Hey. It’s Brady again.
If all the hot takes and news coverage about metaverses seem like overload, imagine what it’ll be like when the existence of multiple metaverses becomes the norm, taking the place of Facebook or Twitter or TikTok as means of information exchange.
For those who care enough, you can pursue a flavor of what’s likely to come. There are functional platforms where users enter game-like environments to explore, build things, form communities, work, play, and interact with each other.
The way to look at it, I think, is through the lens of being able to commit to making something from scratch, and then operating it so that other people can enjoy your creation.
Exhibition spaces get much attention (in part thanks to NFTs), but there are much more interactive options like sports stadiums, night clubs, fashion shows, concert venues, and lounges, where being part of a crowd and talking with strangers is part of the appeal.
Some of you may remember Second Life, which launched in June 2003. Players, if they could be called that, ran newspapers and schools. There were even real embassies. At least one politically motivated riot took place.
There were many legal, technical, and ethical issues in Second Life that needed to be sorted out. Many of those matters will likely resurface in familiar forms as we begin to build virtual lives in metaverses. Brandon explored a couple options that are online now. You can read his report here.
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Ant Group forms new SaaS company amid regulatory scrutiny of its consumer services.
Startup Wire | Keeping It Moving.