In this piece, I cover the basic concepts of the Metaverse and how it works.
A major appeal of virtual worlds is that they offer an alternate reality — a chance for people to start a different life. A place where you can look and be anyone, the chance to build your life how you want it.
The Metaverse offers just that: an alternate reality with immersive experiences. Think of it as the new wave of digital experience—a vibrant shared digital experience with collaboration, co-creation, and a functional economy.
But there are several opinions on what the metaverse is, in this piece, I’ll cover the basic concepts of the Metaverse and explain how it will work.
Where Did “Metaverse” Come From?
Neal Stephenson coined the term “Metaverse,” which first appeared in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. In the novel, the Metaverse refers to a “shared Imaginary realm” available to the public through a “World-Wide-optic Network” projected through virtual reality goggles.
Movies like The Matrix, Ready Player One, and Fun Guy also portray a futuristic world, a manifestation of actual reality, based in virtual reality. While they describe variations of features that will be part of the Metaverse, they are all limited in their description.
They are similar to how old movies like TRON describe the Internet as an “Information superhighway” of bits. Just like it was hard to explain what the Internet would look like in the 1980s; there is no single way to describe the Metaverse yet.
So, what exactly is the Metaverse we envision? There is no single definition for the Metaverse, but I’ll try to paint a picture.
What Is The Metaverse?
As a buzzword, the metaverse can refer to a variety of virtual impressions/experiences, assets, and environments that hint at how the Internet will evolve. It refers to the concept of an online, persistent 3D universe that will combine different virtual spaces.
According to Kristi Woolsey, an associate director at BCG Platinion:
Note that the Metaverse does not exist yet. What we have currently is a series of metaverses (small ‘m’) that are Proto-Metaverse. Digital gaming experiences like Fortnite and Roblox offer the Proto-Metaverse experience, the closest form of the Metaverse experience. However, all these are just Metaverse-like, not the real deal. In Woolsey’s words:
Mathew Balls, Metaverse Expert and author of THE METAVERSE, also describes the Metaverse as:
How Will The Metaverse Work?
The Metaverse will be a continuous interoperable network of real-time virtual worlds where you can have an immersive experience. Certainly, it will provide an immersive experience in a virtual space that combines real-world elements.
An impressive experience feels the same way you feel during your daily activities. By leveraging AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality), the Metaverse will provide a blend of sounds and visuals that trigger an engaging experience.
However, keep in mind that the Metaverse will not replace the mobile Internet. Instead, it will work with Web 3, which will build on the current Internet (web 2) to change our digital experience.
The Metaverse will also give users an identity with data continuity for communications and asset ownership. Most people value their persona and will wish to carry it around. That is what digital avatars will stand for, a way to create a new identity for yourself on the Metaverse.
The Metaverse will also have a way for users/avatars to own assets like real estate with real-world value. Users can belong to communities (DAOs) and create/sell NFTs. The Metaverse will combine several technologies to build this unique digital experience, I have covered these technologies below.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
Blockchain technology is a vital part of the technologies necessary for the Metaverse. The Metaverse may consist of several open, decentralized, and interconnected virtual spaces. Of course, the Metaverse will also need a means of payment (cryptocurrencies) and proof of identification (NFTs).
Blockchain technology solves all these problems by providing a way for trustless, transparent, and decentralized transactions.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will serve as a tool for creating responsive functionalities in the Metaverse. AI will have several roles in the Metaverse, from creating non-player characters and avatars to intelligent networking and personal assistants. The diagram below shows the potential applications of AI in the Metaverse.
Adapted from Building the Metaverse by Jon Radoff
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual Reality creates a simulated environment that can be explored 360 degrees, similar to a real-world experience. This simulated environment provides an immersive first-person experience, giving you a strong sense of presence.
VR technology will help to create life-like virtual spaces that users can access with VR headsets, gloves, and senor.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
Augmented Reality (AR) further enhances the VR experience by superimposing the virtual space on the user’s real-world view. AR uses sounds, digital visual elements, and other sensory stimuli (feel, taste), giving the users a better interactive experience.
Mixed Reality brings the best of AR and VR and is essential to creating the unique experience the Metaverse hopes to achieve.
Internet of Everything (IoE)
The Internet of Everything connects people, devices, data, and network processes which are all essential to powering interactions. The Metaverse still needs device connectivity to work, but the IoE can lower dependence on voice commands and virtual assistants.
