"Gather" a convinsing Metaverse use case

TL;DR

  • Gather is a virtual office where you can hold meetings and move around freely with your avatar.
  • It’s free for up to 10 users.
  • Unlike Teams, Slack, and others, it gives more of a feeling of being in an office and “bumping into” each other or say "Hello" when passing each other
  • For me, Gather is understood as a complement to Teams, Slack, and similar tools, not a replacement.

When Mark Zuckerberg directed his Meta corporation towards the Metaverse, ushering in a new era, I often wondered if it was a bit premature, or generally, I was skeptical whether people were already at the point where they wanted to escape into the Metaverse :) For my part, not really.

However, at that time, we were also in the middle of a pandemic, and at EntwicklerHeld we were looking for ways to strengthen team cohesion over long distances in everyday work. But even without the pandemic, the topic was present for us as a Remote First company. During the pandemic, however, many more companies were in the same boat, and platforms like Gather came onto the market.

Screenshot of my Gather office

I don't think it makes much sense to write a lot about what Gather can do or what it is at this point. A look at the product website explains most points, and if you're hooked, you can try Gather for free with up to 10 people. Initially, it was 25 people, but even with 10, there's still the possibility, especially for small companies, to start a trial run.

Gather gives you the feeling of coming into a real office, even though you're sitting at your computer at home in your home office. Thoughts like: "Who is already there?", "Who can I say hello and goodbye to?", "Who is currently having a meeting together?" automatically come to mind when using Gather. Even arranging a coffee chat and/or private conversation becomes easier after a meeting. Unusual things, like the daily meeting around the campfire, can have a positive and inspiring effect on the team.

One possibility: The daily meeting around the campfire

All in all, Gather is a perfect complement to Teams, Slack & Co. for me - which certainly have their strengths in the professionalism of holding meetings & chats. Gather, on the other hand, brings a playful character and a certain lightness and closeness into the remote office everyday life.