Have you ever tried creating a world within your imagination? If you had, what role did you give this world – a private comfort zone, a platform to play with friends, or even a source of inspiration for creativity? The metaverse plays the same concept for Generation Z, just with a more sophisticated and ”real” virtual space. Etymologically, ‘meta-’ means “beyond” in Greek, but also encapsulates the definition of “transcending reality”. Combined with ‘-verse’, which comes from ‘versus’ meaning “to turn into”, metaverse defines the computer generated imaginary worlds that transcend reality but are not necessarily unreal. From game spaces to chatting lounges, the metaverse serves numerous roles and fills in a major part of Generation Z’s lives. However the metaverse is meant for all ages and supports various activities such as videoconferencing, movie screening, and buying things within the world. Some rising metaverse platforms are Roblox, Fortnite, and Zepeto, but some more familiar names would be Zoom, Second Life, and Facebook- in its new name, ‘Horizon’. Although it has rapidly gained recognition due to the new normal caused by the Corona-19 pandemic, the metaverse had already been a part of many people’s lives in various aspects.
The now-common terms “augmented reality (AR)” and “virtual reality (VR)” are like passages leading to the metaverse and hardware such as an AR headset, Nintendo switch, and even your smartphone are devices that give you access to the metaverse. In addition to the technical components, there are more interactive and fun elements for the users- the cryptocurrency and the User-Generated Content (UGC) tool.
Many game and social platforms are creating their own cryptocurrencies not only as a medium for purchasing items but also paying creators who bring in new maps, items, and characters into the platform. This in short is UGC-the tool that lets users create contents from characters and items to maps in a platform. UGC is now being commonly implemented in metaverse as it contributes to a rapid growth of contents, users, and fanbase.
Now that you learned about the metaverse, try taking your first step into it! Many metaverse platforms let users customize the looks of their avatar to freely express themselves. The South Korean application Zepeto focuses on this aspect and gives users endless options to ‘uniquify’ their avatar. With an avatar, users can enter maps of different purposes and even participate in events held by celebrities and famous brands like Gucci and Nike.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.zepeto.main&hl=en&gl=US
Download Zepeto through this link to Google Play!
The metaverse is an alternate computer reality with endless possibilities. What are you waiting for? Jump in!