Are you ready for the Metaverse?
Ok, you've got a website. Tick. You've got a mobile app. Tick. You've maybe even got your own game for your business. Tick. But have you built anything for the Metaverse yet? Not sure where to start? We might be able to help...
What is the Metaverse?
The Metaverse has been getting a lot of press coverage since Facebook changed their name to Meta. The idea of the Metaverse has been around for long while now and there are far more players now than just Facebook/Meta. The term originated in the sci-fi novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. He describes a virtual world we can all escape to from our everyday lives. The book, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline took the concept further and certainly made the idea more accessible, especially when that became a movie in 2018. Again it describes a virtual world we can all escape to where we can socialise, play, trade, have adventures and be whomever we want to be.
Whilst we are not quite there yet, there have been many attempts and building blocks that have been developed over the last 20 years. Remember Second Life? We were all going to live there but didn't. Many gamers have already experienced Metaverse-like environments in games like Roblox and Fortnite. These are stand-alone worlds and are certainly not as extensive as the original vision.
The nirvana is a growing number of interconnected worlds that will allow your virtual self to travel between them. There will either be a single currency, or you will be able to exchange your currency from one world into another whilst maintaining value. It will be secure too ( thanks to crypto and NFTs).
Although we’re not there yet, there have recently been a whole number of initiatives and developments, not just by Meta (Facebook), but also by many other big players, like Microsoft, Nvidea, AWS, plenty of the big game developers and more. There are still more than a few hurdles to overcome, but it does start to feel like what was once only a dream could become a virtual reality in the near future.
What should you do about it?
Given the organisations behind the idea of the Metaverse and the scale of the momentum right now, it's something most businesses should at least be exploring. Now might even be the time to start looking at developing a prototype so that you can test the water. Before you do that, however, you need to understand what is possible and how it could be used to benefit your business.
There are many potential applications for a business:
Virtual product demonstrations
Simulations and other learning applications
Recruitment and interviews
Onboarding
Promotions, competitions and games
Virtual shops
Virtual events from seminars to parties (Covid free)
Challenges, quests and adventures
Of course, the right applications for your business will depend on the specific needs of your business.
Our Metaverse Design Process
To help businesses who want to understand the Metaverse, and more importantly, how it could be used to benefit their business, we've created a Metaverse Design Process. Based on our popular Collaborative Design Process and with a similar structure, our Metaverse Design Process allows us to take a deep dive into your business, help you understand the potential and possibilities of the Metaverse and together design some metaverse concepts for your business.
Through this process, you will better understand what is possible, have some serious concepts to consider and be in an informed position about whether you should go-ahead to the next stage.
If this sounds like a good idea, get in touch and we can send you more information about it.
Give us a call on 02 8923 1200 or Contact Us for an informal chat about the Metaverse and our Metaverse Design Process