What is the Metaverse?
Consider a digital world where you can do all your daily activities/chores from whichever place is comfortable for you. That is the idea metaverse wants to build.
- Many large companies like Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Roblox, and other small startups are attempting to build virtual worlds, making them better.
- It is doing so by including everything in virtual worlds. Gaming, communities, business meetings, everything through virtual navigation.
- The Internet was built for more accessible communication, and earlier communications were mostly only text-based.
- These communications further progressed to media-based communications.
- The next iteration for communication is intended to be in a 3D space, and this 3D space is termed the Metaverse.
- It strives to be a significant part of the growing digital economy.
- It wants to use its applications in growing industries like fashion, gaming, partying, and even education.
- Shopping, Job training, Socialization, and Movie watching are some activities that can be done on the Metaverse as efficiently as in the real world.
Origin of the Metaverse
- Metaverse is not a new concept and initially came into play in 1992. The term Metaverse was first used in the Cyberpunk Novel by Neal Stephenson.
- He described it as an imaginary space that collaborates with the natural world to provide great experiences.
- Several communities are built based on this concept, and people are represented by their personalized Avatars in the Metaverse. These Avatars Communicate with the virtual atmosphere.
- It can be considered cyberspace, a virtual reality social platform that is the future of the Internet and brings connectivity like never before.
- It is a network of 3D worlds combined using technology so people insane or different planets can move to each other and interact.
- It is a virtual world, considered an “extended reality” for most people.
- While virtual Reality is the central part of the discussion, the bigger problem to solve is providing universal accessibility to the built-in worlds, even without a VR but providing the same experience.
- Metaverse uses virtual RealityReality to create a set of virtual worlds that can be visited and explored and continue to exist without our presence. It also uses Augmented RealityReality, combining the digital and virtual worlds for a better experience.
What are Virtual RealityReality and Augmented Reality?
- Virtual RealityReality is a simulated experience that lets you interact with virtual worlds in a seemingly natural or physical way. It enables a person to interact with computers and create an environment in the virtual space.
- Augmented RealityReality combines the natural world and computer-generated content. This helps deliver multi-sensory content as the digital world integrates and interacts with the users’ environment.
- It also has features for creators to build and monetize worlds in multiple dimensions within the game.
- Sceneries, Buildings, Places, Houses, amusements, everything can be built in the world.
Difference between The Internet and The Metaverse
- The Internet is a network of several computers and servers. The Internet is used to communicate between computers and obtain information.
- The Internet is something people browse upon.
- The Metaverse uses virtual Realityreality, augmented Realityreality, artificial intelligence, and multiple other technologies to build a seemingly real world virtually.
- People can interact and engage with other people and the environment of the virtual world and can also live in it.
Purpose of Metaverse
Metaverse envisions creating a digital economy where real-world tasks are possible, and users can create, buy and sell goods. Here are some applications of the it:
Gaming
- Currently, the Metaverse is mainly implied for the notion of games.
- Fortnite, Warcraft, and Roblox are creating ecstatic worlds that engage players to be part of amazing virtual games.
Shopping
- Driving new customers to the business is the primary goal of small or big companies.
- Metaverse allows brands to make shopping for their brands something exclusive for customers.
- Metaverse will let you be creative with virtual stores to leave a lasting impression on customers shopping online.
- The ultimate goal is to provide an even better and more comfortable experience than in real life.
- Digital world avatars can Try on multiple garments on them for the comfort of their house. Further, these clothes can be delivered home.
- Companies like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Balenciaga, and other big companies are trying this new technology for a better customer experience.
Entertainment
- Virtual worlds are great places to come together and socialize.
- High-end graphics and well-made authors can get anyone excited about various entertainment activities.
- Virtual concerts are one of the primary things that can be mimicked on the Metaverse. People will prefer to listen to their favorite artists from the comfort of their homes than from a space with thousands of people where they can barely move.
- Theme parks in virtual amusement parks are also being built to provide a real-world experience.
- Metaverse fuels the idea of storytelling without boundaries that are being implemented currently.
Education
Education can leverage this new technology in multiple ways. But, if you don’t want to believe so, here are a few applications that education can enforce through a metaverse.
- Virtual 3D classrooms.
- Digital learning
- Virtual campus activities.
- Campus events.
- Improve accessibility for people with disabilities who are not able to attend schools/colleges for various reasons
Selling Real world goods
- Selling authentic world goods with a better virtual experience can be done using Metaverse. Live stores can be set up, and people can be charged for the experience of shopping.
Monetization of Metaverse
Virtual worlds can be monetized entirely in all aspects, like entry ticket purchases in the virtual space and unique access to stuff inside the earth.
The concept of Metaverse still needs a lot of development. Acceptance from the public may only be partial. The idea is possible and can be bought into existence through collaboration with other innovations like NFTs, blockchain, and Cryptocurrency that can build a solid network. This collaboration will make Metaverse safe, trusted, and used globally.