Metaverse Observations and Beliefs

This article contains a listing of some metaverse observations and beliefs.

There do not appear to be any similar lists to compare this to, so your feedback on this list (and what is missing) is appreciated. I know that many of you can be tough critics, but constructive criticism is welcome. On the other hand, if this list strikes you as boring and unchallenging, that’s welcome news for me.

Observations

VR hardware and software is evolving rapidly.

• Hardware and software solutions are not stable
• Large investments can quickly become irrelevant
• Poor solutions are quickly replaced by better ones
• Continued investment is needed to stay current

There are limited rules for deciding what a metaverse is or how it should behave.

• Many definitions exist
• Fundamental definition is the ability to experience and perform actions with others in shared virtual spaces
• Guided by previous attempts at metaverse implementation
• Guided by current metaverse implementations
• Guided by existing virtual worlds
• Guided by science fiction

It is difficult to create a metaverse.

• Barrier to entry is high
• Expectations are high
• Investment period is long
• Significant investment required in money, people, and resources
• VR ecosystem is rapidly evolving, adding to risk
• Return on investment is unproven and uncertain

Competition already exists. There will more than one metaverse.

• Stranded content
• Fragmented userbase
• Increased innovation
• Increases risk for metaverse providers, developers, investors
• Increased choice for users, developers, advertisers, investors

There will be many different possible sources of revenue for a metaverse provider to choose from.

• Transactional advertising (“click here for our store”)
• Brand advertising (long-term exposure to brand “Nike!” “Nike!” “Nike!”)
• Connection or usage fees by users
• Connection or usage fees by commercial developers
• Premium content (models, features, events)
• Premium services
• Special placement of content/locations/events
• Rent, building or land ownership, and development
• In-world currency and in-world transactions
• Cloud storage services
• Cloud hosting services
• Consulting services

Beliefs

• For most companies, the metaverse will be used as an opportunity to extend their existing business models.
• In the short term, major metaverse platforms which intend to use surveillance or data mining of their clients are less likely to fully disclose that information for fear of backlash and reduced adoption rates.
• In the long term, major companies which are currently engaging surveillance and data mining of their clients are expected to continue that practice on a metaverse platform.
• A metaverse does not need to limit itself to real-world constraints just for the sake of closely simulating reality.
• The more complex and integrated a platform is, the slower that innovation becomes.
• Users and developers are dependent on platform providers for technological innovation.
• While competition can result in waste, it still remains a net positive for metaverse development. A competitive market is good.
• The choices made in the initial design of a metaverse are critical to its character and its success.
• A general-purpose metaverse cannot succeed inside of a self-contained bubble. It must interface with the real world to be successful. (Novelty will bring the users in, but utility will keep them.)
• A metaverse could be embodied in different forms which have yet to be demonstrated.
• A metaverse is most likely to be created and maintained by a small team effort, web-based company, or gaming company (rather than the telco or an organzied non-profit model as given in science fiction).

The Metaverse and the Virtual Home

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If this is your first time visiting Metaversing, please read:

This blog is about going beyond the science fiction descriptions of the Metaverse and actually fleshing out some of the concepts, designs, and details that are useful in bringing it to life. The ideas described here are not to be interpreted as the exclusive way for the Metaverse to be designed. We’re here to put a stake in the ground. We hope to start the conversation (where it doesn’t already exist) and to move the conversation forward.

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“The Basement” from Ready Player One, recreated in Second Life. Image Source: New World Notes Blog

I’m convinced that the Virtual Home is at the center of the user experience in the Metaverse. There is so much ground to cover, more than will fit in a single post. How do I convey a universe?

My design sensibility tells me that we’re going to have to iterate this over time in order to figure out what exactly this space needs to be. My gut tells me that we’re going to need quite a bit of competition to make those iterations happen.

The Virtual Home is born out of four concepts: the Launch Pad, the Personal Space, the Utility Space, and the Trusted Space. We’ll talk about each of these, and then we’ll talk about three different ways that this set of concepts play out.

Griefing and the Metaverse

Know Your Meme: Pool’s Closed

If you’ve been following some of the posts here on Metaversing, you may have noticed a slant towards planning and design issues. This isn’t by accident. Many issues seem innocent or almost trivial, but need to be carefully considered before jumping into an implementation. A well thought-out design can save countless hours of trouble down the road in the systems development life cycle.

Today, I have an easy prediction: the Metaverse is going to be the stuff of legends for hackers, griefers, trolls, vigilantes, security researchers, and spy agencies. If you’re already familiar with the scene at the top of this article, then you know what we’re looking at: an in-world denial of service attack. Do you see it? Is it the guy in the pool with the antlers on his head? No? To explain, let’s go back to design.