The path to the metaverse will likely be through videogames, not real world technology. That’s the premise behind Oculus VR, Second Life, Nvidia’s Omniverse platform, Microsoft’s Roblox, and other gaming concepts. Clearly, there’s a lot of room for improvement, and it’s only a matter of time until the videogames we play today will be the ones that make it possible for our imaginations to run wild.
Oculus VR
The technology behind the metaverse has been driven by advances in online videogames, including the leading interactive experience Second Life. These videogames have led to a rapid evolution of the virtual world and are paving the way for many other kinds of immersive experiences. Some videogames have been adapted into real-life environments, including augmented reality concerts. In the past, musicians have held virtual concerts in game platforms.
The technology giants are also pursuing acquisitions of videogame companies. Facebook recently acquired PlayGiga, a Madrid-based cloud gaming company. Microsoft was reportedly in talks to purchase chat startup Discord, which is popular among gamers. Microsoft has a track record of gaming deals and recently closed its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media Inc., which is a virtual world platform and social gaming service.
Second Life
The path to the metaverse is expected to go through social media, including videogames. The new technology is enabling the growth of the second life community’s fringe cultures, while laying the groundwork for its mainstream adoption. Intimacy and freedom of expression are crucial aspects of the Metaverse. But this technology will not solve all the problems that social media have faced. It will only improve the experience for users.
There are some notable examples of this, including a game called “World of Warcraft,” which has a virtual world in which the user can assume a custom avatar and run a business. Although the game’s competitors have been largely absent, a handful of companies have stepped up and pitched their visions for the metaverse, with two of them working on their own games.
Nvidia’s Omniverse Platform
For the past few years, the concept of a “metaverse” has been at the forefront of tech industry thought. When science-fiction author Neal Stephenson wrote Snow Crash, the concept of virtual reality was only in its infant stages. Today, standalone wireless devices like Quest are common and Facebook recently bought Oculus. Regardless of the future role of the metaverse, games are already an important part of the process.
Second Life is one of the oldest digital-reality worlds around. It was launched in 2003 by San Francisco-based Linden Lab. The company has hired Rosedale to serve as a strategic adviser for Second Life and expand its metaverse. The entrepreneur was once a founder of Second Life and now has a new role at the company, working to create and develop a platform where players can interact with each other and build their own virtual worlds.
Microsoft’s Roblox
If we look at the history of virtual worlds, Microsoft’s Roblox is the one that went through videogames. This is because the company’s virtual platform is open to everyone. In the end, it’s the community that makes the metaverse. With over 24 million daily users, it’s no wonder Roblox is expected to go through video games to get there.
While the term “metaverse” has been around for decades, the term was first used in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel, Snow Crash. The idea was updated in the 2012 novel Ready Player One, which was the inspiration for the Oculus Rift headset created by Facebook. Another early virtual world was Second Life, created by Linden Lab and attracting car companies, record labels, and even CNET. This world still exists today but has fallen out of favor despite its wildly successful reputation.
Microsoft has the resources to expand the metaverse and the company’s gaming lineup is already solid. In fact, the company recently acquired Activision Blizzard, the company behind games like Starcraft and World of Warcraft. But it doesn’t seem that Microsoft is ready to make a bet on the metaverse yet. The company has not released any hardware for this yet, but it has talked about its plans. Microsoft’s Roblox is expected to go through videogames to get to the metaverse.
