It’s Time to Talk About the Metaverse
What actually is the Metaverse?
This is an introductory guide to the Metaverse which is a word I’m sure you’ve heard being thrown around a lot recently. A metaverse is defined as a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with their friends or other users in a computer-generated environment. A shared video game world is an example of a metaverse. Trading items and chatting with your friends in World of Warcraft is a metaverse. This is not a novel idea in any way.
With the recent NFT boom, the Metaverse has been a very hot topic. Notice the capital M, speaking to a larger interconnected world beyond one individual creator or team. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a shared world where all your favorite games could interact? While that sounds all fine and dandy, this is not the current reality. The infrastructure is not quite there yet and NFT projects promising access to THE Metaverse is very misleading. What are they promising you exactly?
There are many projects building their metaverse on NFT Worlds which is essentially individual metaverses built on top of Minecraft. It’s easy to play and understand, and it’s familiar to millions of users around the world. It makes perfect sense to use an already existing platform to build. The infrastructure is already there for you, but you can design the world to your exact specifications.
I think people hear the term metaverse and they get the wrong impression. Any shared virtual world where people can communicate and play together is a metaverse. A project like NFT Worlds is what I like to call a ‘Layered Builder’
The Layered Builders
These layered builders are building a layer of the metaverse on top of a preexisting metaverse. It’s like the Matrix inside of the Matrix.
Another example of a layered builder would be Nike and Gucci’s recent collaborations with Roblox. These companies aren’t going to spend millions of dollars developing servers and creating virtual worlds. They would much rather use tools that already exist and use them to create the worlds they want. On top of that you have the issue of bringing new users to your platform. Roblox has 22 million daily players, with a user base like that why would Nike or Gucci ever waste their time and money? The next type of metaverse I’d like to talk about is “From the Ground Up(s)”.
From the Ground Up(s)
These are projects building their metaverse from nothing. An example of this is Nifty League, who are building what they call the Niftyverse. The Niftyverse is described as “an expanding collection of games and community anchors centered around nostalgia”. An entirely new place to play with friends and share new experiences, being built from the ground up by Nifty League developers. Another example of a FtGU (From the Ground Up) metaverse could be Epic Games. And I say could because they recently raise $2 billion to “build the metaverse” but it’s unclear what that means. Their game Fortnite is already a metaverse, so maybe they have their eyes set on a higher prize.
I’ll link the article here if you’re interested in learning more about Epic’s recent raising of funds and their future plans.
Just to recap, let’s run down the two types of metaverses I’ve described in this thread.
The Layered Builders
- NFT Worlds
- Alien Boy & Alien Doogle
- Nike and Gucci’s collaboration with Roblox
- The Sandbox
These are just a few examples that I’m familiar with, there are plenty more out there. These are the people providing the tools with which to build metaverses, or the people using those tools to create. They’re building on top of something that already exists and is familiar to people. If we want mass adoption of NFTs, this is a step in the right direction.
I personally can’t wait to explore The Alien Doogle’s metaverse in NFT Worlds. My profile picture is a doogle and he is ready to explore the Metaverse hangout with all of his doogle friends.
These metaverses will be more approachable to newcomers who may be unfamiliar with the space. People understand things like Minecraft and Roblox, they know what that is. Another advantage of these metaverses is the fact that they’re already built or in the process of being built. The NFT space moves so fast that if you promise a metaverse six months down the road, people might be put off by that because we want instant gratification. Put me in your metaverse right now and I’m happy.
The other half of this equation is your From the Ground Up(s).
These include:
- Crypto Raiders
- Nifty League
- Epic Games
- Bandai Namco and their Gundam metaverse
- Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Otherside
These metaverses are going to be handcrafted and tailored to their specific communities. The creators will have full control over what their metaverse will look and play like. The downside here is that these things take time. These are your long-term players that are building for the future. I think the main takeaway here is that it’s important to be informed on what a metaverse is and that the Metaverse can manifest itself in a variety of different ways.
Hopefully after reading this you now have a better understanding of what the Metaverse is and the different ways you can participate. Be safe out there and I’ll see you in the Metaverse.
