"Metaverse" has rapidly gained attention since 2020.
Various companies are aiming to enter the market as a form of new market, and it is often featured in non-tech news.
Therefore, it is difficult to say, "What is the Metaverse?"
So, this time, I would like to introduce what the "Metaverse" is, and what makes it so appealing.
Contents
Metaverse is a coined word that combines "Meta" and "Universe", and refers to a virtual space built with 3DCG online .
The feature is that multiple users can share the same space at the same time and communicate with each other, rather than each user experiencing virtual reality independently.
Originally, it was the name of a virtual space service that appeared in "Snow Crash" published in 1992 by US science fiction writer Neil Stevenson.
The term "metaverse" is used as a similar concept that appears in later creations, or as a generic term for virtual space services that have been realized through technological advances.
In the 2000s, the “Second Life” service, which allows you to spend your daily life in a virtual space that is different from reality, was launched and attracted a lot of attention.
It is also known that many companies have entered the market, with active economic activities such as the issuance of a unique currency that can be converted into US dollars.
Even in Japan
・PlayStation Home
・Hatena World
・Ameba Pigg
Services such ashave been deployed.
Currently,
・Fortnite
・Atsumare Animal Crossing
It is said that games such asare made with the idea of Metaverse.
However, unlike online games such as MMORPGs, there are no clear conditions or missions, and the Metaverse is basically spending time.
The Metaverse has
・Global Activities
・Extraordinary experiences
There is a feature thatcan be done.
In the Metaverse, which is built online, global activities that are not restricted by national borders are possible.
Because users from all over the world can connect at the same time, you can enjoy international exchange without leaving your home.
When traveling in the real world, it is necessary to pay attention to local prices, security, and circumstances, but activities in the Metaverse are not affected by such external factors.
The biggest advantage is that you can freely interact and engage in economic activities regardless of which country you are in.
Because the Metaverse is a virtual space built with 3DCG, you can experience an experience that ignores the laws of physics.
You can freely fly in the sky like Dragon Ball's aviation technique, or stretch your avatar's arms and legs like One Piece.
In the Metaverse, you can live in the same way as in real life, or you can do activities that are not bound by the common sense of the real world like an anime character. I have.
NFTs are said to be inseparable from the development of the Metaverse.
How are the Metaverse and NFT related?
First, let's take a look at what an NFT is in the first place.
NFT is an abbreviation of "Non-Fungible Token", and it can play the role of a certificate of ownership and an appraisal that cannot be forged using blockchain technology.
Because digital data is easy to duplicate, troubles such as illegal copying of digital art works and items were rampant before NFT.
However, NFTs using blockchain technology have made it possible to guarantee ownership of digital art and in-game items.
In other words, the greatest advantage of using NFTs is that you can create digital data with asset value.
Being able to guarantee ownership of digital data means that even digital art can be safely bought and sold.
Therefore, in the Metaverse, NFTs are used to
・Buying and selling avatar costumes and items
・Buying and selling land and properties on the Metaverse
・Art galleries and showrooms
・Setting events and areas limited to specific NFT owners
It is expected that you will be able to do something like this.
For example, you can buy and sell your own NFT items on the market you opened on the Metaverse or on an NFT marketplace such as OpenSea.
Because of the ease of owning, storing, and trading NFTs, it is a business opportunity to earn large profits depending on the operation of NFTs in the Metaverse.
NFTs, which grow the Metaverse into new economic zones, are said to be closely related to the future of the Metaverse.
The concept of the "metaverse" itself is not very new.
So why is the metaverse getting so much attention these days?
The main factor is the activation of metaverse economic activity by the above NFT, but in addition,
・Technological developments such as XR and 5G
・Impact of the new corona wreck
There are two points.
Let's take a closer look at each one.
First of all, the technology surrounding the Metaverse is evolving.
・Diffusion of smartphones
・Speed up the Internet
・High-speed and high-capacity mobile communication such as 5G
The first point is that communication technology such as
has greatly developed.
Another tailwind for the Metaverse is the evolution of XR technology.
By wearing VR goggles, instead of looking at the virtual space expressed by high-definition 3DCG, you can plunge your consciousness into the Metaverse.
It is characterized by being able to experience the feeling of movement that cannot be done through a 2D screen, such as walking around a city built in virtual space through an avatar and looking around buildings.
