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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Your first step to understanding what the metaverse is all about You've probably heard that the metaverse--a word that seemingly went from nonexistent to everywhere -- is the next big thing in technology. What is it, anyway? Written by a leading futurist, Metaverse For Dummies unravels the mysteries of the metaverse, for the curious and for anyone looking to get in on the ground floor. Discover how to carve out your niche in the metaverse with easy-to-understand breakdowns of the major technologies and platforms, a guide to doing business in the metaverse, and explorations of what meta means for sports, education, and just about every other area of life. The book even gives you a guide to safety in the metaverse, including how much of your real life you should share in your virtual one. This book answers all the big questions about the metaverse, in simple terms. * Explore the metaverse and the major players * Get a look at how the metaverse will disrupt industries from gaming to online commerce * Discover business opportunities on the metaverse * Dive into metaverse gaming and virtual events--safely This book is a must for anyone looking for an approachable primer on what the metaverse is, how it works, and the opportunities within it.
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Seitenzahl: 432
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Metaverse For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2023 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022951804
ISBN 978-1-119-93387-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-93388-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-93389-2 (ebk)
Metaverse For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Metaverse For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with the Metaverse
Chapter 1: Making Sense of the Metaverse
Getting How the Metaverse Started
Anticipating What’s Ahead for the Metaverse
Bringing the Metaverse into Your Personal Life
Using the Metaverse for Work
Visiting a Metaverse World
Chapter 2: Investigating Metaverse Platforms
Differentiating between Metaverse Platforms
Horizon Worlds
NVIDIA Omniverse
Decentraland
The Sandbox
Voxels
Somnium Space
Roblox
Bloktopia
Epic Games
Sony
Elevating the Metaverse Experience
Anticipating a Metaverse Future
Chapter 3: Staying Safe in the Metaverse
Setting Up for Metaverse Safety
Staying Safe in the Metaverse
Chapter 4: Mastering Money in the Metaverse
Understanding How Money Works on the Metaverse
Creating a Crypto Wallet Account
Protecting Your Money on the Metaverse
Buying and Selling on the Metaverse
Part 2: Engaging in Hobbies and Personal Interests
Chapter 5: Getting into Experiential Gaming
Envisioning a Metaverse for Gamers
Identifying the Frontrunners in Metaverse Development
Creating Your Own Metaverse Games
Chapter 6: All About Headsets
Experiencing Virtual Reality in the Metaverse
Buying Your First VR Headset
Popular Headset Models
Chapter 7: Getting Equipped to Game in the Metaverse
First Things First: Preparing to Start Gaming in the Metaverse
Knowing Which Hardware Is Essential
Choosing a Game Controller
Matching a Headset to the Gaming Experience
Adding Specialized Gaming Hardware and Accessories
Chapter 8: Enjoying Entertainment in the Metaverse
Choosing Your Own Experience with Metaverse Entertainment Channels
Streaming Content in the Metaverse
Monetizing Entertainment and Other Content
Chapter 9: Getting Involved with Your Interests in the Metaverse
Enhancing Hobbies with Metaverse Connectivity
Connecting with Other Hobbyists
Part 3: Creating a Business in the Metaverse
Chapter 10: Getting Familiar with Business Essentials
Seeing How the Metaverse Can Benefit Business
Acknowledging the Business Risks
Selling Products in the Metaverse
Providing Enhanced Services in the Metaverse
Getting Your Business onto the Metaverse
Chapter 11: Getting the Word out to the Metaverse
Marketing Your Brand in the Metaverse
Reaching Customers through the Metaverse
Promoting Your Business in Metaverse Marketplaces
Product Pricing in the Metaverse
Product Positioning and the Metaverse
Chapter 12: The Future of Work in the Metaverse
Making Work More Effective with the Metaverse
Engaging Remote Workers
Presenting Company Training in the Metaverse
Integrating a Metaverse Model of Work
Exploring Job Roles and the Metaverse
Chapter 13: Hiring, Training, and Connecting Employees
Extending Employee Training to the Metaverse
Hiring and Onboarding Employees in the Metaverse
Increasing Team Engagement
Part 4: The Future of Industry in the Metaverse
Chapter 14: Teaching and Learning in the Metaverse
Teaching in the Metaverse
Creating a Learning Experience in the Metaverse
Preparing for Class in the Metaverse
Dealing with Logistics and Technical Challenges
Accommodating Learning Groups
Ongoing Education for Professionals
Chapter 15: Health Care, Fitness, and Well-Being
Metaverse in the Medical Field
Studying Human Biology and Anatomy
Taking Fitness to the Metaverse
Considering a Metaverse Pharmacy of the Future
Seeing How the Metaverse Is Already Being Used in Health Care
Important Considerations for Health-Care Applications
Chapter 16: Moving Events into the Metaverse
Bringing the Metaverse to Events
Organizing a Metaverse Event
Monetizing Metaverse Events
Attending Entertainment Events in the Metaverse
Chapter 17: Woo-Hoo! Going Meta in Sports and Gaming
Bringing the Metaverse to Gaming and Sports
Experiencing Sports in the Metaverse
Gaming and the Metaverse
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 18: Ten Ways the Metaverse Can Help Businesses
Gaining First-Mover Advantage
Enriching Customer Experience
Contributing to Successful Product Rollouts
Collecting Data
Marketing with Influencers
Processing Payments and Finance
Testing Hardware
Growing a New Customer Base
Increasing Brand Awareness
Encouraging Employee Engagement
Chapter 19: Ten Use Cases in the Metaverse
Microsoft
Meta
Gucci
Hyundai
Walt Disney
Nike
Epic
Adidas
Shopify
Sotheby’s
Index
About the Author
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Gaming on Horizon Worlds.
