The metaverse concept has been around since the 1980s, but in the last few years alone we’ve seen hundreds of projects appear on the scene. What we are currently experiencing are gamified worlds with limited integration and engagement capabilities. Right now, the metaverse is still a blank canvas for early adopters to test and entertain the concept. However, when it comes to exploring the future of engagement in the metaverse and bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds, we must push the boundaries and go beyond what is currently considered the metaverse. Let’s start looking at the leaders who have begun to build the next Internet, which promises to be powerful for commerce, engagement, and entertainment.
For the metaverse to succeed and become a regular tool in people’s daily lives, it must allow users to engage with it. CAs a sci-fi concept or within the game world, metaverses sound fantastic. But for them to thrive as a social and business tool, we need to make sure there is a layer of utility or incentives to keep users invested. Web3 powered technology has an important role to play in helping push the concept and idea of the metaverse thanks to blockchain technology, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT), Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and much more. Metaverses that have bespoke functionality, target their customers and industry of choice, and build new avenues of virtual engagement will find the most value in a Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering. It will allow its users to customize their own cities from A to Z and will be the basis of the next Internet.
What is MaaS? It is a service model in which brands can define their spaces so that they can be what they want. A MaaS platform enables others to create digital places that fit the unique needs of each of its users, whatever that may be. For the metaverse to succeed as a practical concept, MaaS solutions will be critical. Here is the reason.
Each metaverse has different requirements
Everyone has a perspective or vision on what the metaverse could be or become, be it a gamified world or a Web3 hotspot. Users want the opportunity to define space and shape it into a platform that reflects even the most vivid of imaginations. A world where users can connect with their favorite musical or visual artists will vary greatly from a world built to appeal to sports fans. Although Web3 acts as a common thread for the many metaverses, the idea is to use decentralization to ensure that each of them is unique and serves different purposes. The metaverse is not, nor should it be, a one-size-fits-all solution. With MaaS, customization will be essential and will be in the hands of the creators. An esports metaverse dome will rely more on team branding and gamification, while an artist may want to create an event space to hold virtual concerts.
Each metaverse has different requirements depending on the sector and the level of engagement that is intended to be activated with the end user. A metaverse is a place for brands to expand their fanbases and build communities as an added layer of engagement. So not only will the items be different, but the branding throughout the metaverse will have to be different as well. The more brands decide to expand their community engagement efforts in the metaverse, the more customizable it will have to be.
Not everyone will have the ability to create this kind of metaverse, just like not everyone could learn to code to create a website, but then platforms like WordPress and Shopify came along. These platforms offered the opportunity to have a foundation built by technology and subject matter experts, while allowing customization by the end user based on their brand and strategy. This is the advantage of MaaS.
Build with interoperability in mind
The virtual environment is a place to socialize, build relationships and create communities where people can have real-time interactions with other users. To go one step further, users should not be locked into one metaverse or community, but instead should be able to interact with their avatar and transport it between other metaverses. Imagine if you had to switch browsers every time you had to visit a website, depending on where it was built or hosted.. Most likely you didn’t. Interoperability ensures that whatever metaverse is built does not become a virtual island, and that people from multiple metaverses can exchange experiences and possessions. Therefore, every element must be designed around interoperability, as every Web3-powered solution must work across every metaverse, be it a token, an avatar, an NFT, or other digital assets.
If it is built with interoperability in mind, it will connect people, open borders, and make the metaverse more accessible to everyone. Borderless solutions have taken off in other industries, but the same concept must apply in digital realms as well. For example, avatars from an esports metaverse should be able to travel to their favorite fashion brand’s metaverse to shop.
Allow users to build on top of the physical world
The metaverse should not replace the physical world, but should be an added layer of engagement that enhances real-world experiences. A MaaS will allow users to integrate layers of engagement within their own physical world as well. For example, if a person has an NFT on display in their physical home, a visitor can scan a QR code and end up in that person’s metaverse, where the visitor can continue to browse through the host’s NFT gallery – this feature can be activated through XR. Without MaaS as an option, the metaverse will remain a gamified world that only exists digitally as singular, disconnected spaces. MaaS will bridge the physical and digital worlds through immersive experiences and an always-on engagement layer.
As metaverses continue to launch, it’s not just the blockchain experts behind them that need to shape what they look like. MaaS will be a catalyst for creativity, as well as the necessary next step for the creator economy to thrive.
When the Internet launched in the 1980s, it would never have become what it is today without those who started building on it. Early adopters will lay the groundwork for how the metaverse will unfold and become. Mass adoption of the metaverse can only happen when MaaS enables non-cryptonauts to start creating their own metaverses, paving the way for the next generation of the digital ecosystem.
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Sandra Helou is director of Metaverse and NFT at Zilliqa. With deep knowledge and multi-disciplinary experience spanning traditional and digital industries, Sandra leads Zilliqa’s NFT and metaverse projects through growth, partnerships, strategy, marketing, and conceptualization. Her global experience in Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East enables her to deliver results at both the strategy and execution levels. A futurist and action leader at heart, Sandra is committed to enriching and innovating the maker economy, Web3, and the MetaFi/NFT space.
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