Hi. Brady here.
I have mixed feelings about popular portrayals of the metaverse. It’s so often an oasis of excesses for dystopian escapism, in settings like a fractured world in Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, as well as the deteriorating global environment in the background of Ready Player One.
The idea that our shared virtual space is meant to help us break away from our immediate environment just seems… sad?
Nonetheless, the metaverse is the new frontier for gaming, socialization, entertainment, and professional contexts, so here we are, thinking about it, even though we’re years away from proper metaversing.
The hype is real—and likely unsustainable for something that may require a decade or longer to build out. Mention that you’re developing a game that’s metaverse-y and you’ll get a bump in your valuation or stock price; this happened with a handful of firms in China over the past week.
Jiaxing had the story. Check it out.
Daily Roundup
- Southeast Asia’s e-commerce platforms lure shoppers with celebrity “star wars.”
- Autonomous driving startup DeepRoute.ai bags USD 300 million from Alibaba Group and others.
- Food delivery giant Zomato scraps grocery play again as India’s quick commerce trend heats up.
- Amazon is a crowded space, here’s what you can do to stand out. (Check out Oasis, KrASIA’s sibling site.)
- Grab lowers 2021 earnings projection as COVID hobbles ASEAN.