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There are many names for what we describe as “digital” or “virtual worlds” in which you can effectively explore, communicate and collaborate in all types of experiences.
Mark Zuckerberg’s recent Facebook name change to “Meta” was simply the result of entering an already established space, later in the game, under the auspices that they were the pioneers.
Since COVID-19 hit, we’ve seen much-heightened interest on almost all digital platforms: Video conferencing apps, television streaming and social media have all soared in activity.
Much of this new activity was deploying pre-existing infrastructure until worldwide lockdowns ignited the need for global-reaching electronic tools and virtual environments.
Video conferencing was often a second, third or fourth form of communication, however during the pandemic, these utilities became vital. A simple Zoom call or a WhatsApp chat group could technically be considered a “meeting in the metaverse.”
Additionally, with the cosmic rise of NFTs, gaming environments, virtual meeting spaces, remote concerts, audio-only apps, and video platforms, and with investments in virtual real estate and metaverse companies already booming, the market is only now starting to fire up.
Related: 4 Ways to Revolutionize Your Customer Experience in The Metaverse
Defining our terms
“Metaverse” was originally coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, where humans, as programmable avatars, interact with each other and software agents, in a three-dimensional virtual space.
The term simply refers to remote digital environments (usually hosted in the cloud somewhere) with enhanced communication, engagement, and interactive elements such as the ability to walk around virtually, talk to others or collaborate on virtual activities.
Metaverse, as a label, is pretty agnostic to the platform, type of technology, process, or environment it’s being hosted in, and many others have now expanded on that definition, creating their own niche names, such as Marvel’s Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse or Fluf World’s, Futureverse — of which Keanu Reeves in an honorary board advisor — or Decentraland, (one of the most widely known in the Web 3.0 and NFT space).
Related: Lifestyle Metaverse MT Tower Begins Third Seed Round Funding
A plethora of platforms
As such, the metaverse (or whatever each creator calls it) is still very much in the inception stage and being built across the board, with many still under the radar, and with that will come many different forms of virtual reality environments.
Here are some of the wider known metaverses currently available or in a late stage of development: Sandbox, Star Atlas, Cryptovoxels, Somnium Space, Roblox, Arium, The Mirrorverse, and Spatial.
My company recently launched our own metaverse experience so as to premiere our new series on the blockchain industry entitled “NFTme.” We created a custom Red Carpet Premiere Experience where the featured guests, VIPs, industry journalists, and entertainment professionals could meet and catch an early glimpse of the show before it hit screens worldwide. It was a first for the entertainment community.
Prior to the event, I was unsure how it would go, but the entire experience was phenomenal, and our metaverse provided us with an experience that anyone globally could join from their phone, desktop, or VR headset simply by clicking a link. Feel free to dive in and experience the NFTme Metaverse for yourself, which is now open to the public.
It’s only the start of the global experience that will undoubtedly absorb more of our time, as does social media, but in return provide us more accessibility, interaction, and experience for those who can’t make it in person.
Related: 5 Types of Content That Will Draw People to the Metaverse
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