FIGURE 2-2: The NVIDIA Omniverse.
FIGURE 2-3: Decentraland’s Genesis Plaza.
FIGURE 2-4: A map of all properties currently created on the Sandbox platform.
FIGURE 2-5: A view of Voxels.
FIGURE 2-6: The Somnium Space opening page.
FIGURE 2-7: A view of the Roblox platform.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: The Decentraland marketplace.
FIGURE 4-2: Sold! Halloween hatchet in the Decentraland platform marketplace.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: VR headsets enable you to experience the metaverse in three dimensi...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: The six degrees of movement.
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: A virtual billboard behind an avatar.
FIGURE 11-2: A virtual banner ad.
FIGURE 11-3: A sample customer persona.
Chapter 18
FIGURE 18-1: Heineken’s website describing the new Virtual Heineken Silver.
Guide
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Introduction
Metaverse For Dummies shows how the metaverse functions as just one part of a rapidly growing digital economy.
Thanks to the availability of the Internet, the emergence and consumption of new ideas and technologies take very little time. Take a minute and think about the early days of the Internet. It took at least a decade before the World Wide Web, as we know it, was being used commercially across the world.
Now consider the release and growth of smartphones, starting from the iPhone and others. Smartphones grew exponentially and, within a span of fewer than five years, were being used widely across the world.
The metaverse is now emerging and developing in an already developed marketplace where the essential building blocks are already available. These include high-speed microprocessors and memory, breakneck Internet speeds, high-definition graphics, and others. In this era, the metaverse is likely to develop much faster than we saw other technologies grow.
World-renowned futurist and pioneer Alvin Toffler said that “Technology feeds on itself,” meaning that technologies give rise to other technologies, and at a faster pace. This is true for any innovative solution that emerges today and is accepted by the masses. The metaverse is such a thing.
This book is your guide to cool places to explore the metaverse, early metaverse successes, and emerging metaverse platforms — from what it is to what it can do to where it can go.
A countless number of my friends and acquaintances have been excited to see this book released. There is a lot of excitement about the first such reference manual being written about a complex and emerging technology that is impacting millions of people right now.
One thing I can guarantee as the author is that the metaverse domain will continue to change and meander through the needs of the era we live in. More investments into developing the metaverse will likely happen, more jobs will be created into niche faculties of the metaverse, new career paths for eager technology professionals will emerge in the metaverse and related industries, and more value creation through the metaverse is at the horizon of this exciting era. You, as a reader, are part of this exciting era, and I look forward to taking you on an insider journey to the metaverse through this book.
About This Book
This book covers the essentials and beyond to get you up to speed with the metaverse. Throughout Metaverse For Dummies, I describe how people are putting the metaverse to use in their personal and professional lives. I also describe what the future may hold for how individuals and businesses use this highly emerging technology.
Here are some advantages of find out about the metaverse from Metaverse For Dummies:
This book massively simplifies concepts that are usually complex.
I’ve written in an easy-to-understand way, with careful focus on keeping things simple.
The book covers many areas of the metaverse and, as such, forms a great comprehensive reference.
This book covers the personal
and
business side of the metaverse.
This book is an ideal starting point to see how you can get the most from your metaverse experience. The metaverse is changing daily, and new information, vendors, and platforms are constantly emerging. Staying on top of the metaverse means reading and learning constantly.
Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.
