Is the Metaverse just for Gamers?

TORTOLA — May 10, 2022 – It’s impossible to escape the recent explosion of discussion about what and where the Metaverse will be in the future. With many established brands such as Meta (formerly Facebook), Adidas and Nike making strategic moves into the space it is plain to see that something is coming over the horizon. Even though it’s a cliché, anyone that is here now is still most definitely ‘early’. But the question we are looking into today, is whether or not the Metaverse is solely for the gaming community or is there other utility that will be discovered by non-gamers too?There is obviously a shortcut in thinking that if it is designed by gaming developers, uses a VR headset and has graphics that it is a game and it is aimed at gamers. Yes, it’s true that those already indoctrinated to the gaming world that own and regularly play on consoles will understand the technology quicker than those that do not already, but are gamers the only ones who will inhabit the Metaverse or will be there be room for everyone, and importantly will they want to?Meta reportedly spent over $10 billion on its Metaverse division in 2021 which means that Mark Zuckerberg definitely believes that there is a digital future for social interactions beyond the headline grabbing name change. From the promotions that Meta have already released it is obvious that they are looking to normalize and demystify the emerging technologies for non-technical and non-gaming audiences. The problem at the moment is that the Metaverse is so loosely defined and strung together with various technologies that it has the feel of an unfinished product waiting for a purpose, rather than a box fresh packaged product you can take off the virtual shelf with a click of a button.One such hopeful in the race to the Metaverse is Ethereum Worlds, a self-styled high end Metaverse that has community centricity at its heart. Centered around two professionally designed, identical towers dubbed ‘Ethereum Towers’. The Towers contain 4,388 apartments that can be owned by purchasing one of their ‘access card’ NFTs. The apartments are fully customizable and there are 3 different types; standard, luxury and penthouse. The gameplay (there we go again) or look and feel is that of an almost real reflection of real life, though without the inconvenient things like litter and weather.The organization states that you can use your apartment for many of the things that you would in a real life residence; you can relax, entertain and even do business there if you so wish. This ‘parallel reality’ paradigm shift could see a step change in how people do everyday things. It may see non- gamers purchasing VR headsets in order to do virtual business or take in the scenery of a different location. The added bonus to the Ethereum Worlds ecosystem is a feature called ‘engage to earn’ or E2E, this is where residents and visitors have the chance to earn rewards in the form of the in-world utility token $TWR just for being there, imagine being paid for turning up to your real life!It is probably safe to say that projects like Ethereum Worlds will eventually attract wider audiences than the gaming community in the future. However, it might need the gamers to forge the way until the concept is less abstract and the interfaces/ technology are more accessible to those new to the experience. The fact that projects such as Ethereum Worlds are a reflection of reality rather than a dystopian fantasy adventure game, might eventually lead to higher adoption rates and real life business moving there in the future. For more information on Ethereum Towers and Ethereum Worlds you can check them out at https://ethereumtowers.com.