Black Rock City in Virtual Reality? Heck Yes! A (Re)Introduction to BurnerSphere

Remember back in 2020 when Burning Man Project collaborated with digital creators to build multiple digital worlds? These virtual worlds became a veritable smorgasbord of Burner shenanigans during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Black Rock City and Burning Man experiences around the globe hit pause and Burners were looking for safe ways to gather and create together. When the world opened up again, many of these virtual Burning Man adventures quietly closed their doors. Burn2 kept the magic alive in Second Life. And BRCvr continued adding 3D art and hosting fabulous parties on the AltspaceVR platform. Then in March 2023, AltspaceVR was sunsetted.

Up until they lost their platform, BRCvr was a thriving virtual playa where Burners gathered to meet far-flung friends and share immersive, participatory adventures. Rather than call it quits, BRCvr founders Athena Demos and Doug Jacobson seized this opportunity to build an even more lifelike Black Rock City experience — to bring people together and to tell the story of a global community of communities.

Over the past three Black Rock City events, Athena and Doug have been gathering footage (with consent & permission, and in collaboration with Burning Man Project) that will revolutionize their next immersive Burning Man social VR experience — now called BRCvr presents BurnerSphere. 

As we’ve learned from supporting the global, year-round Burning Man community, people gather in all sorts of ways. It is clear that Athena and Doug’s vision for the platform will be a wonder-filled and authentic way for people to convene and be inspired. We sat down with them to learn about the past, present and future of their exciting new project.

Kirsten: Before BurnerSphere, you created BRCvr. What’s the story behind how BRCvr came to be?

Athena: We created BRCvr, an official virtual Burning Man experience, out of a desire to get the community together during a time when Black Rock City and official Burning Man Regional Events were on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

So in 2020 and 2021, we built a network of immersive virtual worlds on a social VR platform that made it possible for people to gather in social spaces and then visit different Burning Man inspired worlds to feel a sense of presence and connection to the larger community. BRCvr was housed on Microsoft’s AltspaceVR platform. 

Doug: You could put on a VR headset, or use it in 2D on your mac or PC, then walk around as an avatar and meet your friends, then check out Burning Man art and interactive experiences, listen to artist talks and DJs, and hang out. The magic was the people. It was the community. And it was 100% immersive, much like Black Rock City. You’re there, you’re talking to people, you’re connecting with people. It had that magic soup. You start having these experiences where your friends are running off to something and you’re like: “Wait up, hold on, we’re going this way!” Artists created a lot of art that was from playa and some that could never exist in the physical world. With the sights and sounds as well as the ability to look around in 3D, it took you to that immediate moment.

What motivated the transition from AltspaceVR to creating BurnerSphere?

Doug: We ran BRCvr continuously until March of 2023. Then AltspaceVR — the platform on which BRCvr was built — was sunsetted. It left the BRCvr digital Burner community without a home. We must have looked at 30 different platforms. We really did try to find a new home, and nothing met our storytelling needs or the needs of the community. We felt like the rug was pulled out from beneath us when AltspaceVR was gone. As we looked at other platforms, we began to ask: what’s preventing these from also disappearing? Ultimately we decided to create our own platform, a safe place for the community, and be in control of our destiny. 

How does BurnerSphere capture the essence and spirit of the real Burning Man event?

Doug: Once the dust settled on us, and there was no more Altspace, we asked ourselves, “How can we take this and make it better?” We decided we wanted to add lots of live recorded footage, live video and photogrammetry scanned art. So we took many photos of the art and created 3D models of playa art. Since 2022 we’ve been shooting an immersive documentary of Black Rock City in 3D that tells the story of the community of communities.

Then we started creating experiences — for example, you could be standing on a Mutant Vehicle (digital) and driving around Burning Man (physical video)… and you’re really driving around within a real video of Burning Man. We tried to find as many ways as possible to put real video into the digital worlds. We also recorded 3D sound. It got a little crazy… we even captured the smell of Burning Man (though the technology isn’t ready to create VR smell… yet).

How will people be able to access BurnerSphere?

Doug: Currently BurnerSphere is a Unity-based app designed for the Quest. We’re starting off with the Meta Quest because it is the easiest and most immersive to develop for. Eventually it’ll be on the Apple Vision Pro and available on desktop computers, in 2D on your Mac or PC like BRCvr was; that’s how a lot of people will experience it. 

Athena: We’re trying to keep it as simple as possible. A lot of thought went into how much energy it takes to onboard people into their first VR experience. We’re trying to make the user experience of setting up your account, getting on the platform, and building your avatar as fun as possible. If you have fun doing it, you’ll have fun teaching other people how to do it, too. 

How are you making it possible for people to learn about the 10 Principles and put them into practice in virtual space?

Athena: We’ve worked extensively to translate the 10 Principles into a digital experience, featuring videos that explain each principle’s meaning and activities for hands-on learning. One principle requiring significant tech development is Gifting—finding ways to create a true gifting experience within the virtual space and making it a core app feature. We’re also excited about developing a unique avatar builder for Radical Self-Expression and incorporating various interactive objects for diverse participation. By focusing on Radical Inclusion, the app will broaden access to Burning Man’s culture, ethos, and community, with plans to enhance accessibility for those who find virtual technology challenging.

How is BurnerSphere rolling out? How and when can people experience it?

Athena: We’re building BurnerSphere from scratch with a focus on community input. You can apply for the alpha version at burnersphere.com, which requires a VR headset (Quest 2, 3, or Pro). We’ll gradually invite participants who have some basic understanding of VR and Burning Man culture, though VR expertise is welcome. Your feedback will help shape the experience.

Doug: We have the foundation for exploration and interaction in place and are now focusing on building out content. First, we need testers to check the servers and functionality. Once we reach a set number of participants in BurnerSphere, we’ll launch a closed beta to test new features added after the Alpha. Alpha and closed beta participants will have the first chance to invite friends before we transition to the public open beta.

In order to be sustainable and cover ongoing expenses, we will have to charge something for BurnerSphere. We will have “camp dues” for open beta. We promise to keep the amount as low as possible and to be transparent about what expenses are covered — just like camp dues in BRC.

We’re hoping this time next year we’ll get to that level. 

Will people be able to fly around the playa like they did in BRCvr?

Doug: We definitely want to bring flying back. It’s on our feature roadmap. Everybody wants to be able to fly around the playa.

It’s not cheap to build a technology platform. How are you paying for all this?

Athena: Initially, we were fortunate to have AltspaceVR host us, but now we’re building everything ourselves and hosting the server space, which is costly. We’ve self-funded the project through some client work and support from friends and family. As we approach the final push to complete our extensive feature list, we’re eager to connect with like-minded Burners interested in investing in BurnerSphere’s mission to spread the community’s ethos. If you’re interested, please visit BurnerSphere.com and click on “contact.”

Burnersphere screenshots, 2024

Burnersphere screenshots, 2024

Burnersphere screenshots, 2024

Cover image of the Burnersphere, 2024 (Screenshot courtesy of the Burnersphere team)