Foolish Assumptions
In this book, I assume that you have very little knowledge about the metaverse. You also understand that, today, most people can’t avoid technology touching their lives in some way or another. Your experience as a reader could be very little or extensive. You may use apps on your phone and tablet, or you may manage complex server farms. One thing is for sure: Your curiosity about the metaverse has brought you to this book, and you’re in the right place.
Here are some other assumptions I make about you:
You may not have a background in technology, but you’re familiar with the Internet and social media.
You’re curious about technology in general and the metaverse in particular.
You want to either explore how you can use the metaverse for personal use or use it to enhance your career or business.
You may be an entrepreneur or leader who enjoys experimenting with and potentially championing new ideas within your organization or industry.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of valuable information that call out for your attention. Here are the icons you’ll encounter and a brief description of each.
The Tip icon marks tips and shortcuts that you can use to make your experience in the metaverse easier.
The Remember icon marks information that’s especially important to know. To siphon off the most important information in each chapter, just skim through these icons.
The Technical Stuff icon marks information of a highly technical nature that you can skip over if you’re short on time.
The Warning icon tells you to watch out! It marks important information that may save you headaches as you explore the metaverse.
The Futurecast icon highlights paragraphs where I put my “futurist cap” on and describe how the metaverse may be put to work in the real world. My ideas are based on my experience as a professional technology futurist, emerging technology consultant, educator, and creator of the Future Readiness Score, to name a few.
Beyond the Book
In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that includes tips to help you prepare for the metaverse. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type Metaverse For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
This book is not linear. You can turn to any chapter and read it from beginning to end, or you can read specific parts of chapters that answer questions you have today.
Here are some good places to start:
Chapter 1
is where it all begins! This chapter paints a picture of what the metaverse is. It’s a great place to start, regardless of your background and expertise.
Chapter 6
lays out all current virtual reality (VR) headset models and what’s available in the market. The chapter is not a buyer’s guide — I don’t rate the headsets — but it provides an overview of what’s popular as of this writing.
Chapter 12
is a great resource to understand the future of work and the role of the metaverse therein. It’s a good place to start if you’re curious about the future of work and you have some basic understanding of the metaverse.
Part 1
Getting Started with the Metaverse
IN THIS PART …
See what you can do in the metaverse.
Explore what the many metaverse platforms offer.
Stay safe in the metaverse.
Understand how money works in the metaverse.
Chapter 1
Making Sense of the Metaverse
IN THIS CHAPTER
Seeing how the gaming industry helped develop the metaverse
Forecasting how the metaverse may be used in the future
Inviting the metaverse into your personal life
Knowing how the metaverse may affect the workplace
Joining a metaverse world
This chapter introduces you to the history and development of the metaverse — from its early beginnings within personal computing to its evolution into a $2-trillion-plus industry in the next decade. Knowing where the metaverse started will be useful when connecting the dots between vendors, big tech, gaming, and other stakeholders. It’ll also help you think more clearly about incorporating the metaverse into your organization’s product strategy and in your personal life.
GOING “META” WITH TERMINOLOGY
The word meta has many connotations and meanings. Ancient Romans used meta to indicate a column or post, or a group of columns or posts, that marked the turns on a racetrack. The term also has meanings specific to chemistry and art. English uses the prefix meta– to indicate something that describes itself or another thing in an encompassing or more abstract way. If you work in marketing, web design, or another related field, for example, you may recognize the term metadata, which describes header and identifying information in a digital asset (such as a JPG image in which the metadata tells you when and where the picture was taken) or data packets or a web page identifier tag in web design.
The word meta may mean many things, but in the context of this book, the metaverse refers to virtual reality–based online worlds. Some of these worlds are gaming environments or online games, and others function more as online virtual places where you can do other activities such as meet people, learn new things, or simply hang out. And the types of virtual worlds you can find in the metaverse continue to expand and are likely to continue to evolve. This book covers many of these worlds and shows how they work.
In technology and pop culture, the word meta has been used to signify a positive change toward the future. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was so motivated by the possibility of the metaverse that he renamed Facebook Meta. So, if you come across the company name Meta, it’s the former Facebook I’m referring to. Meta has its own metaverse world called Horizon Worlds, which I talk about throughout this book.
For the sake of the book, though, metaverse is the collection of the virtual worlds, and Meta is the company run by Zuckerberg.
Getting How the Metaverse Started
Much of how the metaverse works and what it feels like to use it is built on knowledge first gained by the gaming industry. Graphics technology, for example, affects how quickly images appear and move onscreen. The better your graphics card, the more colorful, detailed, and interactive the display can be without compromising a computer’s performance. Computer game creators knew that what worked to power a Windows dialog box could also be used to power more picturesque and interactive gameplay. So, they used the same hardware advancements that helped the Windows operating system run smoothly and in color to enrich the visual experience of the games they developed without overheating their players’ computers.
