Metaverse 101
Cutting through the noise

Just as ‘cyber space’ was coined in the early nineties to describe the world wide web, the metaverse is a generic catch-all term which describes the next evolution of the internet.

But, just as no one service can be considered the entire Internet, no one company will be the entire metaverse. Sure, there will be some big players which represent large parts of it, but no one entity will provide everything.

A common misconception is that the metaverse is one virtual reality world in which we all exist. There will be a multitude of simulated virtual reality worlds and how we interact in them will be different for each.

Games like Fortnite, Roblox and Animal Crossing are often referred to as ‘walled gardens’, where single corporate entities own and control what goes on in that particular space

We live and breathe the physical world in three dimensions, so it is only right that our digital world will take the same form. This is just the natural evolution for content.

The saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, a 3D model is literally thousands of pictures and an immersive environment is made up of thousands of 3D models… the capabilities for communication are vast.

You will still be able to watch films and look at pictures, there will just be a better way to consuming them. Not every experience is improved by a full 3D recreation.

A huge time-sink in the real world is grocery shopping! A metaverse version wouldn’t involve a 3D supermarket – rather a hybrid of the quick-searching features of the current 2D online experience, combined with some 3D enhancements.

When talking about ‘immersive technologies’ people are referring to the current iteration of spatial computing. This is your internet device’s ability to recognise and understand the geo-spatial world around it, alongside human gestures.

This essentially gives users a greater sense of presence and allows for a more natural way to engage with the digital world.

Virtual Reality isn’t the only way to experience the metaverse. It’s already possible to access the Internet from multiple devices (laptop, tablet or phone) and this will also be true of meta spaces.

‍Further, you won’t need a screen to interact in the metaverse: we already connect to the Internet using just speech and audio via devices like a smart speaker… the metaverse smart speaker will just be more spatially aware.

Gaming only accounts for a small part of how the Internet is used today. From work to socialising, the Internet’s applications are endless and the purpose is fundamentally about better connection.

There isn’t a single industry that hasn’t been affected by the advent of the Internet and the same will be true of the metaverse.

Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox and Animal Crossing are examples of social virtual worlds that exist on the metaverse right now. Digital avatars, the digital economy, social connection, immersion… these are all major components of the metaverse and are all fully functioning elements which exist within many games.

We’re still waiting on interoperability and the seamless ability to jump between worlds.

Many aspects of the metaverse already exist. Using AR to place a virtual sofa in your living room to ‘try before you buy’ is a current example of interacting with a digital twin in the metaverse.

Imagine going into a physical store, only to find leaflets with descriptions of products – that’s how brands will exist in the metaverse if they don’t start to think about immersive experiences and 3D content.

Although many elements already exist, there are a few technological hurdles still to jump. VR headsets are yet to make the transition from bulky solo devices to trendy ubiquitous digital eyewear.

But, it is predicted that we will experience more technological progress in the next decade than we have in the past one hundred years. This speaks for itself.