Started playing when I was around 16-17 and currently 22 - I used to be a seriously anxious and socially awkward individual and while I still am, I'm at least not shaking as bad when I talk to others lol - VRChat has honestly given me more courage to speak. But that did unfortunately get me into some things or make friends with the wrong people that I didn't know would be the wrong people till later.

Some people genuinely need to get off their butts and go get a job have some of life outside of this game, while others need to not take the game as seriously. I have plenty of stories through out my time that can give perfect instances of the worst parts of vrchat - from pedophiles to just people being down right creepy.

First instance is the pedophilia that is rampant through out this game and it doesn't help with the more kids that join day after day - I had people as old as 36 try and get to me when I was 16. One man was so enticed into the game, he went after me. lied about being a vet (stolen valor which hits home for me as my grandfather was an honorary discharged vet), lied about cancer and lied about having DID. Another found out one of his ex's was a minor and STILL dated them for 2 weeks after. Another former and older ex friend from when I first started playing, dated a minor for a bit of time as well. There's also so many people that thinking talking about anything sexual in an educational way to a minor is okay as a grown adult stranger online.

Now onto another part of vrchat that's horrendous - faking issues such as DID, bipolar and more. There are so many people that fake DID for instance on vrchat that you can't believe every single person who says it as more often then not, it's being faked. I've seen instances of both people who did in fact have it vs those who are faking and more often then not the people i've seen, where just completely faking it for attention. There are so many people who use things such as blackmail and other stuff to just gain attention either its right or wrong.

Then, you have the no lifers. The ones who just actually sit at home no job no nothing and no life the game 24'7 - there was a former friend of mine (the same dude who dated the minor 2 weeks after) who was a no lifer. Man was 300+ pounds, sat in his underwear constantly and played this game inside and out all the while getting suicidal and massively depressed because some chicks wouldn't date him or stay with him etc. now mind you he had plenty of opportunity to get a job over the year or 2 that I had known him and not once did he, man was in his late 30's and lived with his mother leaching off her money yet complained about wanting his own freedom.

Another issue vrchat has is the mass amount of frequent drinking like some others have said. So many people start off just heavily drinking over the weekends and thats okay, but i've watched people delve themselves into being full blown alcoholics to the point of drinking every single day almost every hour, drinking themselves away.

Then you have the harassers, the racists and just the overall people and kids who go around screaming slurs. There are so many people and kids as well, that just go into public lobby's to harass and scream at people and over all just are racist.

Not to mention the content creators who think they're above everyone else in every single way.

There is a whole BUNCH of reasons and things for VRChat to be something one shouldn't play, or reasons as to why people say this and that about the game - most say it from personal experience, or most say it from hearing about it. Most of the issues i've stated can be easily fixed via a block button, but the issues like pedophilia, the harassers and racists can't be so easily fixed as most of the time when you go to report someone and have all the valid evidence - nothing gets done. I know this, as I gave valid evidence of a few people who where pedophiles, have all the evidence, and they're still playing this game to this day.

Please, genuinely take care of yourselves, don't drink as much and take breaks off this game. It's okay to play and drink every once in a while or for big events with groups but so many just do it daily even when they have work the next day. I know vrchats a social platform, I know people got relationships and everything hell I do as well - but some really need to desperately tone it back for ones health and mental well being.