Similarly, virtual reality (VR) went mainstream in the 2010s. As VR headsets became more affordable and consumer-grade hardware began to make entry into the marketplace, gaming providers started designing games that would work with VR headsets and provide gamers with new experiences.
Metaverse-based VR worlds have taken a new direction. Part 2 of this book covers more about gaming in the metaverse. New metaverse worlds and providers are emerging, however, focused not only on gaming but also on other activities.
In this book, I take a deep look at existing and emerging metaverse worlds and how they’re growing. I also look at how technology vendors are opening up these platforms for non-gamers, hobbyists, professionals, and others. There is also a push by other industries, such as high-end fashion, that are entering the metaverse. Part 3 of this book shows how businesses leverage the metaverse as an independent marketing channel either on its own or to complement existing “real-life” channels. In Part 4 of this book, you see how the metaverse can shape the future of collaboration and communication.
The metaverse has its roots in gaming, but its potential applications reach far beyond gaming. This book covers the impact of the metaverse on health care, entertainment, professional services, and a number of other industries and professions.
Anticipating What’s Ahead for the Metaverse
In terms of development, the metaverse today is where the Internet was in the early 1990s. The early Internet was shaped by new ideas, technologies, and ways of doing things. With the right investments, adoption, and usage, the Internet grew into the Internet we know today (for better or for worse, depending on who you ask!).
Similarly, the metaverse today provides an interesting place for many activities, but many of them are still in the early days of development, such as gaming, art exhibitions, group activities, hobby clubs, and others that have just started to develop and gain traction. The investment and attention put into building the metaverse over the next five to ten years will determine what the metaverse ultimately becomes and the value it creates.
The metaverse can help the real world by:
Serving as an opportunity to create economic value
Creating jobs and new professional opportunities
Creating new experiences
Connecting people and building communities
Adding value
Chapter 19 provides ten case studies that show how the metaverse is being used in the real world.
Bringing the Metaverse into Your Personal Life
What is the role of the metaverse in your personal life? Imagine you’re spending time with your friends and family, your loved ones, and you aren’t at work. Your role is different from when you’re at work. What role can the metaverse play in this case?
In order to answer this question, you need to understand what you do in your personal life that’s different from what you do at work. Today, with the emergence of technologies, smartphones, tablets, and ubiquitous Internet connectivity, the gap between the workplace and personal lives has slightly diminished. Today, with remote work and work from home, boundaries between being at work and being at home are sometimes blurry.
That said, you can use the metaverse as an avenue for learning, entertainment, and other aspects of life that have nothing or little to do with being at work. Here are some examples of how you may use the metaverse at home and in your personal life.
Finding entertainment in the metaverse
The metaverse is a conduit to a whole new world of entertainment. You can play online games, some of which are based on a network play and some in which you join a specific metaverse world and start engaging with others. You can also watch some of your favorite musicians and artists perform in the metaverse, attend concerts and performances, and attend major sports events. These avenues for entertainment are just the start. Turn to Part 2 for more about entertainment in the metaverse.
Getting fit with the metaverse
Special accessories can make metaverse fitness more engaging, so not surprisingly, the fitness industry is embracing the metaverse. You can join a fitness class or a specific group-fitness activity in the metaverse. Chapter 15 covers some of the fast-growing health and fitness areas in the metaverse and how you can get the most from them.
Learning in the metaverse
The metaverse is making learning more engaging. Maybe you have younger children who need to learn about a specific topic, or maybe you’d like to learn something new yourself.
If so, get your VR glasses and join a learning experience curated by a museum in the metaverse, or visit a far-off land such as New Zealand, which is promoting itself in the metaverse. You can find many options for learning about new things in the metaverse, and as organizations, providers, and other entities enter the metaverse, learning will catch up quickly.
From enabling remote learning to helping students experience learning in a 3D format, the future of education is likely going to be very experiential through the metaverse. Imagine being able to walk with virtual dinosaurs or fly with bees as they pollinate different flowers — everything is possible in VR!
To find out what learning can mean in the metaverse, check out Chapter 14.
Socializing in the metaverse
Fifty years ago, people met in social gatherings. In the 2000s, people met online in chat rooms. Now you can meet people in the metaverse when you engage in group activities, such as developing personal interests, hobbies, and professional networking. The next section, “Finding hobbies in the metaverse,” and Chapter 9 cover finding hobbies in the metaverse.
