“We don’t believe in podcasts anymore. Everyone has one. It’s time to shake things up again and set new standards!“
Back in 2020, during the height of the global pandemic, I was seeing tweets and Facebook posts about a comedy club that existed in the social VR platform Altspace. At the time, I was a regular in that space, bouncing around the different rooms with my goofy purple avatar and big bushy mustache and glasses. A look that I proudly called my own and, to this day, one which I wish I could bring into other VR platforms.
The club was called Failed to Render, and was spearheaded by comedy lover Kyle Render during a time when the world was grappling with uncertainty and isolation. Businesses closed, social distancing became a thing, we all got depressed as fuck, and VR emerged as a unique sanctuary to escape global isolation since you can’t catch COVID in VR—that’s just a fact! Plus, when your last name is actually Render, what else are you supposed to do in life?
Render saw an opportunity to keep people connected using VR, and his journey into VR comedy began with a simple desire to keep laughing amidst the COVID chaos. What he did was so forward-thinking that he caught the attention of the Washington Post. In his interview with them, Render says, “The loss of the old stand-up world was more than a blow to my income. It represented a massive psychological shift, the loss of a social and emotional outlet that, for more than 20 years, had been a bedrock of my mental stasis.”
His first foray into VR comedy was both intimidating and surreal. “I donned Oculus Quest 2 goggles, held two plastic controllers that allowed my avatar’s hand motions to mimic my own, and inhabited my brother-in-law’s avatar, a horned cartoon fox who wore antlers bedecked with strands of Christmas lights. In real life, I stood alone in a quiet living room, but what I saw through the goggles was a bustling three-dimensional cartoon bar.”
Fast forward to 2024, and Failed to Render is still going strong. Despite some setbacks such as Altspace shutting down, and having to move his show over to VRChat, the comedy show has reached new milestones and continues to evolve to this day. Reflecting on the journey of the show, Render told XRUpdate, “Our biggest surprise so far was the warm welcome into VRChat with Phia on her virtual reality show, which led to us signing up and winning the Raindance Film Festival in 2023 for best immersive experience.”
It should be noted that, along with winning the Raindance Film Festival, Failed to Render has partnered with the likes of SNL cast member Kenan Thompson to find the next great comedian, and has worked with comedy legend, Howie Mandel!
Okay, it wouldn’t be an article about comedy if we didn’t include jokes. As part of my interview with Kyle and key members of Failed to Render, I asked each of them to give me a joke.
Joke #1 – Kyle Render
“I’d love to work for the TSA just for a day, so I can see what percentage of people have their shit together.“
Big Al Gonzales Enters the Chat!
Like the inception of all great ideas, friendship, and a shared love of something drive it. Failed to Render is no different! When it came to figuring out how to put this together, Render turned to longtime comedy bud, Big Al Gonzales who moved from the Bay Area to Texas to further his comedy career. During quarantine, after a couple of Altspace shows, Render gave Big Al a call and told him he had to try out VR comedy.
Big Al jumped in and was sold right away, seeing the potential of what VR could do for comedians who relied on social gatherings to tell jokes, and entertain an audience. VR eliminated the restraints of social distancing and allowed people to live semi-normal lives. From there, the collaboration between Render and Big Al quickly transformed a casual VR house party into a full-fledged comedy club, complete with staff and talent.
Render realized early on that they had stumbled upon something special. “After doing just a few shows in Altspace, we quickly realized that it was so much better than Zoom shows. You have an entire live audience right in front of you using cartoon avatars instead of living rooms and lagging internet.”
Joke #2 – Big Al
“I hate thinking about what clothes I’m gonna wear. It took years for me to come up with a look for the stage. But with VR, clothes aren’t even required! You can get out of the shower, dry off, pop on your headset and start killing zombies in the nude. I’m out here swinging more than a virtual bat!”
Kirsten Hudson Saves the Day!
The journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Adapting to new technology and platforms has been a significant hurdle. Failed to Render started in Altspace, which was purchased by Microsoft and then unfortunately shut down the following year. For all of us using the space to connect with friends and families, myself included, it was a gut punch to see it shut down. For Kyle Render, it was his business! After all, Failed to Render was booking weekly shows, lining up talent, and setting up interesting partnerships with Proto Holograms to bridge the virtual world with the real world. There was a lot on the line.
To assist Render and Big Al, they enlisted the help of Kirsten Hudson, a developer for Failed to Render, who understood and emphasized the power of VR to forge genuine connections with people around the world. “In virtual reality, you truly get to know and enjoy people for who they really are, making it even sweeter when you connect in real life,” said Hudson.
Render talks about that moment, saying, “Hudson brought me into Meta Horizons in 2022, and our good friend Pablos Corner brought us into VRChat.” Despite these shifts, Failed to Render continues to thrive, hosting five shows a week across different VR platforms.
Hudson and Render’s collaboration has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, blending technology with creative storytelling to transform the comedy landscape.
Joke #3 – Kirsten Hudson
“Your momma is so irrelevant it took AI 10 minutes to tell me she doesn’t even exist.”
The Future of Failed to Render
Render sees a bright future for VR comedy. “Once the technology catches up, there’s so much potential for comedians to perform from their homes on worldwide stages,” he said. The use of Proto Hologram technology has already enabled collaborations with notable figures like Kenan Thompson.
Render and his team are in discussions with various investors regarding future directions for their company. “In our perfect world, we would build a hybrid brick-and-mortar comedy club from scratch with an application that supports mixed reality events,” Render revealed. They are also exploring the idea of becoming a talent agency, given the wealth of talent they’ve discovered in the VR space.
A New Venture: Render After Dark
As Failed to Render continues to innovate and expand, it stands as a testament to the power of VR in bringing people together and creating new avenues for connection and laughter in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
This brings us to Render’s next big move, an exciting offshoot project that he and his team that aims to shake things up in the talk show entertainment industry. He’s planning on launching a new talk show called “Render After Dark.”
With everyone and their mother having a podcast these days and talk shows slowly moving away from traditional late-night formats and evolving into shows like Conan Must Go, why not take the same idea and give it a VR twist? Render hinted at a unique approach to the format, stating, “Just like some people don’t believe in the Metaverse, we don’t believe in podcasts anymore. Everyone has one. It’s time to shake things up again and set new standards.”
Render and his team aim to build on the success of Failed to Render to bring something totally new to a more digitally connected audience. For now, Render, who did indeed show me actual proof that his last name is legitimely Render, is keeping the details of Render After Dark close to the chest.
Joke #4 – Bobby Carlton
“Thank god his name is Kyle Render and not Kyle Shitgobblin.“
