VRChat Creator Guidelines — VRChat (original) (raw)

From worlds and avatars, to groups, events, and even derivative content like videos for YouTube or TikTok, or streaming on Twitch — you’ve got a lot of choices if you want to make stuff in VRChat!

When creating content for or with VRChat, please follow these guidelines. The Community Guidelines also apply to content.

FYI, the word “content” means anything you can: upload, load, put into, put on, display in, make with, and/or make within VRChat. This list is not exhaustive!

General Content Guidelines

• Sexist, racist, hateful, harassing, or discriminatory language, behavior, iconography, groups, or content is never permitted in VRChat. We do not tolerate intolerance.
  • “Role-play” or “historical significance” is not an excuse.
• Content should not be built or used to disrupt any experience or usage of VRChat.
  • For example, “crashers” are content built to crash someone’s VRChat program and are never allowed.
  • This includes full-screen shaders, full-world audio, excessively large character models, visually disruptive animations, etc
  • Exceptions to this category may be made if all users present consent, like for a show or performance.
• Public content should never include controversial topics, sensitive, intimate, or provocative material, or extreme horror or “shock” content.
  • This content may be permissible in private instances as long as everyone present consents and has been informed explicitly beforehand.
• Content must never include real media depicting gore, excessive violence, or animal harm, especially with the intention to harass or shock others.
• Content cannot obfuscate VRChat systems or misrepresent itself as VRChat systems in a manner meant to disrupt normal usage of VRChat.
• You are responsible for your own content and any content you link to like images, video, audio, avatar pedestals, world portals, URLs, etc.

Worlds

• Worlds containing “inflammatory” content may not be published to Community Labs or Public status.
  • This means things like controversial topics, sensitive, intimate, or provocative content, or extreme horror or “shock” content.
• Worlds may implement their own moderation systems via our Udon Scripting system, but they must abide by the following guidelines:
  • You must tell everyone that enters your world that you have rules, and that you will take moderation action if they break them.
    * You must list your rules at or near the entrance of your world, or have them otherwise easily accessible and visible.
  • You must tell everyone that is moderated by your system what moderation actions have been applied and why.
  • You may:
    * Apply a moderation to a user that is misbehaving in that given instance
    * Teleport the user into a separate area
    * Prevent the user from interacting with world systems or sending voice
    * Use an “allow list” to enable certain features in your world
  • You may not:
    * Forcibly change the user's avatar
    * Intentionally crash the user or disrupt their usage of basic VRChat systems
    * Prevent the user from leaving the instance
    * Preemptively moderate users by using a static or dynamic “block list” or similar systems

Avatars

• Avatars containing inflammatory content may not be set to the Public status. This includes controversial topics, sensitive, intimate, or provocative content, or extreme horror or “shock” content.
  • Public avatars should be similar to what you'd see at a big event, a parade, a shopping center, or a family-friendly beach.
  • Private avatars may contain some of this content (controversial, sensitive, intimate, provocative, extreme horror) but they cannot be used in public spaces. See the Community Guidelines section on instance types for more information.

Content Warnings

VRChat, as of version 2023.3.3, contains a system called “Content Warnings”. This system allows you to label worlds and avatars with one or more “content warning” labels.

You must label your content appropriately, if needed. These labels can be applied either via the VRChat SDK, or via the VRChat Home website.

These content warning labels will be used to allow users to filter content from their view. Users can select each label individually to turn on or off. Users who indicate they are under 18 have all filter labels enabled and cannot turn them off.

The presence of these content warnings does not permit you to upload content that otherwise violates the Creator Guidelines or Terms of Service. They simply act as a way for you to indicate that this content might be something someone would want to filter.

If you are unsure if your content crosses the line or not, label it.

Content Warning Labels

Sexually suggestive - Avatars or worlds that display, imply, or promote sexually provocative poses, clothing, or activities. This includes but is not limited to overly revealing attire, sexually suggestive or provocative animations, or sexually-themed environments and avatars.

Content labeled “sexually suggestive” might be an avatar wearing revealing lingerie or an adult-themed dance club.

Adult language and themes - Avatars or worlds that include or promote mature subject matter such as drug use, gambling, or dark humor. This label focuses on explicit content that isn’t necessarily sexual, but is still “adult”.

Content labeled as “adult language and themes” might include avatars with very explicit language on their clothing or worlds that simulate drug usage.

Remember, hateful and harmful content is never permitted in VRChat, so if it crosses that line, you shouldn’t be uploading it in the first place.

Graphic violence - Avatars or worlds that depict or encourage acts of violence in a detailed, realistic manner. This includes but is not limited to depictions of physical harm, depictions of self-harm, realistic weapons with violent animations, and other related content.

This label is not meant for “cartoon”-style violence but indicates that the content has some level of realism.

Content labeled as "graphic violence" could be an avatar wielding a hyper-realistic gun with violent shooting animations or a world that simulates a battlefield with lifelike harm.

Excessive gore - Avatars or worlds that contain overly graphic or vivid depictions of blood, guts, or bodily dismemberment. This can include animations, textures, or scenes that aim to shock or disgust.

Content labeled as "excessive gore" might feature an avatar with overly graphic, realistic injuries or a world that depicts a gruesome, realistic crime scene.

Extreme horror - Avatars or worlds designed to instill intense fear, anxiety, or distress. This could include deeply unsettling themes or disturbing imagery beyond conventional and well-known horror aesthetics.