As with social media, you may find that some of your friends are exclusively metaverse friends, and others may become friends you communicate with through other means — text, email, phone, social media, and so on. You may even choose to meet in real life.
Take precautions when taking your conversations in the metaverse into actual, physical life on planet Earth. Meet in a public places with other people around, in order to create a personal safety net. Turn to Chapter 3 for more on staying safe in the metaverse.
Finding hobbies in the metaverse
Hobbyists will find the metaverse interesting when they’re able to find people with similar interests in the metaverse and ready to share their expertise, time, and enthusiasm for their hobbies.
As more and more people connect to each other in the metaverse, hobbyists will be able to create groups, forums, and perhaps new metaverse worlds focused on specific hobbies.
Think about meeting your journal writing group in the metaverse or attending the next LEGO Builders Club meeting in the metaverse. Anything is possible! Right now is a very early time in the development of the metaverse, and as a result, we have a lot to look forward to in terms of hobbyists leveraging it to its full extent.
See Chapter 9 for more about finding hobbies in the metaverse.
Using the Metaverse for Work
From small businesses and entrepreneurs to large enterprises, the metaverse can find its place in every nook and cranny of the work world and be a useful tool to perform a specific task. The metaverse can serve as a channel of engagement, to build a customer base, sell products, and even provide customer service.
In the public sector, governments can use the metaverse to change government experience and reduce friction between citizens’ services and how governments deliver those services. Turn to Chapter 10 for some examples of how this is already happening and how some private and public sector entities are jumping on board to create better governance and value for citizens.
At a business level, a number of activities are emerging in the metaverse. In Chapter 4, I look at non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the retail industry, the emerging metaverse real estate, and perhaps the application of the metaverse for specific professionals.
If you were around when the Internet started growing exponentially, around the year 2000 and after, many new things were happening on the Internet, including “Internet banking,” where you could actually log in to your bank and check your balances (amazing!). Today, accessing a bank online or with an app is a feature most consumers expect. There was also a time when early Internet users were introduced to the ability to order something online and get it delivered by mail. Believe it or not, most people hesitated to buy anything online, but some experimented with it. Today e-commerce is a multi-trillion-dollar industry, and most people order things with an app without giving it a second thought.
It’s way too early for most people to even fathom how the metaverse will affect the workplace, but there are people who specialize in foresight and forecasting who can shed light on what the future may look like for work. Here are some ways the metaverse may be used for work:
Customer service reps:
New careers will emerge that will need people to do specific jobs in the metaverse. Most of these could be customer service, customer relations, and meeting people.
Metaverse designers:
Complex environments in the metaverse require a lot of brain work and creativity. Your skills will be needed if you can program, design, or imagine new worlds and ideas.
Virtual offices:
We’ve heard about virtual offices in the real world, but virtual offices in the metaverse will host specialists who are experts in things such as NFTs and metaverse design.
Teachers and instructors:
Are you a teacher or an instructor and do you want to build a following in the metaverse? The other avatars you see in the metaverse are people, too, and many of them may fall into your target audience. Future teachers will hold classes and teach new skills in the metaverse — everything from Spanish to how to create new 3D art.
Meetings:
Many companies have started using the metaverse on an experimental basis to see its suitability for collaboration. This means hosting some meetings and creating employee collaboration opportunities in the metaverse.
If you’re curious to see more about how the metaverse might affect your work experience, head over to Chapter 12.
Visiting a Metaverse World
So, how do you enter the metaverse or connect with one of the many VR worlds? The next few sections walk you through entering the metaverse for the first time.
Among the emerging metaverse worlds you can visit, some focus on gaming, some focus on meeting people, while others are trying to create new shopping and event experiences in the metaverse.
Accessing the metaverse
Accessing a metaverse world requires computer hardware and access devices such as a VR headset, that have enough capacity and computing power to be able to properly display graphics and provide an optimal metaverse experience.
For a typical metaverse world, you can use a browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Firefox. Any of these browsers will be able to open the main page of the metaverse world you’re trying to access.
This section provides the URLs (web addresses) to some of the most common metaverse worlds, some of which I cover in later chapters. To visit any of these metaverse worlds, type the URL exactly as shown into your browser address bar and press Enter.
Following is a general list of interesting places in the metaverse. These are popular metaverse VR worlds that can be accessed through a web browser in most cases, although some may ask you to exclusively have a VR headset.
Enter the URL into your web browser exactly as written in the following table. Depending on your browser settings, you may or may not get a warning that the website is unsafe. Proceed with caution if you do get this warning, or just don’t go to the website, if you prefer. Things are constantly changing online.
