The Origami University 2026 Gather.Town space will be open during scheduled event hours on each event day. Access links will be posted on the day-specific schedule pages alongside the corresponding Zoom links and will become visible several days in advance.
At Origami University 2026 we will be using Gather.town, a form of virtual interaction that was used and received a lot of positive feedback in our most recent virtual convention, FoldFest Spring 2024. Gather.town combines Zoom-like video conferencing with a virtual world that emulates the feeling of in-person origami events.
Gather.town is like a top-down 2D video game. Each user has an on-screen character they can control and move around the area. When two characters come close together, those two users can talk to each other in a video conference. This proximity-based connection allows hundreds of people to be in the same virtual meeting space, while still allowing small group interactions.
We’ve designed our Gather.town space to emulate the look and feel of a traditional OrigamiUSA Convention Hospitality Area: a big room with many tables for folders to congregate, chat, and fold together. Each table in the main room is a private space: any users sitting in chairs around the same table will be able to talk privately amongst themselves. We hope that event attendees will walk around this virtual world to find old friends and meet new ones. Attendees can use this space to organize their own mini classes, show off their models, organize folding competitions, or just fold in the company of others.
We know Gather.town may be a new way to virtually communicate for many attendees, so we’ve prepared a guide on Gather.town basics.
Gather.Town works best using the Chrome web browser on a laptop or desktop computer. It works on a limited basis using a mobile device.