The Virtual World Museum™ Hubs Are Taking Shape

Two and a half years ago, we launched the Virtual Worlds Museum™ with the mission: to document and celebrate the evolution of virtual platforms through research, storytelling and community collaboration. Our vision was to build dedicated museum exhibits and hubs inside these virtual worlds as places where the culture of each platform could be explored, remembered and mapped. 

Today, that vision is taking form. We celebrate a growing series of immersive interviews with platform creators in our Spotlight Video Series. Thanks to the talent and generosity of world builders across platforms we’ve now begun to stitch together a living, explorable archive. Each hub is an anchor point in a growing map of immersive experiences that will soon be connected to our six core exhibits. Here’s where we are right now and where we’re going next.

Roblox: A Time Machine for Games

We’ve partnered with Roblox builder Joshman to develop a hub that functions as a historical museum for the platform itself. Visitors can enter portals through our “Time Machine” area labeled with specific years from Roblox’s development and play games that reflect that moment in time. It’s a playful and educational way to experience the platform’s evolution firsthand.

Visit the first playable draft of the Roblox Museum Hub here:
The History of Roblox — Virtual Worlds Museum

Horizon Worlds: Enter Through the Screen

Our VR & Apps Exhibit in Horizon Worlds begins with a metaphor: entering through a computer screen to reach the world inside. This exhibit connects major immersive platforms including Second Life, VRChat, Rec Room, Engage, Horizon Worlds, Resonite, Roblox and Viverse highlighting their distinct development paths and contributions to XR culture.

Explore the Horizon Worlds Exhibit:
Visit Exhibit in Horizon

Second Life: A Historic Collaboration

We’re honored to be building the Second Life hub in a region curated by Wagner James Au, who has been documenting Second Life for over 20 years. This hub will feature a gazebo for orientation and talks, teleport portals to other SL destinations, and historical markers including a biohazard shrine to Snow Crash, officially blessed by Neal Stephenson.“Fun fact: The edifice with the biohazard symbol is actually an official "Snow Crash" shrine approved by Neal Stephenson Himself back in the day.”
 

Rec Room: Welcome by Hologram

Thanks to Paige Dansinger and T3L3KINISIS, we’ve begun developing a museum space in Rec Room with. The hub mixes indoor exhibits with an outdoor plaza and features a hologram of Paige welcoming visitors with a personal, interactive touch that makes this space feel truly alive.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next

We’re actively planning builds in Resonite and Viverse. New thematic exhibits are also on the way, including:

• The Sunset Exhibit: Exploring now-defunct platforms and their legacies.
  
  
• The Specialized Exhibit: Focused on niche or community-specific worlds.
  
  
• The Blockchain Exhibit: Examining decentralization and ownership in immersive spaces.
  
  

Acknowledging Our Origins

Before this momentum, there were prototypes as early tests across worlds that helped shape what the Museum would become. You can explore these initial hubs and see how far we’ve come: Early Museum Hub Builds

Get Involved: Build, Fund, Partner

We’re calling on world builders, creators, and community organizers to help shape the next generation of museum hubs. If you’re interested in representing a platform or preserving a space that matters to you then reach out. We’re also seeking sponsors and partners who understand the cultural value of virtual worlds and want to invest in their documentation and future.

Let’s work together to preserve what matters.

Want to build a hub with us? Fill out this form to apply and we’ll get back to you.  Interested in sponsoring an exhibit or platform? Let’s talk: julian at virtualworlds.museum
Follow our progress or get involved here: Museum Hubs Overview

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