SelfieTennis is a virtual reality game released in 2016 where players engage in a unique tennis experience using tracked motion controllers and the HTC Vive peripheral. Players can choose to play a traditional game of tennis or interact with various elements within the environment, such as spawning balls and audience members both inside and outside the court. The game offers a blend of sports simulation and creative play, making it an entertaining and immersive experience.

#SelfieTennis: Review

Introduction

In the anarchic playground of early VR experimentation, few games encapsulated the medium’s absurd potential like #SelfieTennis. Released in 2016 by Copenhagen-based studio VRUnicorns, this surreal sports title dared players to ask: What if tennis were less about competition and more about smacking sentient tennis balls with a selfie stick? Blending physics-driven sports simulation with gleeful nihilism, #SelfieTennis emerged as a cult artifact of VR’s infancy—a game that reveled in its own absurdity while inadvertently probing the limits of player agency in virtual spaces. This review argues that #SelfieTennis is a flawed but vital time capsule of VR’s experimental era, a game that prioritized chaotic fun over polish but left an indelible mark on indie VR design.

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Development History & Context

VRUnicorns, a small team led by Julie Heyde and Horatiu Roman, developed #SelfieTennis during the HTC Vive’s launch window in early 2016. At the time, VR was a Wild West of low-stakes experimentation, with developers racing to explore room-scale mechanics. The game began as a late-night jam session while the team was ostensibly working on RAGNAROKvr, a Viking-themed project. Roman prototyped the core concept in a day—a self-referential tennis match where players teleported across the net to volley against themselves—and Heyde immediately recognized its potential.

The studio leveraged Unity’s nascent VR tools and the Vive’s motion controllers to create a physics-driven playground. Constraints were significant: VR adoption was minimal, and motion-sickness mitigation was paramount. The team prioritized “zero motion sickness” via precise teleportation timing, a feat achieved through relentless playtesting. Their goal wasn’t realism but possibility—a sandbox where players could “do whatever the heck they wanted,” as Heyde told GameDeveloper.

Released on April 1, 2016 (a fitting date), #SelfieTennis capitalized on VR’s novelty, offering a bizarre alternative to more structured early titles like Job Simulator. Its timing was both a blessing and a curse: It stood out in a sparse market but struggled to retain attention as VR libraries expanded.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

#SelfieTennis has no narrative in the traditional sense, but it brims with thematic intent. The game is a satire of self-obsession, framed by its titular gimmick: Players literally play against themselves, switching perspectives with each volley. The court—floating in a skybox dotted with clouds—is populated by “Ball People,” humanoid spectators with tennis-ball heads who cheer until you bludgeon them into oblivion.

This violence isn’t incidental; it’s central to the experience. The Ball People’s “highly sophisticated, funny, stupid AI” (per the Steam description) invites aggression, their goofy expressions heightening the dark comedy. Knocking them off the edge rewards hearts that unlock temporary power-ups, such as a lightsaber or violin racket. The game’s ethos echoes Stanley Parable-style meta-humor, asking players to reject rules and embrace chaos. Even the selfie stick—a tool for capturing in-game GIFs to share on Twitter—mocks social media narcissism.

Dialogue is minimal, but the environmental storytelling is rich. The court’s sterile whites and blues contrast with the carnage, while cheats like “HAHAHA” (which spawns hearts by laughing at friends) reinforce the game’s irreverence. #SelfieTennis isn’t about anything, but its thematic glue is the joy of misusing systems—a precursor to later “emergent narrative” hits like Goat Simulator.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, #SelfieTennis is a physics-driven sandbox with two modes:
1. Tennis Mode: A rally against yourself, with teleportation automating position shifts. The ball physics are surprisingly robust, praised by real-world tennis pros for their realism.
2. Sandbox Mode: A free-for-all where players spawn Ball People, ride “ponycorns” (stick horses), or wield absurd tools like a bow and arrow.

Key mechanics include:
– Teleportation: Seamless perspective-switching avoids motion sickness but removes traditional movement challenges.
– Selfie Stick: A dual-wielded tool for capturing and sharing GIFs, later copied by Meta and others.
– Heart Attack Mode: Collecting hearts unlocks temporary upgrades, encouraging chaotic play.
– Cheat Codes: Keyboard inputs spawn enemies (e.g., “I” for outside-court Ball People) or toggle modes like “Kids Mode” (simplified physics).

Post-launch updates added Friends Mode (local multiplayer score tracking) and Mixed Reality tools for content creators, but the game’s Achilles’ heel was its lack of depth. As critic Greg Giddens noted, the novel mechanics wore thin quickly, with limited long-term incentives.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s aesthetic is minimalist yet surreal. The court’s clean, bright design evokes Wii Sports, but the cloud backdrop and absurd Ball People inject dreamlike dissonance. Visual effects—like trails from fireballs or the wobbling of struck spectators—are exaggerated for comedic effect.

Sound design is equally cheeky: Racket thwacks are satisfyingly crisp, while Ball People emit cartoonish grunts when hit. The soundtrack, toggleable via the “M” cheat, leans into upbeat elevator music, underscoring the game’s irreverence.

Though graphically simple, the art direction serves VR’s strengths. The lack of visual clutter ensures smooth performance, while bold colors and exaggerated animations enhance immersion.

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Reception & Legacy

#SelfieTennis earned mixed-to-positive reviews:
– Critics: Averaged 70/100, praising its humor and physics but critiquing its shallow content (God is a Geek called it “compelling but sparse”).
– Players: Steam reviews are “Mostly Positive” (76/100), with fans celebrating its absurdity.

Its legacy lies in its influence:
– VR Selfie Tools: Pioneered in-game social sharing, later adopted by Rec Room and Meta.
– Indie VR Design: Proved that small teams could innovate in VR, inspiring titles like Gorn.

However, the game never escaped its niche status. By 2025, it was remembered less for its gameplay than for its cultural moment—a symbol of VR’s early, unpolished creativity.

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Conclusion

#SelfieTennis is neither a masterpiece nor a forgotten flop. It is a vital artifact—a reminder of VR’s experimental adolescence, when “playing with yourself” was a revolutionary act. Its janky systems and dark humor captured a zeitgeist where rules were meant to be broken, and virtual spaces were canvases for chaos. While its lack of depth limits its replayability, its audacious spirit secures its place in VR history. For those curious about the medium’s wild early days, #SelfieTennis remains a hilarious, if fleeting, time capsule.

Final Verdict: A cult classic for VR historians and absurdity enthusiasts, but a passing diversion for others.