‘Virtual Virtual Reality’ on Google Daydream Plays on Popular Anxieties of the Near Future

It’s the joke everyone in the VR space has made at least once: ‘virtual virtual reality—how meta!’ But developer Tender Claws has taken the idea and applied it to a new Daydream experience which explores common themes of “VR, AI and our collective sci-fi hallucinations.”

“In the near future, most jobs have been automated. What is the purpose of humanity? Activitude, the Virtual Labor System, is here to help. Your artisanal human companionship is still highly sought by our A.I. clients. Strap on your headset. Find your calling.”

In the game you’ll find yourself diving into varying levels of VR by putting on virtual reality headsets while inside of other virtual reality headsets. At some point you may find yourself stepping out into the ‘real’ world, which the trailer (heading this article) reveals is a stark shift from the happy-go-lucky virtual realities.

There’s more than 50 virtual virtual realities to find, and the developer says there’s more than two hours of gameplay for the $9 price tag. The game makes use of the Daydream controller for various interactions and for locomotion.

“Virtual Virtual Reality directly responds to contemporary issues and debates around how the advancement of A.I. and VR are shaping our society and the way we work: gig economy, virtual labor, outsourcing. The game playfully winks at the lines between simulation/real, prefab/free will and human/artificial,” says developer Tender Claws.

Virtual Virtual Reality has debuted to impressive acclaim among users who have played the game since its launch earlier this month, netting the experience a 4.8 out of 5 stars on the Play Store.

Tender Claws says they are “a collective/studio operating at the intersection of art, games and tech.” The studio is responsible for the iOS app Pry which was selected as one of Apple’s 25 ‘Best Apps of 2015’.