What Does Gaming in the Metaverse Look Like?.
The metaverse can be defined as a unified and interoperable VR space where users can interact with each other and the digital world around them through advanced human-computer interaction (HCI) hardware and software.
This takes VR gaming to incredible new heights.
Currently, VR gameplay is available as standalone applications that you can install on your desktop, VR gear, or mobile phones to engage in an immersive rendition of traditional video games.
The main difference is that the in-game universe now appears as a three-dimensional VR world that you can view in 360-degrees and almost “touch” through a realistic sense of perception.
The metaverse (first coined in the 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash) expands this concept further. It posits that you could connect multiple VR games – and, indeed, any VR application or space – to create a single interoperable environment for users.
They would be able to navigate in and out of gaming applications, interact with the same players in multiple spaces, and even port their wins without having to take off the VR headset.
In this context, gaming will have the following characteristics:
- Games-as-platforms – The gaming experience will become much more flexible. Users can add to the virtual world, create their own content, build sub-games within a game, and essentially treat the gaming environment as a platform-like space for other activities.
- Social gaming – The metaverse is inherently social, a trait that sets it apart from the traditional solitary VR experience. Multi-player gaming will take on an additional dimension as players are able to invite friends from the real world, interact with other players, build relationships, etc.
- Play to earn – This will be a crucial element of gaming in the metaverse. Apart from following linear storytelling and rules, players can engage in profitable activities. A simple example: they might be able to sell the assets they have won inside the game to other users for crypto.
- The possibility of portable game assets – The interoperable architecture of the metaverse could allow for asset portability. Weapons or avatar enhancements acquired in one game could be portable to a different environment, and NFT rules would govern persistent ownership.
- Mixed reality experience – The metaverse leverages AR and MR to provide a more organic experience. Gaming in the metaverse could incorporate mixed reality, where users move from group text in AR to an MR board game to a full-fledged VR world in a seamless workflow.
