Hey guys and gals. I go by Asteel, I am the Community Manager of a VR Community called VRDominate.
I am 33, Disabled, due to an aneurysm I had when I was 24. Because of that I have many issues. Agrophobia, Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Depression... I only every leave the house when I need to be taken to the doctor. Because I had to learn to speak properly again and ended up in a wheelchair for a few years. Because of this I also aggrivated an injury from years before when someone crashed into me while I was driving. I now have spinal degineration issues and can stand for about 20 minutes maximum at the moment.... Not that I am complaining mind you, I am the lucky one!! I survived what most people don't and now I feel like I am finally coming out the other end much, much stronger! I really attribute this to my new friends, and Virtual Reality!
I have decided to spend my time, which I have nothing but time, to helping foster the VR Community and those that provide quality content, products, or developments to VR.
I have chosen to make VRDominate, or VRD, a not for profit. We don't charge anything to our "Verified Members" or to our community.
The entire point of VRDominate is to help VR in any way possible. We plan to do that by providing a safe place for VR Influncers, Developers, and Product Designers to meet, collaborate, and generally further the reach of VR.
The reason I have chosen to dedicate my life to this is pretty simple. As a disabled person that is unable to leave their home very often, and with no family, EXCEPT my cat Chrissy. :"D I found very little in life to motivate myself. I saved what I was able to from my disablity checks for about 6 months and was able to put enough to the side to buy myself an Oculus Quest 2. The first game I downloaded, being a born and bred southerner, was a fishing game. I became so overwhelmed with joy just sitting there feeling like I was outside, doing something I use to enjoy that I actually started to cry. Grown man brought to tears by the wonders of Virtual Reality.
From there I started to make friends from all over the world, I started participating in Discord Communities and became a Modorator for a well known VR Influencer.
I started up a great friendship with the owners of a company that makes perscription lenses for VR headsets, and they are the ones that truely got me out of my shell. They are the ones that helped me to create VRDominate. Just in case you guys happen to come across this, Jason, Will, you guys are legit my heros. Just having you treat me like one of the guys was very different in my life, and it allowed me to become the person I am now, and run the Community that we co-founded together!
My plans for the future, which I have not had in years, are to grow the VRDominate Brand, to become a symbol of trust for the VR community as a whole. Since we have applications, interviews, and a council made up of those same Verified Members, then when someone is accepted into VRDominate, they have been accepted by their peers.
Just because I am disabled doesn't mean I can't do anything!! #YOLO :"P
Thanks for reading! This honestly was very cathartic!
Feel free to come and join our growing community! We would love to have you, especially if you are suffering from Agrophobia, Anxiety, Depression, Social issues!! VR changed my world!! I honestly believe it can help anyone willing to give it a try. It has helped me come so far, and my phobias have gotten so much less extreme!!!
-Asteel
VRDominate Discord
VRDominate Website
