IMVU

IMVU is an immersive online community with interactive features created by both developers and users alike. Setting up an account is simple and mainly involves stating your date-of-birth (going off memory here) and selecting an avatar for which to customize. Once your account is squared away, you're given a loft/room to decorate.

Obtaining Currency

As you've probably guessed, you can't decorate without making a purchase of some kind. Fortnately, your space come pre-furnished. All that's left is to customize your avatar which will require a lot of points.

You can purchase items for your avatar with points (in-game currency) which are either earned or purchased. I earned the majority of my points from watching videos and some select opportunities during the early days of my participation. One of my favorite points activities was the product review, which involved reviewing IMVU products in exchange for points.

At the time, I had to use the IMVU viewer client to participate in this activity. Eventually, I turned to purchasing the points outright when free opportunities were slim or non-existent.

Avatar on balcony.

Customizing Your Avatar

Customizing your avatar is where the real fun begins; at the start anyway. Unlike other interactive communities at the time, you were given a blank canvas of sorts to customize. I'm not even exaggerating, you have to do a lot of custom work to get your avatar to look the way you want.

It took some time to find all the desired features to create a unique-ish look. I had to hunt for a face, hair, makeup, clothes, shoes and accessories. There was a content creator on the platform whose fashion work I fell in love with, because their designs had a bit of Victorian-era styling to them with a modern twist.

I adored their Black Rose collection and made extra efforts to compile my look using nothing but items from that line. There were other designers whose works I enjoyed immensely as well due to their selections matching my personal tastes and style at the time.

It's Time To Explore

One of the top draws for majority of the users is the virtual chat rooms. Instead of boring chat boxes, you're presented with scenic and interactive environments for which to engage with your guest(s). During my time on the site I've explored well decorated interiors, scenic beach escapes and a fun fairy wonderland where you could actually experience flying.

One of my favorite scenic beach scenes involved a fully interactive layout. You could swim in the ocean, walk on the beach, sit on lounge chairs, sit on the deck, walk inside the villa, hangout in the living area, dabble in the kitchen, dance and more. I wasn't a social butterfly by any means, but I did check into the forum from time-to-time to participate in discussions.

Updated November 15, 2022