A lot has been made recently of the shift towards the ‘metaverse’. Microsoft’s recent purchase of Activision Blizzard is being hyped as Microsoft’s push into the metaverse market, while some Walmart recent trademark applications signal a potential move into this space. However, there is no one who has doubled down on this shift more than Facebook, who put so much emphasis into their metaverse that they changed their name to Meta in preparation.
The origins of the term ‘metaverse’ has been present for years, traceable back to Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash, while the concept has been around even longer with the likes of Steven Lisberger’s 1982 film TRON and William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer exploring the concept of a livable computer simulation and virtual reality.
When trying to get an idea of what exactly a metaverse is, William Gibson and Neal Stephenson’s novels, though considered some of the most influential in the sci-fi genre and the establishment of the metaverse, are probably not the most accessible. Steven Spielberg’s 2018 film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel Ready Player One probably gives the best idea of what the metaverse can look like.
The metaverse can be described as a world, or space, in which people can ‘live’ and connect with others. While this is commonly shown through the use of VR headsets, as with Ready Player One to connect to the OASIS, it is important to note that the metaverse is not connected to any specific type of technology, but more accurately how we will interact with technology moving forward. In essence, the metaverse is simply a continuation of the internet of things, and how we interact with those around us.
The proliferation of cryptocurrencies and the rise of NFTs can be seen as continuations of this, as people lean more and more into the virtual space. If you want more proof, look no further than Genesis City. If you are unfamiliar with Genesis City, it is a virtual city where there are individual plots of ‘land’ that people can buy, and it’s not cheap, with a 10 by 10 meter plot of virtual land costing upwards of $400k NZD.
Those looking to shift into the metaverse space have highlighted the use of their technology to connect people remotely. Mark Zuckerberg and Meta focused on this in their rebranding presentation, and exemplified by their discussion about Horizon Workrooms. A virtual space, made to look like an office space, where avatars of colleagues can congregate to meet and discuss like they could in the real world, before we all had to work from home. It makes some sense, especially for those of us that have always wanted to go to work dressed as Batman but just can’t find the right fitting costume (right?).
People are quick to call this the ‘metaverse’, but is it really something new or simply a continuation of what we have been experiencing for years? The ability to ‘live’ and work in a virtual world is really nothing new. Released in 2003, Second Life introduced people to a virtual world that allowed them to do pretty much anything they could think of. The concept was hugely popular and saw over 21 million users registered by November 2010. Second Life allowed people to live out any fantasy they dreamed of, attend conferences, go to concerts, and also saw people meet others from around the world (resulting in a number of in-game and real-world marriages). Despite being nearly 20 years old, there are reportedly still around a million users playing the game today.
Sony even looked to compete with Second Life, when they released PlayStation Home in 2008 for the PlayStation 3, before it was shut down in 2015. Similar to Second Life, PlayStation Home was a virtual world which allowed users to wander around a city with various themed areas to explore with others online. While only ever released as a beta, it received a bit of a cult following, so much so that fans have been trying to bring it back ever since.
So the concept has been around for a while now, so why is everyone jumping full on into this space? Technological advances in internet connectivity with the likes of 5G, computing power and processing, and advancements in AI and machine learning have helped to enable this shift. While the last couple of years of lockdowns and working from home has accelerated the drive to bring it all together quickly.
While technological advances have made it easier than ever to get immersed in a different world, there is also a big appetite globally to experience something different in this space. One of the leaders here is Fortnite. Originally created as a 4-player game, Fortnite grew to a 100 person battle royale, but became so much more. With 350 million reported players, Fortnite saw an average of over 20 million users playing every day. Not content with being one of the most played games of all time, Fortnite diversified and in 2020 had US rapper Travis Scott perform a live set within the game. The result saw 27.7 million users take part in the concert, plus countless others watching it on YouTube and Twitch. You can even watch movies within Fortnite.
Fortnite’s ability to capture pop culture experiences highlights the way an environment, a metaverse, can allow people to embody a virtual existence and sheds some light into the worlds that the likes of Meta and Microsoft are looking to build. Be it through gaming, VR headsets, or augmented reality experiences, the virtual world is evolving rapidly.