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Metaverse Definition and Related Terms

What is the Metaverse?

The metaverse can be defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain, along with concepts from social media, to create spaces for rich user interaction mimicking the real world.

Most people refer to the “metaverse” as a new kind of internet experience, one built around a number of unique technologies.

To go a little deeper, the metaverse offers a future where we can enjoy a stronger overlap between our physical and digital lives.ce: Matthew Ball

How Could the Metaverse Look?

Source: Adobe

Metaverse Related Terms and Definitions

Augmented Reality (AR) = Augmented reality is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. (Wikipedia)

Virtual Reality (VR) = Virtual reality is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. (Wikipedia)

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) = A non-fungible token is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded. Types of NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and audio and can be used to represent real-world items like artwork and real estate. (Wikipedia)

Article: What Are NFTs? Everything You Should Know about Non-Fungible Tokens
Source: Iterators

Cryptocurrency = A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. (Wikipedia)

Article: What is Cryptocurrency and How Does it Work?
Source: Forbes

Metawork = If the concept of working in the metaverse becomes a reality, it opens the door for the future of “Metawork”. Most experts agree that the metaverse will eventually redefine the way people work, particularly now that remote and hybrid working is growing more common. (Wikipedia)

Article: Metawork: Working the 9-5 in the Metaverse
Source: XR Today

Ex. Horizon Workrooms (beta) is the VR space for teams to connect, collaborate and develop ideas, together. Meet teammates across the table, even if you’re across the world.

Metaverse Consumer Behavior

  • 47% of U.S. consumers can define the metaverse relatively accurately. Source: TechNewsWorld
  • While most consumers have heard of the metaverse, only 15% say they feel very confident in describing it. Source: Hub Entertainment Research
  • While those with a strong opinion of the metaverse are more likely to hate the idea (32%) than love it (19%), half of consumers are currently neutral about the idea (49%). Source: Hub Entertainment Research

  • Industry watchers estimate that by 2026, at least 25% of people worldwide will spend a minimum of one hour a day in the metaverse for digital activities, including work, shopping, education, social interaction, or entertainment. Source: TechNewsWorld

Conclusions:

  • Mass Adoption is far away – awareness is high but the value proposition or why one would participate is lower.
  • Young men are closest to adoption with understanding and interest much higher among this group.
  • Interest may grow fast, as ownership of VR sets that will enable the metaverse grows as well as NFTs which speak to “collecting”.

Source: Hub Entertainment Research

Metaverse Players, Gamers and Stats

Tourism

  • The metaverse on the travel industry is a scenario where people can replace physical travel to destinations and experience them in a virtual reality.
  • With the metaverse, customers could gain essential information about their room booking, such as the room size, price and features, as they do now. But travelers could also experience virtual 3D hotel tours, turning into digital avatars and virtually walk through the hotel property or resort before the check-in.
  • SITA, an IT provider for the air transport industry, predicts that metaverse operations will be one of the defining trends over the next decade for airports.

Qatar Airways is planning the QVerse, where a Metahuman cabin crew member will guide you through departures at the airport. 

Experience Qverse

The Future of Cultural Experiences: UNESCO World Heritage Site Changdeock Palace (South Korea)

An augmented reality tour of the Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO Heritage site in South Korea. Guided by an enigmatic mythical creature, Haechi, visitors can discover 12 interactive activities and select their own route around the palace by choosing from an interactive map within the app. Haechi then plots the route from any spot in the palace. Visitors can also practice archery with the Joseon Prince, learn an ancient dynastic dance, discover the role of the Sinmungo Drum and explore secret portals to unlock hidden histories, which posing with the King and Queen for photos to save and share instantly.

