Metaverse: Difference between revisions - VR & AR Wiki - Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Wiki

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The [[Metaverse]] is a collective [[virtual reality]] (VR) created by the author [[Neal Stephenson]], in his 1992 sci-fi classic [[Snow Crash]]. In this global-spanning virtual world, billions of users could socialize (e.g. hanging out in 3D bars and nightclubs), meet people, and do business. People could also play games in the Metaverse, although this was not its main goal. The concept of the Metaverse rapidly gained popularity after the novel’s release, and has influenced various personalities in the [[virtual reality]] and gaming industries <ref name=”1”> Ewalt, D. M. (2014). Mark Zuckerberg wants to build the Metaverse, and that's OK. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2014/03/26/mark-zuckerberg-wants-to-build-the-metaverse-and-thats-ok/#24abc9906230</ref> <ref name=”2”> Infante, A. (2014). 5 ways the Metaverse won’t be like you think. Retrieved from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-ways-metaverse-wont-like-think/</ref>.

The novel portrays a posthuman world in which a large number of its inhabitants have a parallel existence in the Metaverse <ref name=”3”> Sedore, M. (2012). The dangers behind technological progress: Posthuman control in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Master of Arts Thesis, Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A3969/datastream/OBJ/view/dangers_behind_technological_progress.pdf</ref>. This internet-like network is mostly populated by real people who use an avatar as a form of personal representation in the virtual space. The digital world is envisioned as a large cyber-planet containing buildings and structures that are found in reality, and others that are not. There are also synthetic characters that inhabit the Metaverse. These vary in capability and complexity, and they interact with the real people in the virtual space like they were avatars of other real characters <ref name=”4”> Allbeck, J. M. and Badler, N. I. (1998). Avatars á la Snow Crash. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/hms/24</ref>.

The novel portrays a posthuman world in which a large number of its inhabitants have a parallel existence in the Metaverse <ref name=”3”> Sedore, M. (2012). The dangers behind technological progress: Posthuman control in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Master of Arts Thesis, Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A3969/datastream/OBJ/view/dangers_behind_technological_progress.pdf</ref>. This internet-like network is mostly populated by real people who use an avatar as a form of personal representation in the virtual space. The digital world is envisioned as a large cyber-planet containing buildings and structures that are found in reality, and others that are not. There are also synthetic characters that inhabit the Metaverse. These vary in capability and complexity, and they interact with the real people in the virtual space like they were avatars of other real characters <ref name=”4”> Allbeck, J. M. and Badler, N. I. (1998). [[Avatars]] á la Snow Crash. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/hms/24</ref>.

The users enter the Metaverse by way of a [[virtual reality]] [[headset]] that wraps halfway around the head; the [[headset]] has small headphones that connect to the users’ ears. According to Sedore (2012), “When one is ‘goggled’ into the Metaverse, his headset will ‘throw a light, smoky haze across his eyes and reflect a distorted wide-angle view of a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness. This boulevard does not really exist; it is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place.’” <ref name=”3”></ref>

The users enter the Metaverse by way of a [[virtual reality]] [[headset]] that wraps halfway around the head; the [[headset]] has small headphones that connect to the users’ ears. According to [[Sedore]] (2012), “When one is ‘goggled’ into the Metaverse, his headset will ‘throw a light, smoky haze across his eyes and reflect a distorted wide-angle view of a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness. This boulevard does not really exist; it is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place.’” <ref name=”3”></ref>

The story’s main character is named Hiro Protagonist. He is a young man - a computer hacker by profession - that spends the majority of his time goggled into the Metaverse in order to escape from the harshness of reality <ref name=”3”></ref>.

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With the recent technological advances in the field of virtual reality, developers have been trying to create what they are calling the Metaverse. Based on Stephenson’s fictional creation, they intend to build an “interconnected virtual world where users can travel from one immersive experience to the next, like walking through an infinite series of doors that take you through an endlessly growing virtual universe.” <ref name=”6”> Bozorgzadeh, Amir-Esmaeil (2017). [[WebVR]] isn’t sexy, but it will change the game for VR this year. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2017/03/18/webvr-isnt-sexy-but-it-will-change-the-game-for-vr-this-year/</ref>

One of the building blocks that might lead to the actualization of a real world Metaverse is WebVR. This is a free [[JavaScript]] API developed by [[Mozilla]] that allows for VR experiences through a web browser. It has received support from [[Google]], [[Oculus]], [[Samsung]], and [[Microsoft]]. Indeed, Oculus’ VR web browser Carmel is based on the WebVR APIs <ref name=”7”> Bozorgzadeh, Amir-Esmaeil (2017). A primer on the Metaverse: The next iteration of the Internet. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/09/a-primer-on-the-metaverse-the-next-iteration-of-the-internet/</ref>.

One of the building blocks that might lead to the actualization of a real world Metaverse is WebVR. This is a free [[JavaScript]] API developed by [[Mozilla]] that allows for VR experiences through a web browser. It has received support from [[Google]], [[Oculus]], [[Samsung]], and [[Microsoft]]. Indeed, Oculus’ VR web browser [[Carmel]] is based on the WebVR APIs <ref name=”7”> Bozorgzadeh, Amir-Esmaeil (2017). A primer on the Metaverse: The next iteration of the Internet. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/09/a-primer-on-the-metaverse-the-next-iteration-of-the-internet/</ref>.

WebVR delivers immersive online experiences without downloads or install, maintaining all the rights and freedoms that users are accustomed to with the Internet, like open and affordable access. Many people have tried and failed to build the Metaverse, but WebVR seems to be the missing link that will lead to the next iteration of the Internet <ref name=”7”></ref>.

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===Furlan's five tenets===

In 2015, [[Rod Furlan]] - an artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of [[Lucidscape]] - shared five tenets for an “ideal” implementation of the Metaverse. These were:

In 2015, [[Rod Furlan]] - an [[artificial intelligence]] researcher and co-founder of [[Lucidscape]] - shared five tenets for an “ideal” implementation of the Metaverse. These were:

1.Creative freedom is not negotiable;

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In the final tenet, Furlan suggests that in “The same way that the web required a new way of thinking about information, the ideal metaverse requires a new way of thinking about computation. One of the ways this requirement manifests itself is by our proposal for the support of safe nomadic computation.” A nomadic program is an autonomous participant with similar “rights” of a human user. These programs can move from one server to the next without meaningful distinction between human operators and nomadic programs. They would carry their source code and internal state as they migrate between servers, and interact with users or improve the worlds visited <ref name=”5”></ref>.

The Metaverse ideas have been developing for some time. It will be a new place to engage in e-commerce, and it will have an impact in all aspects of life. Probably, all the problems of the real world will be represented in the Metaverse too. Things like crime and harassment, that are already encountered in the internet currently. According to Tim Sweeney, the Metaverse’s virtual economy could exceed the real economy, having the potential to become a utopia or dystopia. A real world version of the Metaverse has the possibility of becoming far more pervasive and powerful than anything else before it <ref name=”8”></ref>.

The Metaverse ideas have been developing for some time. It will be a new place to engage in [[e-commerce]], and it will have an impact in all aspects of life. Probably, all the problems of the real world will be represented in the Metaverse too. Things like crime and harassment, that are already encountered in the internet currently. According to Tim Sweeney, the Metaverse’s virtual economy could exceed the real economy, having the potential to become a utopia or dystopia. A real world version of the Metaverse has the possibility of becoming far more pervasive and powerful than anything else before it <ref name=”8”></ref>.

==References==