Gaming: Into the metaverse

By Apoorva

Metaverse: concept

The concept of the metaverse is quickly creating a buzzword in technology and business. Metaverse in a broad sense refers to shared virtual world environments which individuals can access via the net. We can also refer to it as digital worlds which are created more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR).

The union of Gaming and Metaverse

Gaming and the metaverse go hand in hand with each other. Gaming has always been a great candidate for virtual reality. A recent survey in XR Today noted that 59% of pollee believe that gaming will dominate VR, while 64% claimed the gaming industry to have the highest potential to benefit from virtual reality.

The metaverse is taking the gaming experience one step further. Virtual reality is usually stand-alone and two-dimensional, but the metaverse allows for a three-dimension experience with a 360-degree interactive platform where gamers can interact with each other.

The vision of metaverse gaming

The vision of the metaverse involves individuals roaming freely in virtual worlds on different platforms and taking their virtual clothing, belongings, etc. along with them, known as a concept called interoperability. The metaverse game worlds also act as social experiences nowadays. For some, metaverse gaming is a story-driven adventure game such as World of Warcraft or the battle royale hit Fortnite. For others, it’s world-building games like Minecraft and Second Life. There is also another type of metaverse which uses blockchain technology, where users can buy virtual land and other digital assets using cryptocurrencies.

Recent updates in metaverse games

Two famous gaming companies: FlickPlay and The Sandbox have announced a new partnership recently that will allow players to use a blockchain asset on both platforms, creating a key step in the building of the metaverse. FlickPlay is an app where players unlock digital collectables by using an interactive map of their actual surroundings and using their phone’s camera to overlay the collectables onto the real world and interact along with the objects to make content. The app announced its first collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called Flicky, featuring designs of an anthropomorphic chameleon wearing different styles of clothing.

The players who acquire Flicky will be able to have the NFT as their avatar on The Sandbox initially. Though soon they will be able to access this NFT that is stored on the blockchain in both the games, moreover, the company is working with The Sandbox to reach interoperability as well, by the end of the year.

What’s in the future for metaverse gaming?

Gaming holds many potential advantages that can be beneficial for metaverse platforms. Gaming keeps audiences engaged for long durations, thus, increasing engagement. Musicians can do virtual concerts within these platforms. For example, millions of people watched the singer Ariana Grande virtually perform on Fortnite. Furthermore, the gaming industry is predicted to reach $178 billion of annual revenue by 2025. Given the potential synergies, growth in global gaming has the potential to be extremely positive for metaverse companies to invest in.