When the idea of metaverse was first introduced, those who were familiar with Ernest Cline’s 2011 ‘Ready Player One’ might have thought that we were moving towards making science fiction a reality.
The dystopian sci-fi illustrates a world that has free access to a virtual world where it is filled with virtual libraries containing very real knowledge, essentially making education free, and also gives people the ability to make real world money in game.
Basically, replacing life as we know it with a more dynamic and fun simulation - where you could customize your skin and appearance and become anything, from a vampire to a pirate. However, experts have claimed that humanity isn’t ready for that kind of immersive virtual reality yet because we’re used to interacting with our technology instead of living with it three inches away from our face.
Metaverse will not be exclusively AR or access through a headset, but will be made primarily for desktop users until we begin to interact with technology in a more intimate manner. Right now, we’re still struggling to introduce safe online gaming as there is no real way to gatekeep gamers from turning into trolls, or worse, con artists.
Take a look at Axie Infinity, a virtual arena where people can trade, breed, and battle cute creatures called Axies for real resources. While there are investors and gamers that use the platform to earn some side income, cons have also run rampant as new players try to acquire their first Axie.
Axie Infinity isn’t the first nor the last NFT/crypto-based metaverse that will hit the net as more and more join the fray every day. Decentraland and The Sandbox are another two popular metaverse games that allows their players to earn crypto in game.
With crypto and NFTs so closely intertwined in the development of metaverse games, it is only a matter of time when we get a virtual simulation where players may escape from their everyday lives while earning real money and making real friends without having to leave the comfort of their own home, which, to be honest, after the episode with Covid-19, doesn’t seem like that bad of an idea, after all.
The metaverse is slowly moving away from the idea of pure gaming, but it is becoming increasingly entangled with blockchain and DeFi, and if you’re hoping for a free experience much like that Cline’s sci-fi novel prepared you for, you’ll be waiting a long time - in the metaverse, nothing is free. As we have to purchase games, so do we have to purchase access to many of these up-and-coming metaverse games.
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