Metaverse
URL
Bloktopia
www.bloktopia.com
Decentraland
https://decentraland.org
Horizon Worlds
www.oculus.com/horizon-worlds
Illuvium
http://illuvium.com
Roblox
www.roblox.com
The Sandbox
www.sandbox.game
Somnium Space
www.somniumspace.com
Voxels
www.voxels.com
There are hundreds of metaverse worlds you can visit online. The preceding list is a small representation of the popular metaverses. Chapter 2 describes in detail what each of these metaverse worlds offers.
Choosing a metaverse world to visit
When you’re choosing which metaverse world to visit, consider what you want from your metaverse experience. Some metaverse worlds focus on gaming, and others may focus on activities such as visiting a museum in the metaverse or even attending a metaverse concept.
Think of visiting a metaverse world similar to browsing an online social network. Many social networks are available to choose from — Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and others. Not all platforms are relevant for every person. Some people prefer to use Facebook to stay in touch with their friends or engage in a specific type of activity, such as hobbies, attending art and entertainment events, and more. Others prefer Twitter because it offers information in a different format with a different type of audience mix. When you choose which metaverse world to visit, consider matching your interests with what the metaverse offers.
Save time by knowing which metaverse world you want to visit and why before taking all the steps to join or create an account for it. Joining a metaverse platform takes effort and can be time-consuming — from creating an account or connecting your wallet to customizing your avatar. Browsing a metaverse platform and finding your place within the metaverse also takes time. Researching the suitability of a metaverse platform with your interests saves time in the long run. For an overview of metaverse platforms, turn to Chapter 2.
Setting up a metaverse profile
Every metaverse world requires users to create a profile. Like any other website or platform online that requires users to create a username and set a password, the metaverse is very similar. A common factor among all metaverse worlds here is the requirement to create a username and select a secure password.
To ensure the greatest possible security, use a different password for each of your metaverse world profiles. And of course, be sure that all your metaverse (and other) passwords are unique from the passwords you use for your email or banking website.
In some cases, you may also be able to use your Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account to log in without creating an account. This happens because of an agreement between these entities or single sign-on (SSO) or the fact that the metaverse is connected to one of these vendors. For example, to access Horizon Worlds, you need to use your Meta (previously Facebook) login, rather than create a new username and password. Horizon Worlds is part of Meta and doesn’t require you to create a new username and password.
After you’ve created your username and password, you’ll be able to further customize your profile with information such as your age and date of birth. You’ll also select security questions and their answers and then create your first avatar, or the virtual you, for that metaverse.
Creating an avatar
An avatar in the metaverse can be defined as your visual representation within a metaverse. You may choose to represent yourself as a human figure, an animal, a cartoon character, or a superhero, or choose from hundreds of other options. You may also be able to customize your appearances such as changing your hair color, your height, eye color, and other aspects of your appearance.
You can also decorate your avatar or your virtual self using different clothes available on various metaverse worlds. Some leading fashion brands also offer digital clothes in which you can dress your avatar. Many fashion brands are also tapping into the metaverse and selling digital clothes for avatars. The world of avatars is undergoing exciting changes as it expands and connects with the world of fashion.
At this time, there’s no way to use the same avatar across different metaverse worlds. For example, you can’t use your metaverse avatar from Roblox on Horizon Worlds, or from the NVIDIA Omniverse on Decentraland and others. We’re currently in the early development stages of the metaverse, though, so this may change.
You can always continue participating in your metaverse with a default avatar and come back to customize it later. No need to feel rushed!
Personalizing your experience
Experiences in the metaverse depend on a number of factors, including the metaverse world you’re visiting. Each metaverse world offers its own experience. Horizon Worlds, for example, may offer proprietary games and activities, while Roblox may offer a completely different experience offering the ability to create your own games within a unique 3D graphic interface. As you participate in the metaverse world of your choice, personalizing your experience will be about choosing some parameters and options for your avatars.
Funding your metaverse account
Good news: You can buy things in the metaverse! As of this writing, what you can buy is mostly digital goods, digital art, digital clothes, and accessories for your metaverse avatar and other digital wares.
In order to purchase something in the metaverse, you need to fund your wallet on that specific metaverse. A full chapter on mastering money in the metaverse is coming up in Chapter 4, where I cover the essentials of money in the metaverse, funding your wallet, and buying and selling in the metaverse.
Funding your metaverse account will get you started with the world of cryptocurrencies. In Chapter 4, I go through the process of funding your metaverse account, also called a wallet, with a tiny amount of cryptocurrency, and converting that into a metaverse proprietary cryptocurrency. Different metaverses are accepting different cryptocurrencies. Some have created their own cryptocurrencies, which can be converted from U.S. dollars, British pounds, Canadian dollars, and other commonly used currencies.