Articles:

Gaming

  • The gaming environment is still considered the “starting point” of the metaverse by most experts. There are already a number of games with worldwide scale, as gaming becomes more mainstream:
    • Two-thirds (67%) of all American adults and over three-quarter (76%) of children (under 18) consider themselves gamers. Source: ESA, Entertainment Software Association

Participation in the metaverse is already growing at a phenomenal pace within the gaming landscape. Source: Wall Street Journal Tech Live / Activate Consulting

Roblox / Epic Games
Online gaming companies Roblox and Epic Games top the list for those leading the way in the metaverse. Both have already built virtual worlds, where millions of people socialize, play and take part in a digital economy.

Article: How Roblox Got a Head Start on Potential $800B Metaverse

Virtual Experiences

  • 65% of people have engaged in a media experience like watching an in-game TV show, movie, or premier on a gaming platform or participating in a live concert.
  • 69% of people have taken part in social activities, like socializing, meeting new people, or travelling to digital environments in a gaming environment.
  • 72% of people have taken part in metaverse economic activity, like purchasing in-game items, investing in in-game currency, shopping at virtual marketplaces, or trading with other players in the gaming landscape.

Source: XR Today

 

Brands in the Metaverse

Fashion Week 2023

The 2023 Metaverse Fashion Week through Dectraland and its partners not only boasted participation from an impressive constellation of luxury brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Coach, and Tommy Hilfiger, but also showcased the possibilities of inter-metaverse collaboration.

 

Nikeland

Nikeland is Nike’s purpose-built metaverse space that uses the Roblox platform to allow its fans to meet, socialize, take part in promotions and engage with a whole range of brand experiences.

7 million visitors have spent time in Nikeland since it launched in November 2021.

  • IKEA – The Swedish furniture brand offers a mobile app that features augmented reality (AR). It allows shoppers to see how pieces of décor would look in their homes. You could even change its color and move it around your place, allowing for an immersive online shopping experience.
  • Music/Live Concerts in Virtual Worlds
Pepsi’s Super Bowl Half Time Show

Pepsi incorporated cameras into the Super Bowl Half Time Show performance to allow viewers to watch performers as they move through the show, catching every moment and story on the stage.

Lil Nas X Roblox Concert

Lil Nas X performing a virtual concert experience entirely within Roblox, a first-of-its-kind achievement, attracting more than 30 million visits.

Travis Scott Fortnite Concert

Astronomical is an other-worldly experience by Travis Scott and Cactus Jack’s creations, built from the ground up in Fortnite.

How Your Brand Should Use NFTs (Harvard Business Review)

Suddenly, NFTs are everywhere. For brands, wading into a new space can be daunting, but there’s also risk in not engaging at all. Discover how to tip your toe into the Metaverse space and connect your NFT project to your brand in an effective and unique way.

The Metaverse Economy

  • With a $1 trillion revenue opportunity in less than a decade, businesses must start preparing for a metaverse-dominated future. Source: XR Today
  • 5 billion people are interacting through their phones, consoles, laptops, desktops, and VR headsets all in virtual environments, living and trading money online. Source: AR Insider
  • 72% of people have taken part in metaverse economic activity, like purchasing in-game items, investing in in-game currency, shopping at virtual marketplaces, or trading with other players in the gaming landscape. Source: XR Today
  • The NFT market volume is told to be trading over $700 million. Source: AR Insider
  • By 2025, it’s predicted that 20% of G2000 manufacturers will include the industrial metaverse in their digital transformation road map to address advanced simulation, cross-domain collaboration, and safety. Source: IDC
  • For the next two years, retailers are expected to integrate into their company’s strategy for commerce, the development of visual search (65%) and metaverse/NFTs capabilities (60%). Source: IDC
  • By 2027, 20% of city products and services will be delivered using metaverse or augmented reality solutions, transforming services delivery, planning and simulation, and constituent interactions. Source: IDC
  • By 2028, one out of 10 large hospitals and one out of 8 medical education providers are expected to pilot having a presence in the metaverse to drive more immersive experiences for patients, students, and staff. Source: IDC
  • Some 56% of media buyers are investing in metaverse advertising and marketing initiatives or considering it. Source:
    TechNewsWorld

