My Journey into the Metaverse.

If you’re a fan of anime (if you aren’t that’s fine! Keep reading, you’ll get the gist I promise!) then the idea of the metaverse isn’t entirely new to you.

A good example of where the idea was represented in a way is Sword Art Online, where the players are introduced to a virtual world called Aincrad (Other virtual worlds were later introduced in later episodes). With the aid of a helmet called the Nervegear, the players were able to enter the virtual world while also having the ability to control their in-game characters with their minds.

Another example is Overlord which is based on a Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game(DMMO-RPG) named YGGDRASIL. Many other animes and movies with similar storylines exist such as Log Horizon and Ready Player One.

NerveGear(Sword Art Online)

But if you aren’t so familiar with anime, a few questions running through your mind may be, what really is the Metaverse? Is it just a virtual world aimed at gamers? Does it belong to Meta(formerly Facebook)? How can I cash out on it?

Well, many definitions or ideas on what the metaverse is, exist on the internet because of an unclear understanding of what it actually is.

Honestly, there’s no single definition of the metaverse. It’s typically and simply explained as an interconnected virtual universe.

And, what can be done in this universe can’t be specifically defined because I believe each company trying to be at the helm of this development will be coming up with their different approaches and ideas.

But, I found an interesting POV online, the writer referring to Metaverse said, “think of it as a continuation of this world — the next step of our existence in digital format.” and honestly, I’m very excited to be alive at a time like this! I sometimes wonder what people from the past century would say if they woke up to all of this…it would probably be a lot to process, don’t you think? Let’s not even go into virtual currencies and NFTs!

A good example of the metaverse in action is Second life. Second life is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and have a second life in an online virtual world.

One of its users defined it as “not a game as such but rather an engaging entertainment world where you can practice projects, educate, entertain and mix and mingle observing subconscious behavior like no other place on the planet, or off it…environments are spectacularly imaginative and you can fly, swim, walk, run, your way through others dreamscapes and alternative realities. Or just create your own.

I love building and creating here where there are almost no limits. Hope to see you there sometime.”

With this definition in mind, I think you have got an idea of the answer for the next question;

Is Metaverse aimed at just gamers?

While reading an article on Second Life, I discovered that some religious bodies hold their services in the virtual world, also some banks and businesses operate in the virtual space.

Also, protests have been held in the virtual world. Pretty cool, right?

Second life apart, the possibilities, and opportunities that the metaverse presents are limitless. From education to the military, to healthcare, to real estate, to remote work, and many other opportunities!

So, does it belong to Meta(Formerly Facebook)?

Nah. Facebook changing its name doesn’t mean it automatically owns the metaverse or the idea of the metaverse. Nice try, Mark. JK.

But, what does Facebook name change mean?

Well, a simple explanation is that the company is willing to take a huge leap in this direction.

But, they didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to change their name to Meta, purchases, and products pushed out by this company show they’ve been working toward this direction for a while now. What this means is they’ll be amongst the forerunners in the development and actualization of the metaverse.

Other companies actively involved include Microsoft, Epic Games, Alibaba, Zara, and many more.

How can I cash in on the metaverse?

Good question mate…

Well, I remember playing an MMORPG where there were no goals, much like Second Life. Everything used by players were created by other players including the rewards you get from chests, the items (amour, weapons, gear, food, animals, laborers, etc) found in the market or even when you kill a dungeon boss were all created by players. Each item has a tag containing the creator’s name.

But, you could still make money off this game by selling the game’s currency outside the game. How? You make a purchase, then you meet with a buyer in a city in-game, and receive your money.

Other ways to make money via Metaverse include:

1. Investing in Virtual Real Estate.

This game also had opportunities to purchase land space, then build shops, factories, even just rent them out. I have also seen opportunities to purchase virtual land from websites like Opensea, Earth2, and Decentraland.

2. You could also run an eCommerce Business on the Metaverse.

3. Another way to make money via Metaverse is to open an art gallery or fashion exhibition center.

Some companies have already set dates for their fashion shows in the metaverse for this year while others such as Gucci have started selling virtual outfits.

4. You can also become a digital marketer.

5. If you’re an artist (or are interested in becoming one) you can hold concerts and shows.

Final Destination

Thanks for keeping me company through this journey, we have gotten to our destination. We have made it to the Metaverse (you should see my Gucci pants), now we need to dive deeper. Some places we need to visit include Web 3.0 and Blockchain. Click here to get notified when our ship is about to take off.