One of the most fascinating sociological observations that can be made about many who play and make video games is that not all of them seem to do it to escape the mundanities of life. While the world of computerized make-believe might contain far more of the likes of Elden Ring or Pokémon, we can also choose to wile away the hours on something like Truck Simulator, or even a game specifically designed to replicate the feeling of being bored. For every few wannabe mercenaries or magic elves, there’s somebody out there living out the Dwight Schrute Second Life storyline from The Office. 

The latest example of this to have its moment in the spotlight is courtesy of online game VRChat, where players have made a faithful recreation of a Kmart, and sometimes roleplay working there. This was brought to the attention of Twitter by @CoachDorntastic, where people had a predictably amusing (and interesting) response. Between this and the truly titillating developments of the Metaverse, it kind of seems like virtual reality is all about the most boring parts of the reality part, but without the fine motor skills. At least Mark Zuckerberg isn’t in this one.