Articles:

Metaverse Implications

2023 Metaverse Trends to Watch:

Source: The Economic Times

  • In 2023, expect to see more examples of this integration, such as virtual events being held in physical locations or VR experiences being linked to real-world locations. Source: The Economic Times
  • In 2023, we expect to see a significant increase in the use of avatars as they become more realistic and customizable. Source: The Economic Times
  • Expect to see a rise in the popularity of virtual influencers as they become more realistic and sophisticated. Source: The Economic Times
  • Virtual reality therapy is a trend that is expected to continue in 2023 as VR technology becomes more advanced and affordable. Source: The Economic Times
  • In 2023, Expect to see the development of hybrid reality technologies that blur the lines between the two worlds, creating a more seamless and immersive experience.
    • Examples of hybrid reality technologies include mixed reality, which combines elements of VR and AR, and projection mapping, which projects virtual objects onto physical surfaces. Source: The Economic Times
  • In addition to two-dimensional digital spaces, users will now have an immersive reality that they can occasionally inhabit.
  • Content creators and designers (especially 3D modelling and VR world-building experts) can expect new opportunities on the road ahead.
  • The metaverse opens up a new economy where wealth can be created, traded, and enhanced using a currency distinct from but related to the real world.
  • The metaverse necessitates the evolution of new technologies for its execution. For example, you need a “Digital me” or the digital twin of a person to simulate real-world presence.
  • There are concerns around data privacy, security, diversity, and ethical behavior – problems of the real world that may take on a new dimension in a virtual one.

Source: XR Today

Article: Experts Predict Living in the Metaverse by 2030
Source: New York Post

Metaverse Resources

Webcasts, Reports and Podcasts

Building for the Metaverse Today

Augmented Reality. Virtual Reality. The Metaverse. Discover what the metaverse means and how it applies to your business for greater connection opportunities and economic advancement.

Speaker: Travis Warren, Head of Global Carrier Channel Sales, Meta Reality Labs

View Presentation
*Available to CTAM members only.

How the Metaverse is Proving to be More than a Trend

Prepare for this new brand frontier that’s becoming the next iteration of online interaction and why marketing and communications professionals need to pay attention.

Speaker: Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer, Futures Intelligence Group

Getting Started in the Metaverse

Join Meta’s Nada Stirratt, VP North America and IAB’s Zoe Soon, VP Experience Center to discuss how businesses can get started in the Metaverse.

Source: IAB – International Advertising Bureau

Metaverse NFT Mini-Report (HUB Entertainment Research)

Many predict that Web3 or the metaverse will change behavior and commerce in a fundamental way. While Web3 is still years away, and consumers are being exposed to the first building blocks today. There’s reason to believe that entertainment (via NFTs) will be among the first categories where Web3 bears fruit.

Podcast: Episode 1 – Matthew Ball, “The Metaverse Guy”

It’s hard to talk about gaming in 2021 and not come across references to the Metaverse. Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft can all lay claim to be building it (in their own way) with many others trying to get in on the action. Who will be the first to successfully build The Metaverse is a question ripe for discussion and few have spent more time thinking about it than Matthew Ball.

Podcast Series: Future of the Metaverse with Cathy Hackl

Whether you’re a techie or traditionalist, get ready to see the future! Cathy has been to the far frontiers of tech and with this podcast will present the possibilities of the tomorrows that are actually happening today by discussing the latest news from the world of the metaverse(s), emerging tech and bringing you the insiders who are making it happen.

“The Metaverse Primer”

A nine-part series on the Metaverse with Matthew Ball, what it is, how much of it is already here, what it needs to thrive, and more

Cathy Hackl’s “Future Glimpse” Linkedin Newsletter

A newsletter about the future and helping brands ender the Metaverse via strategy and branding.

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