Background
After scouring the web, I found a lot of different terms being used to describe WebXR content. Games, applications, experiences, worlds, and simulations were just a few of what I came across. Good options but nothing that specifically made me think “Hey, that must be XR!” All of the ones I found were applied across multiple industries, none special to XR. So I got to thinking about other words that would fit.
Eventually, the word warren came into focus. For anyone who’s new to the word, it means a network of interconnecting burrows or a labyrinthine building/district. Thinking through, the WebXR standard is focused on bringing accessible VR and AR to our devices. These pieces can be just as interwoven as websites are today. It makes sense in my mind to use a word of entangled, interwoven rooms and spaces to describe what these XR sites could be.
As it becomes more open and in public view, these connected spaces will grow increasingly complicated and people will come up with ingenious ways to build a new kind of world wide web centered around XR content.
A warren is an idea
Simply put, a warren is an idea. One cohesive concept that is created for XR. It could be as simple as a photo viewer or as grand as a multi-dimensional MMORPG. One warren could have multiple warrens inside, for example an arcade warren filled with XR games, each being their own warren. Many warrens could exist on one site or a single warren could span many URLs. Warrens don’t even need to be specific to browser-based content. Really any XR space people spend time in qualifies. This goes for standalone games just as much as development tools. If it’s VR or AR, through a headset or other interactive medium, it’s a warren.
While other words mentioned above could be swapped in, my goal is for someone talk about visiting a warren and everyone understands they mean XR content of some kind.
How do you find a warren?
This site! I’ve created this site to become a directory of all kind of warrens! For now, the list is manually kept. Anyone can submit a link to a warren they found. I get notified, review it, then put it up here. When things gain speed, I’m working on some combination of community review and web crawling but for now I’m keeping it simple.