Some of us spend our entire lifetime trying to figure out how to "belong".

Last week, The Squid posed the question around VR being your new "third space" - a distinct environment beyond home, work, and the "third places" like cafes and parks where social life happens.

Look at the world right now. Loneliness is at epidemic levels across APAC. Mental health waitlists in Australia stretch months. In Japan, the government has had a Minister for Loneliness since 2021. In South Korea, there are an estimated 600,000 people living in near-total social withdrawal - a phenomenon they call hikikomori.

These aren't edge cases. They're the people who arguably need a third or fourth space the most.

And yet, the XR industry in 2026 keeps building for the already-connected. Better enterprise collaboration. Richer gaming. Slicker productivity layers. The hardware is getting lighter, the displays crisper - and the use cases more familiar.

The gap isn't technical. It's intentional. Nobody is seriously designing immersive experiences around reintegration, social anxiety, or guided presence for isolated individuals. There's no "on-ramp" being built for the people most alienated from the first three spaces.

The new "third space" concept only lives up to its potential if it's genuinely accessible - not just in price, but in purpose.

That means designing for the withdrawn, the anxious, the grieving. The APAC market, with its cultural nuance around mental health and community, is uniquely positioned to lead here.

We keep asking what VR can do for business. It's time to ask what it can do for belonging.

If VR has helped you belong, or if you've created a new world "away from home" - we'd love to hear from you!

Yours virtually,

Reverso

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🚀 Founded in 2021

🌏 Based in Sydney, Australia

🤩 A passionate team specialising in bringing emerging technologies to new audiences through meaningful interactions.

Graviton Interactive's work spans branded AR filters, immersive training experiences, product visualisation, and location-based AR using tools like Immersal's Visual Positioning System. They're a small shop with a hands-on reputation: clients consistently highlight their accessibility, creative guidance, and willingness to work closely with people who have never commissioned an XR project before

Graviton works with a broad range of clients across brand marketing, education, retail, and entertainment. Their projects have included social AR filters for brands, immersive staff training environments, and experimental location-based AR concepts exploring how digital content can be anchored to real-world spaces.

Graviton's purpose is to bring emerging technologies to new audiences through experiences that are meaningful, not just impressive. The studio believes that XR and game technology, when applied with intention, can create moments worth remembering - whether that's deepening employee knowledge through immersive training or giving a brand a genuinely novel way to connect with its customers.

Visit Graviton Interactive