The Fictional Chapter of Metaverse

Science fiction has been one of the most beloved genres in all forms of media. The fascinating world of “what-if?” plays a huge part in why it is so widely accepted.

Science fiction has – since its conception – been an important part of new inventions and discoveries in the field of science. One of such inventions was when the team of the movie “Interstellar” developed a graphics renderer so accurate that it even made possible to prove two scientific phenomena.

In this blog however, we’ll talk about how science fiction has led to the conception of Metaverse.

I saw the movie “Ready Player One” a few months ago and thought to myself “What if this actually happens in a few years’ time?”. It seemed like a fever dream then, something that could maybe be achieved far off in the future. Fast forward to present, we have Facebook changing its name to “Meta” to facilitate on how predominant it will be in their future endeavours. It has been evolving at an inhumanly fast pace, with researchers and technicians all over the world working on it.

With all this talk about the Metaverse, some of you might ask, what is exactly is Metaverse?

Here is a concise definition given by Mr. David Pal Kirkpatrick to answer all your doubts:

“The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. The word Metaverse is a portmanteau of the prefix “meta” (meaning “beyond”) and “universe” and is typically used to describe the concept of a future iteration of the internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe.”

To further the previous argument about science fiction and Metaverse, here I shall name a few pieces of media whose plot line revolves around the Metaverse in some way or another.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson [1992]

This book was released in 1992, and was on of the pioneering stories in modern science fiction. If you’re talking about Metaverse, you can’t possibly not mention this piece of work. The term Metaverse, which is making headlines and changing the layout of huge companies, was coined in this book. The centrally controlled Metaverse in the book was the main hook of the story. Even if the current idea of Metaverse has open technologies, decentralized and permission-less management, Snow Crash is still labelled the originator of it all.

Ready Player One [2011/2018]

Ready player one falls in the category of both a book and a movie. It gained popularity when it was published in 2011 bringing about the Metaverse. It showed the concept of technological advancement through a fresh lens, where people participated and chose to live in virtual simulations.

However, when the movie adaptation came out in 2018, it brought a new light to the topic. Suddenly everyone was talking about its possibilities and implications. Ready Player One played a key role in bringing large scale notability to the topic, making it a household name.

The Matrix [1999–2003]

When we think about technological evolution, we think about sentience in artificial beings. Our biggest fears include the robots taking over and enslaving humans. The cannot be far from reality. Where we’re actually going with advancement in technology is very different.

The Matrix plays into the field of horror in this aspect. In this trilogy (now a four part movie), AI is the all governing party. The AI hive mind puts humans in a simulation where it makes use of them as batteries to keep the simulation functioning and power the machines.

Wreck-It Ralph [2012/2018]

While toy story plays on what toys do when humans aren’t looking, Wreck-it Ralph does something similar with video game characters. When the machines are off and the arcade is closed, so are the characters alive! It is a whole new world of cyberspace with characters interacting with each other and forming bonds. The two part movie series is a Disney movie that has characters living ‘in’ the internet.

Black Mirror [2011–2019]

BBC’s Black Mirror is one of the most popular shows in the world. The show covers many aspects of AI and Metaverse, most of which will result in a shiver running down your spine. Black Mirror has numerous episodes, such as Playtest and Nosedive which delve into the societal implications of what would happen if particular technologies prevailed and advanced, what would become of humans when they become so intertwined with this particular technology that they can’t live without it.

Westworld [2016-]

Westworld is a futuristically themed amusement park in an augmented reality territory. It is a place where artificially intelligent robots are augments and contribute to the roleplaying experience of the players/visitors. It deals with simulations, hyperreality and consciousness of humans.

REFERENCES:

https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse/

https://medium.com/building-the-metaverse/books-about-the-metaverse-b73f033f98f4

https://medium.com/building-the-metaverse/television-shows-about-the-metaverse-98d91c061a77

https://medium.com/building-the-metaverse/movies-about-the-metaverse-a0797323e7f6

https://www.beyondgames.biz/15579/10-visions-of-the-metaverse-from-science-fiction/