Here can be represented as tiny, pixelated, two-dimensional characters on a app called Gather, which combines the nostalgia of retro video games with the face-to-face of video chat.
Since the pandemic has squashed plans for face-to-face socializing, the Krishnapriyans are among the many people taking celebrations, classes, office work, and academic conferences to the internet to help them feel virtually connected while they're physically far apart.
But while Zoom (ZM) has stood out for months as a popular video chat platform, with millions of meetings conducted on it each day, it's not right for every person or gathering. It lacks the spontaneity of walking up to someone at a party for a chat, for one, and it's tricky to use with a big group of people, for another. And, for the most part, there isn't a lot that differentiates the Zoom experience from that on Cisco's Webex, Facebook's Messenger Rooms, Google Meet and other video-chat apps.
For something a bit playful and flexible, a growing number of people, companies, and universities are turning to Gather, which rolled out in the spring with a retro aesthetic and simple navigation (you move your avatar around by using the up, down, left, and right arrows on your keyboard).
For something a bit playful and flexible, a growing number of people, companies, and universities are turning to Gather, which rolled out in the spring with a retro aesthetic and simple navigation (you move your avatar around by using the up, down, left, and right arrows on your keyboard).
Anyone can use it for free with up to 25 friends, with ready-made spaces that look like a plan view of a castle, New York's Times Square, the moon, or a space you can customize to resemble, say, your home or a faraway beach. There's also a paid version, which allows more users and adds features like more reliable service. Though the company didn't provide specific user figures, it seems to be on the small side: CEO and cofounder Phillip Wang said a few thousand people are joining its online spaces each day, most of them using the free version.
Gather is also being used on a regular basis by professors for teaching classes and holding office hours, and by some companies as well. Chris Neilson, an economics professor at Princeton University and founder and CEO of ConsiliumBots, created a detailed office for his education-technology company on the platform, complete with desks for each worker, a break room, and a tiny digital replica of a painting that hangs in his real-life office. To ensure reliable connectivity to Gather (and add some extra features, which include whiteboards), ConsiliumBots has a paid subscription to the service that costs about $7 per person each month.
Prior to Covid-19, ConsiliumBots employees were spread out in offices across the globe. Since August, however, they've been working remotely from home but together virtually on Gather, Neilson said.
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