As an adult, I dont like the forced idea of age verification
Anmheda
It feels forced. That's the crux of the issue. If adults don't verify, they risk being locked out of instances, unable to join friends or participate in events. They may also be restricted from using their NSFW avatars, even when alone in a private instance with their adult partner. When something is "forced" to the point of exclusion, there should be a more accessible verification method that doesn't involve surrendering an ID and a selfie. I'm unconcerned if a few kids manage to circumvent a simpler verification process; after all, VRChat is a game, not a financial institution or a real-life club.
Personally, I would approach it differently. I would award all current VRC+ subscribers a new badge, labeled not as an "age badge" but as a "Verified User" badge. If users desire more controlled environments, they could create "verified only" instances, which would be exclusive to VRC+ supporters. This way, any adult could easily get "verified" by purchasing a VRC+ subscription with their card, avoiding the submission of sensitive ID documents, and adding a layer of verification while also supporting VRChat. This seems like a preferable alternative to submitting personal identification. To obtain the verified badge, an active subscription is required; merely receiving a gifted VRC+ would be insufficient.
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ElusiveFox35
First and foremost VRChat is not a game, it's has always been a social platform. It may have games in it, but people most of the time come to vrc to chat and chill, not just to play a game(s). Besides, the games that are in vrc are greatly overshadowed by the sheer amount of social worlds that people go to either privately or publicly. That's why you would see game instances with ~30 people have 10 or less in the game and the rest scattered about just chatting around corners or mirrors.
With that said, children under 18 or older should absolutely not have access to such a platform and socializing with so many different types of adults that could very well harm to their developmental state. Having a stronger method of keping them out is more preferable, than just letting more circumvent any simpler verification process, which also makes the experience worse for adults too anyways, because it would be essentially an unnecessary verification process that slows down the adults from entering and doesn't the childern from entering anyway.
When it comes to missing out too, there's nothing stopping you, partner(s), or friend(s) from starting a private instance and hanging out, as the verification blocking powers are in the hands of the user not vrc itself, and missing out on group events and NSFW avatars would just be something that people would have to deal with, because any exceptions would meaning letting kids slip through the cracks.
ElusiveFox35
(Part 2)
I do like the alternative idea to an extent only because it ends on being that it would be biased towards people's finacial situations as well as the location of the individual too, because some countries have weaker money power to the USD, so it would be ultimately unfair for them. It would make things far harder for kids, but I wouldn't to exile an entire fanbase just because I had the finacial ability to do so.
I would go for more of a separation of "free user", "gifted user", and "VCR+ user". Free Users can have free open access to making public and private instances, but don't have the same access to all mechanics and instances accessable to Gifted Users and VRC+ Users. Gifted and VRC+ users can still hangout and join instances with Free users to hangout, but not the other way around, because it would ultimately be the layer of defense to keeping children of the adult spaces and showing favoritism to anyone in that's a free user would likely let kids slip through the measures.
Finally for the use and access of NSFW worlds/avatars/events, that would include matters that are adult explict (not just sexual) and that would require age verification of some sort of way. Not a paywall, because that would be too easy to break though, and if not by ID submission, than there needs to be alternatives that can prove someone is who they say they are and that they are indeed an adult to have access to the NSFW or "Age Verified" status.