Sandbox Demo & Analysis: Gather
In the world of online classes and remote learning, anything that draws away from the mundane and helps combat “Zoom fatigue,” is welcome in my book.
Enter: Gather.
Gather is an online, 2-dimensional video chat platform where users can move an avatar in a customizable space, while video calling with others. It is a comforting platform to those who have a history with video games say. . . Pokémon?
Intention and Expectation
Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet all follow the basic principles of video chat and being able to communicate with others through technology. What I want in a video-chat platform, such as Gather, is to make me feel motivated, keep me entertained, and allow me to easily communicate with others. I had never heard of this program, but seeing photos of the experience made me excited. I am a fan of nostalgic media and the design and graphics reminded me of the video games I would play as a kid. My intention to use this program is to enjoy communicating with others in an interactive platform that will breakup the repetitiveness that Zoom classes have caused.
Experience
During my Audience and Engagement class, my classmates and I clicked on the provided link and entered the Gather world that my professor had created.
I enjoyed how this platform gives the user agency to move about the space. Moving around the room is fairly easy by using the arrow keys. I was able to type in the name I wanted to be called, customize my avatar, and even update my status to “Happy :-)”. There are multiple rooms that are designated for specific events and instances. My favorite feature of this platform is dedicating spaces as “private spaces.” Within these spaces, only you can communicate with those in the same space. This is similar to breakout rooms in Zoom, but allows you to freely move about the space and change rooms as you please by simply walking away.
There are also podiums that you can “spotlight,” which allows a person to speak to the whole group, regardless if they are in a private room or not. This is perfect for educators trying to grab the attention of their students from group discussions or for a boss to make an announcement to his coworkers.
It is a very interactive platform that kept me engage throughout the experience. However, the comment section can pull you out of the experience. It is located in the side bar that can collapse and expand when you click on it. When I went to the comment section, I felt as though I have left the world and turned into “business” mode, so to speak. With the chat being located off to the side, my focus was turned away from my avatar and the world. I understand that some people do not want to participate in discussions verbally, so they will use the chat function more often. Therefore, in order to keep people in the world that they are experiencing, it would be beneficial if the chat function was more integrated within the space itself.
As an extrovert, I have realized how beneficial this platform could be for more introverted individuals who feel more comfortable expressing themselves in the virtual space. Highlighted in an article from Extreme Tech, Gather pulls the focus away from the video camera towards the characters on the screen, while also having the ability to communicate with others like the virtual world “Second Life.” Some people rely on the virtual world to communicate with others. Gather provides that bridge between the virtual world and video-chat that can appeal to both introverted and extroverted individuals.
Recommendations
- Name: Initially, I thought the name of this space was “Gather Town.” As the design strongly resembles older Pokémon games where a “Pallet Town” resides, I recommend for Gather to include “Town” in the name. After searching on Google, it also seems that others are using the terms interchangeably.
- Chat Box window: It would be beneficial if the chat window can be pulled out or if it was converted to a collapsable window. When pulled out, the chat box is transparent and updates as people type in the chat. It is similar to how comments appear on the screen for Twitch users. This should help keep people immersed in the experience.
- Video Layout: Currently, the only way to view others’ videos is by scrolling horizontally. You can view at most five people at a time on your screen. I would recommend that the videos also become a pull out window where you have the ability to spilt the screen in half.
Takeaway
Gather is still developing and molding its platform. There is room for improvement, but currently it is a great alternative to Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet. With each world being customizable, Gather helps reduce the fatigue associated the rigid and static layouts associated with other platforms. While we may not be able to walk from class to class, or head into the office like we used to in real life, Gather provides the closest experience to walking into a new space that is both familiar and entertaining.