3D reconstruction
3D reconstruction will play a significant role in constructing the Metaverse — properties, infrastructures, and lands. Besides, the virtual spaces will also require 3D content for user interaction.
Attributes Of The Metaverse
According to the analogy by Mathew Balls, here are some of the things you should expect the Metaverse to be:
- An impressive experience: The Metaverse will combine digital and real-world, public and private networks, and open/closed platforms.
- Persistent: The Metaverse will not pause, reset, or end like a game; it continues indefinitely.
- Live and synchronous: The Metaverse will run in real-time for everyone simultaneously, even though they will contain pre-scheduled and self-contained events.
- Available concurrently and Individually: Although the Metaverse will run the same way for everyone, it will still give every individual a sense of presence. So, everyone is simultaneously a part of an event or activity, like in real life.
- Interoperable: The Metaverse will offer digital assets, data, and content interoperability across different experiences and blockchains. This means you can use assets designed for a particular virtual space/website on another website.
- Have a wide range of contributors: The Metaverse will be populated with content and experience from different creators, including individuals, public companies, and organized groups (DAOs).
- A fully functioning economy: The Metaverse will likely have a fully functional economy powered by cryptocurrencies and NFTs. In Ball’s words:
“Individuals and businesses will be able to create, own, invest, sell, and be rewarded for an incredibly wide range of “work” that produces “value” that is recognized by others.”
What The Metaverse Is Not
In this section, I’ll cover some of the things you might have mistaken to be the Metaverse. While these things will likely be a big part of the Metaverse, they are not entirely the Metaverse. As explained by Matthew Balls, the Metaverse is not:
The Multiverse
The Multiverse is an imaginary collection of virtual worlds (different ecosystems) with different traits.
Note the Metaverse is not imaginary. Instead, it is a single digital shared environment that will allow people to have real-time experiences with other users.
A Game or GameFi project like Fortnite
While the Metaverse may have some Game-like attributes and will include games, it is not just a game oriented around some specific objectives. So, if Metaverse is not a GameFi project, why are video games (online gaming) linked to the metaverse?
That is because online gaming offers the closest experience to the Metaverse experience at the moment. GameFi projects also provide features that cross over to the various aspects of our physical life regarding NFTs and game tokens.
A New UGC platform like YouTube or TikTok
It is not just another social media platform where you can create, share, and monetize your content. No, in Matthew Ball’s words:
“The Metaverse will be a place in which proper empires are invested in and built, and where these richly capitalized businesses can fully own a customer, control APIs/data, unit economics, etc. In addition, it’s likely that, as with the web, a dozen or so platforms hold significant shares of user time, experiences, content, etc.”
A Virtual World/Space
The Metaverse is not just another digital content experience like Second Life or a virtual world game with AI-driven characters.
A new App Store
The Metaverse differs from today’s Internet/mobile models, architecture, and priorities. According to the CEO of Epic, Tim Sweeney:
“The metaverse is not an App Store with a catalog of titles. In the metaverse, you and your friends and your appearance and cosmetics can go from place to place and have different experiences while remaining connected to each other socially.”
What Is the Difference Between the Metaverse and Web 3?
Here is the deal, to use the current Internet, you must trade your data to use the Internet — Search Engines and social sites. The result is a big centralized internet controlled by a few companies with so much power over internet use.
Web 3 aims to change that; give the users control over their data. That is why it is referred to as the decentralized Internet.
On the other hand, the Metaverse will be a continuous interoperable network of virtual worlds where you can have an immersive experience
What Can You Do On The Metaverse?
Anything and everything! The Metaverse will encompass all aspects of our lives, from work to school to play.
The pandemic has already started the paradigm shift to a digital experience in several areas of our life. The Metaverse will make that better. Mark Zuckerberg explains this in his founder letter released in October 2021 after changing from Facebook to Meta:
“In the metaverse, you’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine — get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create — as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today…In this future, you will be able to teleport instantly as a hologram to be at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parent’s living room to catch up.”
Here is a rundown of how the Metaverse should change the online experience:
- Better/enhanced remote work experience by creating an interactive workspace experience
- Better eLearning experience by making it easier for students and teachers to relate
- Improved marketing experience and a new marketplace for business
- Improved buying experience for customers
- Expansion of social media with immersive experience; users can interact in real-time
I hope now you have a better understanding of the Metaverse. While, the Metaverse is not