What is The Metaverse? A Simple Guide for Beginners

The Metaverse, some people call it “The New Era of Entertainment” others refer to it as the “Ultimate Virtual Reality Experience”, you may also call it the fancy version of the internet. It doesn’t have an exact or universal meaning. 

It was derived from the Greek word meta, which means beyond, across, or after, and from the word universe, symbolizing the vastness and the impact it would have in our lives.

This term was first heard from Neal Stephenson, a famous sci-fi writer who wrote the popular novel titled Snow Crash in 1994 and it referred to the virtual world where people’s virtual characters reside.

What is the Metaverse’s Purpose?

Metaverse will give birth to a true alternate reality experience that we can all explore and enjoy. Similar to gadgets like VR (virtual reality) Headsets and AR (augmented reality) software, Metaverse aims to not only enhance but also combine our real-life experience with the virtual world.

Imagine going to work or having a meeting while you are at home, it doesn’t really sound special or anything new, since most of us are already working from home due to the pandemic, right? Now, imagine your whole team and everyone in your company exploring a site or location for possible projects and constructions, enjoying the view, and planning everything, all while everyone sits comfortably at their home.

How Will Businesses Benefit from the Metaverse?

Think of the impact it would have on the business industry! Imagine yourself shopping in the biggest and fanciest mall from the other side of the world while you stay at home, being able to stare at the items and have a real sense of their actual size and how it looks as if you’re physically there inside the mall.

Imagine owning virtual real estate that you can explore as yourself and not be limited to a view from some rectangular screen. Games that people can experience in ways that we thought could only be possible in movies. Socializing with your friends and loved ones by talking to them face to face, not just through your phone or laptop, but being able to see them in their holographic form. 

It might even replace televisions and other similar appliances! Imagine being able to download a program that will project a screen that’s the size of the entire wall of your house without having to spend thousands of dollars for a flat-screen TV. I can go on and on with this, the possibilities are endless!

Examples of a “Metaverse” in Popular Culture

While the term Metaverse has been around for decades but has been widely ignored, the idea itself is quite popular in movies, books, and games.

For example, the book-turned-movie Ready Player One where a bunch of characters from different brands, animations, series, movies, games, are all in one place.

Another example is Wreck-It-Ralph, who breaks the internet. Literally jumping from one platform to another in the virtual space.

There are also a lot of NFT blockchain games that are building their own (or are joining) Metaverse like Axie Infinity, Sipher.xyz, Illuvium, and many more.

Which Companies are Building the Metaverse?

Other huge companies already started adapting to Metaverse like Microsoft, Facebook, and Epic Games, to name a few. The hype is so real that even Facebook rebranded itself to Meta. 

Huge games with the concept of Metaverse started popping up as well like Decentraland, The Sandbox, Axie Infinity, and popular games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox adapting to it, all competing and hoping to be part of Metaverse’s evolution.

But the truth is, even with our current level of technology, we are still a few years, or even decades too early to grasp and experience the Metaverse’s true potential, but when the time comes, it will, without a doubt, be an out-of-this-world and grandiose experience for all of us. A new and exciting future awaits us all!