There is a limit on which currency can be converted into cryptocurrency and ultimately used to fund your metaverse wallet. The reason for this is that cryptocurrency is currently not recognized by all monetary agencies worldwide and your bank may not allow you to convert your local currency into crypto. If this happens, don’t be disappointed. You can still participate in many metaverses but your ability to buy digital goods may be limited.
Funding your metaverse account is a very simple and straightforward process. Funding the account will give you the ability to have a wallet through which you can purchase a digital product in the metaverse.
This book doesn’t recommend or suggest you buy any product or service in the metaverse. The only reason I cover this subject is because of the crucial aspect of creating safe and secure buying and selling experiences in the metaverse, and to help you as a first-time metaverse participant to know the exact process of funding buying and selling. Your safety is my prime concern.
EVERYONE WANTS TO RULE THE METAVERSE
As the metaverse evolves, many new private- and public-sector entities are trying hard to lead the push to the metaverse. Meta has completely changed its organization focus and has renamed the company to reflect the seriousness of its focus on the metaverse. Governments are not behind. The government of the United Arab Emirates and the city of Dubai are making many first things in the metaverse happen. These include the world’s first government office in the metaverse, the world’s first wedding in the metaverse, and other trailblazing efforts.
In the end, the metaverse will become what people choose to put into it. It will offer the ability to communicate better if people create new and better ways to communicate in the metaverse. It will help with engagement if people create highly engaging experiences on it. With every technology, there is an adoption curve, and the metaverse will have one as well. The progression from early adopters to mass adoption takes time, as people lay the foundation of a metaverse that has appeal for the masses.
Cool places to visit in the metaverse
There are many cool places to visit in the metaverse. The following places are part of some of the metaverse worlds listed earlier, so you may need to log in to a metaverse to visit or experience these:
Musee Dezentral, the world’s first metaverse museum:
https://musee-dezentral.com/museum
Metamall, the world’s first metaverse mall:
https://metamalls.io
MetaVegas, Las Vegas in the metaverse:
https://dreamlandxr.com/metavegas
Metaverse Fashion Week:
https://metaversefashionweek.com/
Throughout this book, I mention many metaverses and provide links that you can access either with a computer browser or through VR headsets. Although you don’t need to purchase a VR headset to experience the metaverse, having one will generally offer you a better experience.
Chapter 2
Investigating Metaverse Platforms
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding what makes each metaverse platform unique
Exploring the experiences provided by popular metaverse platforms
Anticipating how the metaverse may evolve
This chapter covers the most popular metaverse providers (as of this writing) and their metaverse platforms. Content in this chapter will change as new metaverse providers emerge, and metaverse worlds fade in and out of popularity. I suggest becoming curious about the metaverse and periodically checking your favorite tech websites and media platforms for the latest on what’s changing in the metaverse. The upcoming sidebar, “Keeping up with the metaverse,” lists some of my favorite tech websites that keep me well informed.
KEEPING UP WITH THE METAVERSE
The metaverse is growing at the speed of, well, the metaverse. Here are some of my favorite tech websites that help me keep a finger on new developments:
CoinDesk:www.coindesk.comCointelegraph:https://cointelegraph.comDecrypt:https://decrypt.coMashable:https://mashable.comTechCrunch:https://techcrunch.comTechRadar:www.techradar.comTNW:https://thenextweb.comVentureBeat:https://venturebeat.comThe Verge:www.theverge.comWired:www.wired.comDifferentiating between Metaverse Platforms
The term metaverse refers to a general category of 3D worlds, mostly accessible with virtual reality (VR) headsets, that you visit and interact with in real time. Metaverse providers such as Decentraland, Horizon Worlds, The Sandbox, and many others have already created 3D worlds offering communities, entertainment, and a host of activities you can participate in with other users. In recent days, the metaverse has seen a high level of interest as cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are being used for added experience delivery on most platforms. In this chapter, I cover the metaverse platforms that exist today, how they differ from each other, and the types of experiences available on a select few of them.
At the time of writing this book, more than 150 companies are building metaverse platforms.
When you browse the Internet, you look for websites that suit what you want to accomplish. Today the Internet is a place the majority of us visit to connect with friends, buy or sell goods or services, listen to music or watch a movie. You could be using the Internet to learn something new, attend classes, or book flights for your next vacation. Depending on what you need, you probably visit a host of different websites that get you where you want to go or help you accomplish your goals.
