We Need Better Avatars for the Metaverse
Who Controls The Avatars
Two main things come to mind when talking about the metaverse. Digital worlds and digital avatars are what come to mind when discussing the metaverse. Currently, most games and digital experiences use a proprietary avatar setup. Oculus, VRChat, Fortnite, and Rec Room all have their avatar system. These systems have their cosmetics and physics. This setup goes against what the metaverse is supposed to be. If the metaverse is going to be an interconnected online space where people can jump from experience to experience, we need better avatars. Some cross-platform avatar systems are starting to pop up. ReadyPlayerMe was created by Wolf3D and aspires to be the avatar system of the metaverse. Their avatars system is already a part of many games such as VRChat. They also plan to add NFTs and other features along the way.
What Avatars Need
The avatars designed for the multiverse have to work with experience. It has to be open source and is easily improved upon by its users. The current avatar systems are controlled by major corporations. They have the final say in who can use their system. Facebooks Oculus Avatars can be used by anyone creating user experiences, but there is no way for users to add to the avatars. VRChat’s Avatars can be created by its users but can’t be easily…
