Gather Town Virtual Events

We had to run a kick-off meeting for a cohort program and had to decide the best way to get people to know each other. Zoom or Google Meet is the most boring way to do it. Instead of using the same old Zoom breakout room activities which can get boring, we decided to try out Gather Town to make the experience more immersive.

What Is Gather Town?

Gather Town gives a game-like experience where you are a game character navigating through a map. It allows you to interact with other people when you get closer to them with spatial audio and video -- as you walk your avatar toward someone, their audio and video fade in. Walk away, and they fade out. Just like real life.

You can interact with objects using the X key, and -- importantly -- no sign-in is required to participate. You just share a link, and people can join with a name and avatar. This reduces friction significantly compared to platforms that require account creation.

Our Setup

We used Gather Town for the kick-off meeting of The Product Folks' no-code cohort program. Here is how we set it up:

Room Layout

We had two main rooms -- one landing room where people first appeared, and the main room where conversations happened. However, in retrospect, it is better to have one large space if there are fewer than 40 people. Two rooms can fragment the group and make it harder for people to find each other.

Spotlight Markers

We put Spotlight markers in two areas across the rooms. The Spotlight allows any person standing in that zone to speak to everyone in the room, regardless of distance. This was essential for major announcements -- when we needed everyone's attention, a host could step into the Spotlight zone and address the full group.

Wayfinding Hints

To help users who were not familiar with the controls, we added wayfinding hints directly to the floor of the map:

• Help instructions explaining how to navigate (arrow keys or WASD)
• Arrows on the floor showing where to go
• Labels explaining how to interact with objects (press X)

This was critical because the platform was a surprise for participants, which was both good (they got to experience it live and fresh) and bad (they took some time to get used to the controls).

Interactive Elements

We explored elements that included:

• A fireplace with great ambient sound, creating a cozy gathering spot
• A fountain that also had ambient sound effects
• Seating areas that encouraged small group conversations

I wished there were speakers that could play background music throughout the space, though Gather's ambient sound objects partially solved this.

What Worked

Organic Interactions

On the whole, the interaction felt organic. It was way better than breakout rooms that kick you out after X minutes. In Gather Town, you choose who to talk to. You can drift between conversations naturally. If a conversation is not interesting, you walk away -- just like at a real event.

This organic quality is what makes Gather Town fundamentally different from Zoom breakout rooms, where you are randomly assigned to a group and stuck there until the timer runs out.

Low Entry Friction

No sign-in required meant that every participant could join within seconds. This is a huge advantage over platforms that require downloads or account creation, especially when you have participants with varying levels of technical comfort.

The Surprise Factor

Not telling participants in advance that we would be using Gather Town created a sense of novelty and excitement. People were delighted by the game-like interface and spent time exploring the map, which naturally led to conversations.

What Could Be Better

Onboarding Time

Participants who had never used Gather Town before took some time to figure out the controls. Despite our wayfinding hints, some people were confused initially. If I did it again, I would send a 30-second tutorial video before the event.

Audio Feedback

We experienced some audio feedback issues when multiple people were in close proximity with overlapping spatial audio circles. Recommending headphones in advance would help mitigate this.

Room Fragmentation

As mentioned, having two rooms split the group. For events under 40 people, one well-designed room is better. You want the density of people to be high enough that walking around naturally leads to encounters.

Tips for Running Your Own Gather Town Event

1. Start with a single room unless your group exceeds 40 people.
2. Add Spotlight zones for announcements and structured activities.
3. Include wayfinding hints on the floor for first-time users.
4. Use ambient sound objects (fireplaces, fountains) to make the space feel alive.
5. Send a brief tutorial before the event so participants are not figuring out controls during the session.
6. Recommend headphones to avoid audio feedback.
7. Design gathering spots -- seating areas, tables, and landmarks that naturally attract clusters of people.
8. Have a host walk around checking in on people who seem lost or stuck.

When to Use Gather Town

Gather Town is not a replacement for every virtual meeting. It is best suited for:

• Networking events where organic interaction matters
• Cohort kickoffs where you want people to bond
• Social hours and casual hangouts
• Conferences and poster sessions where people browse at their own pace

For structured presentations, workshops, or meetings with a tight agenda, a standard video conferencing tool is still the better choice.

Final Thought

Virtual events do not have to feel like another Zoom call. Tools like Gather Town bring back some of the serendipity and organic interaction that in-person events provide. If you are running a community event, cohort program, or any gathering where human connection matters, give it a try. The result is significantly more engaging than breakout rooms that shuffle you around on a timer.