The metaverse is new and yet similar to the Internet. As with the Internet, when you “browse the metaverse,” you choose the metaverse world that best suits the activity, or experience, you want to immerse yourself in. You may want to meet friends in your hobby group, learn something new, or enjoy a live concert by your favorite artist. The metaverse offers a wide range of activities and yet not all metaverse worlds are the same or identical.
The following sections describe the types of metaverse worlds currently available. The section “Future metaverse variations” considers what interacting with the metaverse could be like in the future.
Metaverse
Metaverse is a general term that describes a virtual 3D world where users can engage in activities. Just as we use the term email or Internet to define a general category of online tools, in a similar, way the metaverse is a very general category of a specific 3D world that has many levels of interactivity. Metaverse is used as a blanket term for various platforms and communities currently available and being developed within the framework of the metaverse. Specific communities and platforms provide different types of abilities to users, just like different social media platforms provide different experiences.
The metaverse is the collection of all the different metaverse platforms that have been created. These platforms are of different shapes and forms, have different visual elements, and may offer different types of functionalities for their participants. The metaverse is ultimately a three-dimensional medium of communication or a channel. Within this channel, there are many elements. The most defining one is an artificially created 3D environment. Providers have created various 3D environments that are referred to as metaverse platforms. These platforms offer different levels of interactivity and experience. Some offer the ability to meet other users on the platform and engage in a game, while others offer the ability to collaborate on 3D design and industrial applications. The metaverse is just evolving and is at a very initial stage. There is a lot to look forward to!
Private and public metaverses
In the future, private and public versions of the metaverse will exist. I’m defining a public metaverse as a metaverse where anyone can register for an account and join the activities or engagement therein. Metaverse platforms that are available today and that I cover throughout this book are part of a public metaverse.
In addition to a public metaverse, the future may see private metaverses that house platforms for a specific member-based community. Participation in a private metaverse is likely to be enabled by an invite-only platform or accessible because the users are part of a group or have certain rights or privileges. For example, a professional group, university, or corporation may create its own metaverse platform to be used by its members or employees only.
Future metaverse variations
Future metaverse platforms can possibly have other variations as well. This could include a hybrid metaverse platform where members can create or belong to communities accessible on the public metaverse by members only, usually based on credentials or other criteria. These metaverse platforms may be hosted on private networks rather than public ones. Similar to a private cloud versus a public cloud environment, future metaverse platforms are likely to be niche-focused, private, and customizable.
As adoption of the metaverse grows, imagine being able to join platforms that are extremely selective when it comes to providing access — for example, a private metaverse for membership-based groups and communities where access to the masses is not a core mandate. Think about an alumni group, a niche skill member group, a high-performance athletic group, or a high-net-worth entrepreneur group, all of whom may create private metaverse platforms. Everyone can be part of the metaverse!
Some of these concepts are extremely future-focused and may not even officially exist. People are creating new ground in the metaverse, and many terms and definitions will start to appear in the mainstream in the next few months and years.
Horizon Worlds
Horizon Worlds (shown in Figure 2-1) is a metaverse world created by Meta. It features entertainment, gaming, live shows, and celebrity appearances. As a product of Meta, Horizon Worlds naturally appeals to a wide range of users.
FIGURE 2-1: Gaming on Horizon Worlds.
As of late 2022, a collection of interesting experiences is available on Horizon Worlds:
Social network:
Horizon Worlds serves as a social network where you can meet with friends, play games, work out as a group, or engage in activities such as creating a new world.
Gaming: You can play games, get into group gaming with others, and enter competitions. You can also compete, win rewards, and gain social status within the specific gaming environment by earning points.
Horizon Worlds currently features the largest number of games that can be played on a single metaverse platform. A reason for this is a thriving community of users on Meta — more than 3 billion users as of 2022, and the company’s focus on making the metaverse the main area of user interaction going forward. Horizon Worlds also has first-mover advantage and has put extensive effort into attracting users to its metaverse platform. That said, you may find a more interesting game on another platform. Go explore!
Fitness:
Horizon Worlds offers fitness classes, games, and other fitness apps that users can engage with, using the platform as a fitness companion.
Entertainment:
Entertainment includes live concerts with celebrity performers, singers, and events worldwide. You can get access to front-row seats and watch your performers live.
Ultimately, you’ll be able to use Horizon Worlds for entertainment or work. Meta is expanding the Horizon Worlds platform to offer workplace collaboration tools. This includes the ability to create virtual rooms in your workplace and meet with your colleagues and teammates in a virtual environment.
Most experiences on Meta require the Meta Quest 2 headset. The headset connects to Horizon Worlds through your Meta account. For more on headsets, turn to