This label isn’t meant for the common types of “jumpscare” horror or “spooky” worlds, it’s a few levels above that.

Content labeled as "extreme horror" could include avatars with grotesque features meant to disturb, or worlds meant to horrify or shock visitors.

Groups

Creating a Group in VRChat allows you to create your own spaces, including instances! You are allowed to (and encouraged!) to moderate these spaces by establishing and enforcing rules and guidelines for your community. We provide you with several tools to help you with this, including warns, kicks, and bans.

Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when running your Group. Most of these guidelines apply to “Free to Join” groups, but some apply to all Group types.

• Group moderators and administrators should uphold VRChat’s Community and Content guidelines in addition to their own by setting rules, norms, and expectations that encourage positive engagement. Actively strive to promote a positive community!
• Set appropriate and reasonable expectations and rules. People that join your Group should know exactly what they’re getting into, and shouldn’t be surprised when they join your Group.
  • Be transparent about what your Group is, and what your rules are. Provide clear and concise descriptions of your Group and what it’s for.
  • Create rules that outline your expectations for your Group members.
  • Explicitly mark your Group as “unofficial” if your Group concerns a brand or company, but your Group isn’t officially affiliated with them.
• Be active and engaged in your Group! People will join your Group with the expectation that they will be able to engage with you and other members of your Group in some way.
• Group content should be “safe for work”. Group content (like names, banners, icons, descriptions, and anything else we add later on) should be “safe for work” and should not contain any inflammatory or suggestive content.

Video and Image Content

Lots of content creators make video and image content using VRChat. That’s great! In fact, we have a special section regarding making content using VRChat and monetizing it on various platforms. (Short version is: go for it! But read up on it anyway.)

We have a few additional guidelines we’d like to add to make sure creating content in VRChat works for both of us.

• Respect the content rules and guidelines of the platform you’re posting or streaming to. It is your responsibility to know what these are.
  • If you break a platform’s rules, we may moderate you too.
  • You must always follow our rules. Our rules supersede platform rules.
• Be mindful of where you are recording. People may not want to be on camera.
  • Disclosing that you are streaming or recording may invite harassment from a variety of jerks. Use your best judgement, and employ “Streamer Mode” to provide a bit of protection.
• Do not use VRChat to create pornographic content.
  • This includes both public and freely available content as well as content that is paid, behind a paywall, or behind some sort of permission or “lock” (includes but not limited to: subscriptions, donations, channel roles, extra content, etc)
• Images uploaded to VRChat with the application should be “safe for work”. This includes gallery images, user icons, custom emoji, and anything else we add later on. It should not contain any inflammatory or suggestive content.

API Usage / Bots

VRChat does not document its API for public usage. Endpoints may be added or removed, change format, or change locations with no warning or notification.

However, our community has created unofficial documentation of our API. While that project is not officially sanctioned, the project tends to be accurate and respectful of our rules. We communicate with that team when appropriate, and try our best to inform them of breaking changes. As such, we find it a good source of information for interacting with our API. Any usage of this linked unofficial documentation is done so at your own risk.

You may interact with our API or write applications to interact with our API as long as you follow some general guidelines.

• Don’t be malicious. If you’re doing something disruptive, we will moderate you and all users of your application.
• Do not create or use software, scripts, or applications that upload content such as worlds, avatars, or other similar asset types on a user's behalf, whether server-hosted or client-run.
• Do not request log-in information from users in any situation.
  • You should never ask for or store someone's VRChat credentials. This includes usernames, passwords, login or auth tokens, and/or session data.
  • Since we do not offer oAuth at this time, we know this offers some serious challenges in developing certain applications. Regardless, please do your best to respect this guideline in order to keep users safe.
• Do not submit repeated, unmetered requests.
  • Cache data when appropriate, especially for data that doesn’t change often.
  • Handle standard HTTP error codes appropriately. If you get a 429, do not keep knocking, or the door will knock back.
  • Rate limit and implement some type of back-off for handling errors.
  • Do not schedule regular API calls (polling, etc) based on fixed clock intervals (top of every minute, etc). If your tool becomes popular, this will cause synchronized spikes of traffic. Add a random offset or use the tool start time as your zero-time instead.
• Applications must identify themselves properly using the User-Agent request header. Failing to identify yourself clearly or identifying yourself improperly will result in moderation action.
  • Use this format: applicationName/Version contactInfo
    * For example: VRCAPIApp/1.5.1 contact@example.com
• Do not act on behalf of another user. If a user account is interacting with our API, we assume that the interaction comes from the user’s device and IP. Breaking that assumption will prompt moderation actions.
• We do not offer support for using the API with non-official applications. Please do not contact our Support team with questions regarding our API!

NFTs, Crypto, and Blockchain-based Technology

Please see this blog post for more information on our policy regarding the group of technology generally referred to as NFTs, Crypto, or Blockchain.

• We do not have any current or future plans for an official blockchain or NFT integration in VRChat. Please be wary of any claims to the contrary.
• If users decide to purchase an NFT for an asset on another platform (such as a 3D model or image file), they are allowed to utilize the asset in VRChat as they would any other asset, as long as that asset is used in a way that does not violate our Terms of Use.
• We do not permit the promotion, advertising, integration, or solicitation of unauthorized products or services like NFT or blockchain technology in VRChat.