pray for him about, he said, “Wow. I haven’t thought about prayer in years.” It broke our hearts to hear how he was truly a wanderer.
JackUltraMotive admitted, “I don’t like going to church, too many funerals.” When asked if he believed there was a purpose in life, he said he hadn’t found it yet. We asked what encouraged him, and he said, “VR Chat and gaming with the boys.”
In the VR universe, there are actually churches where people can be invited to attend and hear a sermon at a certain time. We can take people through portals to places where we can share the gospel. This is what happened with a guy named Lonnie, who attended a university in Wisconsin. He had too much social anxiety to be with people in real life, but he was willing to hear the gospel on VR chat. Then he went to a virtual church, where he started reading the Bible and identified as a Christian. He learned there was a Cru movement on his campus and finally got the courage to go. He made friends in real life and continues to grow in his faith.
Please pray for wisdom as our team tries to determine how to best engage with these students online. This is where they feel safe to share and be vulnerable, so we need to figure out how to be there and engage with them!
Thank you for praying for us and partnering with us as we engage this next generation with the gospel!
