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...