FERNANDO.MARKETING: The Digital Marketing Blog

What is the Metaverse?

Much has been said about Metaverse in recent months. The Metaverse here, Metaverse there… But what is the Metaverse anyway?

There are different conceptions for what the Metaverse is now and for what the Metaverse could be in the coming years. We will explain to you in detail.

Since everything starts with a word, let’s start with the word.

The word “meta” comes from the Greek and means something like “beyond”. The word “verse”, in addition to being the lines of a poem, can be an abbreviation of the word “universe”. But in general, in the digital world, “verse” usually refers to the world created within a connected work or works of fiction.

Everyone has heard of Dr. Strange, from Marvel, right? But there it is “Multi” and here it is “Meta”. So let’s understand better.

But when we talk about the Metaverse, in the digital world, what is it, exactly?

The metaverse is a virtual reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.

In 90% of cases, we can replace the word “Metaverse” with “Cyberspace”.

It is important to say that there are Centralized Metaverses (which belong to an organization) and Decentralized Metaverses (which are built by a community, something more open-source, let’s say ).

The Metaverse that Meta (ex-Facebook) is investing in is a private Metaverse, they (the company) hold the power of the vast majority of things that happen there.

Another important point to highlight is that to access a metaverse you don’t depend on virtual reality glasses, you can even use them, but you don’t depend on them to access them.

You can access it from your notebook, cell phone, computer, in general.

The Metaverse doesn’t have to be exactly a new world, for social interaction, it can be a game, for example. Remember Pokemon Go? It uses elements of augmented reality in the universe of the game and real life, and can be considered a Metaverse.

Did you know that there are already several Metaverses out there? And most likely your nephew or son is already in the Metaverse and you don’t know.

Roblox is a platform where people go to play games. Roblox is not a game itself, but a place where people go to play games. Inside you can buy customizations, build scenarios, games…

Watch this video with a brief presentation of Roblox.

There are several others, World of Warcraft, GTA RP, Fortnite…

In the Fortnite Game, for example, there have been some shows where people get together with their characters to see the show.

Is the Metaverse synonymous with Web 3? Are they the same thing?

No, they are different things. The Metaverse, for example, may not use any blockchain technology or have NFTs.

But when we talk about Metaverse in Web 3, we can think of Metaverses with NFTs and based on technology blockchain.

When we talk about Web 3, we have to understand that it is a broader concept.

Web3 is an evolution of the internet as we know it. It will be a digital, social and cultural revolution that will profoundly impact our personal and professional lives. The Metaverse can and should be part of this revolution, but it is not alone in this.

How is the Metaverse in practice? How does the Metaverse work?

In the Metaverse conception proposed by Mark Zuckerberg, founder, president and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), people will be able to create avatars, play games, visit stores, shop, work in the Metaverse. That is, people will be able to have a virtual “second life”.

Remember Second Life? Well, this idea is not new, it already happened back in 2003. But due to the technologies of the time, the non-popularization of cell phones, Wi-Fi, 4g, 5g… it did not work.

But now everything is different and there is a real chance that more and more avatars will be interacting in the digital world out there. Web3 allows you to effectively own the assets you create within the Metaverse.

Definition of Metaverse Platforms

The most common explanation for the metaverse is that it is an open, shared universe that allows people to participate as digital avatars. However, one must understand that there is not a single metaverse currently, but a range of metaverse platforms.

These platforms are basically virtual platforms that assist developers in creating new virtual experiences, leveraging augmented reality, virtual reality and many other technologies. You can think of metaverse platforms as the bridges between the physical and virtual worlds. And to cross this bridge, you’ll need a computer, cell phone or virtual reality glasses.

How much does it cost to join the Metaverse?

To enter the metaverse with a virtual reality headset, you will need to purchase a headset. The average cost is R$3,000. However, to enter the metaverse as a user, you can enter for free, just having access to a cell phone or a computer.

Now if you represent a company and that company wants to enter the metaverse, do some action in the metaverse, a marketing action, for example, the values can vary a lot. From free environments to the purchase of virtual land to build spaces in the metaverse. Enter contact with us and we can help you if that is your objective.

What are the technologies used in the Metaverse?

The Metaverse uses technologies such as Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, among others.

What are the main Metaverses currently existing?

1. Decentraland

Decentraland is a browser-based 3D virtual world platform. Users can buy virtual land on the platform as NFTs through the MANA cryptocurrency, which uses the Ethereum blockchain. It opened to the public in February 2020 and is overseen by the non-profit Decentraland Foundation.

It is undoubtedly one of the most popular metaverse platforms.

2. The Sandbox

The Sandbox metaverse is a blockchain-based decentralized virtual project that you should definitely know about. It resembles a highly polished version of Minecraft. The sandbox allows its users to acquire land, develop, trade and create interactive assets using the available tools.

3. Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity, a game that has its own blockchain-based metaverse, caught the attention of a lot of people in the last year, for two reasons: its cute animal-like characters and because its players also have the chance to win real money while playing. (the famous play to earn)

4. Roblox

Roblox is an online gaming platform where you can play games designed by other users and create and share your own games using their game development tool, Roblox Studio.

5. Illuvia

It’s basically a complete decentralized RPG adventure game. The game requires players to explore landscapes to hunt and collect magical creatures, known as Illuvial. And yes, it is an exceptionally designed platform.

There are others like Somnium Space, Star Atlas, Metahero, Bloktopia, Cryptovoxels…

Conclusion

Well, these are some examples of the Metaverse. Metaverse is an open, shared universe that allows people to participate as digital avatars. There are Centralized and Decentralized Metaverses. And there’s still a lot to happen.

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