The concept of the Metaverse has been around since the 1980s, but it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen hundreds of projects 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. Looking to the future of engagement in the metaverse and bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds, however, we need to push the boundaries and go beyond what is currently seen as the metaverse. Let us begin to look at the leaders who have started building the next Internet, which promises to be powerful for commerce, engagement and entertainment.
For the Metaverse to be successful and become a regular tool used in people’s daily lives, it must enable users to engage with it. As a sci-fi concept or within the gaming world, the metaverse sounds fantastic. But, for them to flourish as a social and business tool, we must ensure that there is a layer of utility or incentive that keeps users invested. The critical role of Web3-powered technology in helping to move forward with the concept and idea of the Metaverse thanks to blockchain technology, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), expanded reality (XR), artificial-intelligence (AI) capabilities and much more Is. Metaverse that features bespoke functionalities, interacts with their customers and industry of choice and creates new avenues of virtual engagement will find the most value in a Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering. This will enable its users to customize their cities from AZ and will be the foundation of the next Internet.
So, what is Mass? It is a service model where brands can define their spaces to be exactly what they want. A MaaS platform enables others to create a digital space that meets the unique needs of each of its users, whatever that may look like. For the Metaverse to succeed as a practical concept, MaaS solutions will be critical. Why here?
Everyone has a vision or vision of what the Metaverse could be or could become, be it a gamified world or an access point to Web 3. Users want the opportunity to define the space and shape it into a platform that reflects even the most vivid imaginations. A world where users can connect with their favorite music or visual artists will be vastly different from a world built to connect with sports fans. While Web3 serves as the common thread across many metaverses, the idea is to use decentralization to ensure that each is unique and serves different purposes. One-size-fits-all isn’t what the metaverse is or should be about. With MaaS, customization will be important and in the hands of the creators. An e-sports metaverse dome will rely more on team branding and gamified tokenization, while an entertainer may want to create an event space to host virtual concerts.
Each metaverse has different requirements depending on the industry and the layer of engagement they are looking to activate with the end-user. A metaverse is a place for brands to expand their fan bases and build communities as an added layer of engagement. So, not only will the elements be different, but the branding will also have to look different across the metaverse. As more brands choose to expand their community engagement efforts across the metaverse, it should become more customizable.
Not everyone will have the skills to set up these kinds of metaverses – just like not everyone could learn to code to set up a website, but then platforms like WordPress and Shopify came along. Those platforms provided the opportunity for a mainstay built by technology experts and experts in the field while allowing customization by the end user according to branding and strategy. This is the profit of the month.
Built with Interoperability in mind
Virtual environments are places to socialize, build relationships and create communities where people can interact in real-time with other users. To take this a step further, users should not be locked into one metaverse or community, but should be able to interact with and transport their avatar among other metaverses. Imagine if you had to change browsers every time you visited a website, depending on where it was created or hosted. Chances are you won’t. Interoperability ensures that any metaverse created will not become a virtual island and that people across multiple metaverses will be able to exchange experiences and assets. Therefore, every element must be designed around interoperability, as every Web3-powered solution needs to work across every metaverse – be it tokens, avatars, NFTs or other digital assets.
Building with interoperability in mind will connect people, open borders and make the metaverse more accessible to all. Borderless solutions have started rolling out in other industries, but the same concept should apply to the digital sector as well. For example, avatars within the e-sports metaverse should be able to visit the metaverse of their favorite fashion brand to make purchases.
Enabling users to build on top of the physical world
The metaverse should not act as a replacement for the physical world, but an additional layer of connectedness that enhances real-world experiences. A MaaS would enable users to integrate connectedness layers within their physical world as well. For example, if NFTs are displayed in a person’s physical home, the visitor can scan a QR code and end up in that person’s metaverse, where the visitor can continue viewing the host’s gallery of NFTs. – This function can be activated with XR as an option. Without MaaS, the Metaverse will remain a gamified world that exists only as a digitally singular disconnected space. MaaS will bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds through a layer of immersive experiences and always-on connectivity.
As Metaverse continues to launch, it is up to more than just the blockchain experts behind them to see what they will look like. MaaS will be a catalyst for creativity, as well as the next essential step for the producer economy to flourish.
When the Internet began back in the 1980s, it would never have developed into the form it is today, without the people who started building on it. Early adopters will lay the foundations for how the Metaverse will evolve and what it will become. Mass adoption of the metaverse can only happen when MaaS enables users other than crypto natives to start building their own metaverses, paving the way for the next generation of the digital ecosystem.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should do their own research when making a decision.
The views, opinions and opinions expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph or AudiusX.
