Following the announcement that ENGAGE VR is entering liquidation, this post reflects on the uncertainty surrounding the platform’s future and the many meaningful moments XR Women has shared within its virtual spaces. From connection and collaboration to learning, laughter, and unexpected encounters—including a memorable cockroach—ENGAGE has been a place where anything could happen. While it remains unclear whether the platform will ultimately close, XR Women is hopeful that this vibrant community space will continue to provide opportunities for people to gather, create, and support one another.

The EU AI Act is moving from policy to enforcement, requiring organizations to make certain AI-generated content detectable and to demonstrate how they manage transparency, accountability, and traceability in practice. For developers—including those creating XR experiences—this means designing clear, timely disclosure into AI-powered avatars, voices, and virtual environments rather than treating governance as a checkbox. While some deadlines for high-risk AI systems have been extended, the larger question is whether the Act will drive meaningful changes in how organizations build and oversee AI—not simply how they document compliance.

For five years, worlds were what I asked other people to build. I'm dyslexic and low-vision, so the usual on-ramp — learn Unity, learn C#, learn 3D — wasn't a hill, it was a wall. Then I stopped trying to learn the tool and started describing the dream. Here is the seven-step path from zero to a published XR world, with no prior knowledge and not one line of code I typed myself.

Where in your life do you shrink yourself without even noticing? A trip to a coffee shop for something cold on a hot day turns into an unexpected lesson. It's a warm, personal reflection on the tiny ways we make ourselves smaller — and an invitation to stop.

Judie Alson joined the XR Women Global community in the ENGAGE platform to share work on how immersive storytelling can drive social change and foster empathy across cultures. Standing as an avatar alongside an international audience of avatars representing eight countries—from the UK to Brazil to India—the experience revealed that the real immersion wasn't just in the technology, but in the shared experience of stepping together into each world. This is the story of how a 360-degree presentation, a playful virtual canary, and a generous global community demonstrated why immersive media matters.