NEAR to the Metaverse
Defi, NFTs, and now recently, the Metaverse concept, these three have been the most prominent talks of their eras. We have Decentralized Finance offering a Scott-free avenue for investors to put their money into, NFTs allowing better opportunities for owning in the cryptocurrency industry, and then Metaverse which is revolutionizing the way people see and perceive the internet, as well as concepts that run or are supported by the blockchain and adjacent to it, the cryptocurrency industry.
NEAR Protocol, which is one of the most ambitious projects to ever grace the cryptocurrency industry as of late, has never strayed too far from the topical and trending and had a streak of always having an answer to what the tides call for since its release in 2018.
This period isn’t any different as NEAR Protocol launched their very own rendition of the Metaverse System with a NEAR twist. This time, through hosting the prestigious MetaBUIDL Hackathon.
MetaBUIDL is a global hackathon that aims to open opportunities for a world that runs in “Zero Finance,” where everything blockchain-related presently and in the future runs in a cost-efficient and powerful distributed computing system that shows great promise to the cryptocurrency industry.
To increase the people’s drive to join this awesome venture, MetaBUIDL offered a total of $1M in prizes, kickstarting hackers’ and community members’ spirit of competition to create ideas that will help pave and shape the future not only of NEAR Protocol but the cryptocurrency world as well.
The central theme surrounding the whole event is creating a functional metaverse for all things NEAR Protocol while still embodying NEAR Protocol’s aspiration of powering a world where the people have full agency and authority over their money, abilities, and our governance.
But before anything else, what is the Metaverse System/concept? Is it just videogame lore and universe? Unlikely. The Metaverse System is practically the next step towards technological progress, specifically for the internet. Ever since its conception, we have only been able to interact with the internet in a 2d perspective while being given the false illusion of dimensions as technology advances. But soon, those days will be gone as we transition to a world that needs to appeal more to our senses and our thirst for knowledge and progress.
Looking at the current path technology is taking, Metaverse seems to be the Internet’s next stage or form, taking on a much more dynamic idea, a much more connected network, with advanced interactions a number of us living in this age would not even imagine possible.
When thinking of what the Metaverse would look like or how it would operate, try to imagine plugging a device and entering a virtual space where the world is your oyster! Pretty much like Sword Art Online for our supporters here who have watched that anime, except less traumatizing and more promising. With the Metaverse, you can create and interact with 3d virtual spaces much like in the real world, except in the Metaverse, you can do things that are otherwise not permitted by the laws of physics.
This system shows a lot of promise for a multitude of fields that run on the Internet from videogames that are more interactive and offers a more immersive experience for its players, to boundless communication and interactions with both corporate, civil, and military applications.
To set this event under NEAR Protocol’s wings is an intuitive approach as well, because among the countless projects and programs in the cryptocurrency space, NEAR offers the most dApps, which are applications that are operated under networks of smart-contracts effectively allowing them to be used for cryptocurrency purposes. This is intuitive in the sense that this allowed the hackers and supporters to have a lot of room for movement and creativity.
Use-cases are also important in creating projects that will fill the internet, more so the Metaverse. There need to be relevant and novel use-cases for projects that will be released in this space, otherwise, such redundant projects will just be left in the dust and would not be anything but failed attempts at creating something grand.
Which is where this event would play a great role. Sourcing the solutions right where the needs are is a sure-fire approach to ensure that relevant, novel, and fresh ideas are created and executed, add a $1 Million in total prize and you have a whole mob of supporters that would either employ their skills for the cash or basically to offer support to the main goal of this event which is to kickstart NEAR’s journey to the Metaverse.
NEAR Protocol aims to take part in the pioneering of this revolutionary stage of technological advancement by crowdsourcing talents directly from its supporters, as well as hackers with ample potential and abilities to pitch in programs and ideas that will work best for the future of NEAR Protocol. The hackathon had spanned from August 27 and had recently ended last Sept. 12, graced with notable personalities within the cryptocurrency space like Matt Hussey, Li Jin, and Richard Muirhead, among many others, making this event a grand slam success not only for NEAR protocol but for crypto as a whole.
Knowing how NEAR Protocol operates, will ignite more projects that not only would serve the people but would also enable them to be a part of the creation process, allowing them to effectively partake in the success of the projects that is to come from NEAR Protocol.
And the best part is, this is just a taste of the things to come, NEAR Protocol is far from over in creating projects and spaces where people are empowered and safe, as well as creating a cryptocurrency space for the future that is less slow and sloppy, but more efficient, fast, and cheap. More projects and possible collaborations with other notable figures, and projects within the cryptocurrency space can be expected, and this will propagate success across the present and will germinate a better future not only for us but for our offspring.