The metaverse is the name for a shared virtual world, intended to be the embodiment of the internet. While it’s been around since 1992, when Neal Stephenson coined the word in his novel Snowcrash, recent advances in VR headset technology have moved us closer to realizing this concept. Now everyone from Meta (Facebook) to small startups is trying to develop their own version of the metaverse.

Given that people are already spending a staggering amount of time inside computer games and virtual worlds – it’s projected that people will spend over 3 billion hours in VR by 2023. There has never been a better time to leverage the technology!

Meta-what?

You’re probably wondering what exactly the metaverse is, and if it’s anything like a real-life universe. The metaverse (also known as a shared virtual world) is essentially the name for a virtual reality where people can meet and interact with each other on their devices. It’s also called the “internet world” because you can use a computer or headset to access it from anywhere in the world. It will be like having multiple social media platforms combined into one big platform that allows you to connect with other people from all over the globe!

Where did this concept come from?

There have been many visions of the metaverse in science fiction, from Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash in 1992 to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline in 2011. But it wasn’t until recently that people started to seriously consider how a shared virtual world could be built and used. One of the first widespread efforts was Second Life (2003) which was an open-source platform with no real rules or goals, designed for people to create whatever they wanted within its confines.

Since then there has been an explosion of interest in the idea, with companies like Meta building their own products based on similar principles (Facebook Spaces, Horizon). And these are just the tip of the iceberg – there are countless start-ups working on their own versions of this concept right now!

Conclusion

As you can see, we’re on the edge of a huge metaverse revolution and a large change in the way we interact in virtual worlds. Whilst it is hard to predict what the metaverse will look like, it is not too early to start thinking of how you could leverage it. If you’re interested in getting involved and creating a unique experience please get in touch.