In addition, VR has made it possible to communicate realistically with other users as if they were actually face-to-face.
With advances in technologies such as face tracking and hand tracking, non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and gestures is becoming possible.
AR/MR technology allows us to move seamlessly from the real world to the Metaverse more than VR.
One of the concerns about the Metaverse is that it takes time and effort to put on large-scale VR goggles.
On the other hand, in the case of AR/MR, you can use a glasses-type device to experience the Metaverse while maintaining a connection with the real world.
Another big factor is said to be the "impact of the new corona wreck" that will continue from 2020.
Due to the new corona virus, "stay home" measures have been taken to avoid contact with people, and opportunities to touch the Internet such as remote work and online classes have increased.
And to maintain a more human connection even from home, the Metaverse is gaining attention as a new means of communication.
In addition, due to the new corona wreck, the trend of avoiding "3 Cs" has been created, making it difficult to hold real events where a large number of people gather.
Therefore, Metaverse has great expectations as a place where events can be held with a sense of reality like a real event while avoiding crowds.
In fact, the number of usage cases is increasing, such as holding events in collaboration with local governments and companies in the domestic metaverses "Atsume Animal Crossing" and "cluster".
Given the rapid rise in interest in the Metaverse, many companies have already decided to enter the market.
Image: From Connect 2021 (URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvufun6xer8)
The company most committed to the metaverse right now is Facebook.
Since acquiring Oculus in 2014, we have released many VR products including VR goggles.
In such a situation, the new VR social platform "Facebook Horizon" was announced.
Horizon is virtual space
・Free communication between users
・Attracting Various Companies
It is aimed at, and it can be said that it is exactly the Metaverse itself.
Ahead of the official opening of Horizon, in August 2021, we released the Horizon Workroom, which allows remote meetings with a sense of presence in a VR space, and opened a metaverse specialized for business.
Even after that
・Establishment of 5 billion yen fund
・Employment of 10,000 new staff
We have announced a policy such as this, and have clarified that we will aim to build a metaverse as a company-wide effort.
In addition, at the online event Connect 2021 held on October 28, 2021, the company will change the company name to "Meta" to clarify the direction of the shift to the metaverse. announced that
Few days after Facebook announced its name change to Meta, Microsoft also announced a full-scale commitment to the Metaverse.
At the company's event on November 2, 2021, it was announced that the online meeting tool "Teams" will support the virtual space "Microsoft Mesh" that can be accessed using MR devices.
In addition to being able to use 3D avatars for online meetings in Teams, virtual meetings will be possible in virtual conference rooms in virtual space.
Microsoft positions "Mesh for Teams" as the "gateway to the Metaverse", and it seems that the company's Metaverse business will continue to gain momentum.
GREE is an example of a domestic company that has entered the Metaverse.
We plan to develop the Metaverse business around "REALITY", a virtual live distribution app that uses anime-style avatars.
In the metaverse,
・Holding a virtual live
・Creating and selling items
It is speculated that users will also be able to monetize in businesses such as.
GREE has announced plans to invest 10 billion yen in order to develop the "REALITY" Metaverse globally, and to fully develop the "Metaverse Business".
"Decentraland" is known for building its own economic zone.
Decentraland is based on the "Ethereum" blockchain, and a virtual currency called MANA is used when using items and content.
Using MANA in the virtual space,
・Play games
・Buying and Selling Items
・Purchase a fictitious land "LAND"
You can do something like.
LAND owners will now be able to create items and open a market to sell them, making money within Decentraland.
Currently (November 10, 2021), MANA is trading at about 290 yen, and it is likely to represent the Metaverse as a new economic zone.
The Metaverse is a virtual space where users can communicate with each other.
It is possible to create a unique economic zone by linking with virtual currency technology, and many companies are paying attention to that possibility.
There are already examples of online games being used as metaverses, but the new corona disaster has triggered the aim of building a metaverse that is the same as the real world.
In terms of the form of the Metaverse, it seems that there is a strong possibility that the Metaverses operated by each company will be compatible with each other, rather than a single company operating a super-large Metaverse.
However, there are many problems to be solved in order to realize the Metaverse, and it will take a long time, not something that will be completed tomorrow.
It will be far in the future to see how the Metaverse that companies are currently working on will be realized, but I have high expectations.