Methods and systems for selectively merging real-world objects into a virtual environment are disclosed. The method may include: receiving a first input for rendering of a virtual environment, a second input for rendering of a real-world environment, and a depth information regarding the rendering of the real-world environment; identifying at least one portion of the rendering of the real-world environment that is within a depth range and differentiable from a predetermined background; generating a merged rendering including the at least one portion of the rendering of the real-world environment into the rendering of the virtual environment; and displaying the merged rendering to a user.