Virtual Reality Will Now Ruin ‘The Office’

A walk through the front door brings you to Pam’s desk, empty of its iconic candy dish and plants. Hey, there’s the teapot Jim gave her for Christmas! What’s inside — Jim’s high school yearbook photo? A hot sauce packet? A note confessing his secret passion? Er, no, looks like all you can do is drop it on the virtual floor.

A walk around the desks doesn’t turn up much — a security badge for Dwight with Fart for his middle name. A few Creed Thoughts on a computer monitor. There’s nothing going on in the conference room except for an unenthusiastic birthday banner.

The most “robust” experience in the walkthrough is Michael’s office, which features a dumbed-down Dundie, a Post-it note with Michael’s easily guessed password, and a World’s Best Boss coffee mug that looks like a roll of toilet paper with a handle. 

At least on this walkthrough, it doesn’t appear one can hang out in the virtual breakroom, bullpen, warehouse, or bathroom. But it’s early. We get it. The experience will surely get more robust over time. But will it continue to be so … empty? This is post-apocalyptic Scranton, office furniture in place and utterly devoid of life. One guesses your digital friends can come with, or virtual strangers, probably. That might be just as offputting — what kind of office environment is full of floating, legless avatars?