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The Metaverse is attracting massive investment and attention, especially for a phenomenon that was conceived 30 years ago and in most important ways launched as a practical working reality over 20 years ago. If there was ever an ideal time in human history for the metaverse to succeed, this is surely it, but does the hype match reality? Is the metaverse really the answer to the challenges we face today as a society and a species?

On the positive side, the metaverse provides a practical answer to several critical global challenges :-

• Pandemics
• Pollution
• Education
• Physical and mental health services

In addition, the cocktail of technologies that make the metaverse practical and usable are now just approaching some level of the necessary maturity, functionality, accessibility and affordability.

The metaverse in its full form is designed to be a place where humans can meet, socialise, travel, learn, develop and trade. It is intended to be a future space where we can live a fulfilled life but is it likely that, in reality, it will largely be a place that we visit as tourists?

For the purposes of this article, imagine that the Metaverse is like planet Earth some 200 years ago when travel between countries was difficult. Each country had different levels of development, there was no real common language or currencies and every country had its own customs, laws and history. Imagine that I am a tourist looking to give a rough guide of what to expect when visiting each country. Imagine also that this planet has 5 distinct continents (MEGA, TOPR, BEW, TEMA and NOFU), each of which has its own background and history but similar development aspirations.

The Continents on Planet Meta have formed over the last 30 years and their tectonic plates are constantly shifting and overlapping. Some of the early civilisations on this planet have migrated and formed communities and settlements on other continents. Other continents such as NOFU are seen as great opportunities for pioneers to make their fortunes just like the Wild West.

Everything in this article is my own personal opinion. It is not intended to be a thorough review of different metaverse solutions but a guide for those who have little or no experience of the metaverse and no strong opinions about its future.

The criteria that I have used to decide whether a solution could be regarded as a Metaverse is that it should :-

·????????have a 360 degree panoramic environment

·????????be able to be navigated either on a computer or a VR headset

·????????be capable of hosting more than one person simultaneously

This means that some Metaverses may only be accessible on a desktop computer, some will be based on computer generated synthetic environments and some based on mirror images of the physical world.

The Continent of MEGA

It could be argued that MEGA is the cradle of Metaverse civilisations. It has been formed from the human desire to create, explore, learn, challenge and conquer. Homo Ludens is the driving force behind the origins of MEGA. Games and the desire of humans to challenge themselves and others and to push the boundaries of space, time, physical existence and imagination have led to technology being applied to create fantasy worlds into which we can immerse ourselves.

Games technologies are very closely linked to the origins of the metaverse. The limitations of early computer technologies led to the development of games consoles as platforms specially designed to handle the computing power and graphics needed for attracting consumers and developing ever more immersive environments.

Today the continent of MEGA as a tourist destination accessed by proprietary consoles is under threat from the rapidly developing other continents which can use generic computers, smartphones and equipment to deliver very attractive and competitive experiences.

1.????Doom

I have a deal of nostalgic affection for Doom. This first person shooter game was very popular in the 1990s when the IBM PC technologies and colour monitors had sufficiently matured enough to create an exciting and addictive immersive environment.

Doom still exists today and is now multiplayer. The video link shown below gives an insight on how Doom and the quality of the graphics have improved over the last 30 years.

Doom is certainly worth a visit, even if only to get a feel for how desktop computer technologies and graphics have developed. Doom does not pretend to have aspirations to become a fully developed Metaverse experience but it is a useful starting point on a journey into the Metaverse.

Doom is available on both the desktop PC and PS4 console.

2.???Minecraft

Minecraft is a good next stop on the journey to the Metaverse because it contains many features which which I believe are fundamentally important to the development of the Metaverse. It provides tools to enable its residents to build their own environments and it also includes the use of currency to trade with.

It was designed by Microsoft to work with the Xbox console but it will also work on a desktop PC and can be used with an Oculus Rift headset linked by cable to the PC.

Minecraft is worth a visit to understand a bit about the transition from pure entertainment games to more social applications that give controls to the visitor.

3.???Fortnite

Fortnite is also a console game with more sophisticated graphics than Doom or Minecraft. Developed by Epic Games, it will run on a range of consoles, desktop computers and also Android devices. It is essentially a game in which large numbers of players compete with each other using strategic thinking. With over an estimated 125 million players on Fortnite, it is a very popular and busy location to visit. The YouTube video link is a good place to check out Fortnite.

The Continent of TOPR

1.????Second Life – An Ancient Civilisation?

Second Life was launched in June 2003 and in Metaverse timescales it is an ancient civilisation. In functionality terms, it is, in my opinion, the most advanced version of a Metaverse available today, although it is not easily accessible via a VR headset. Second Life is a platform used by over 750,000 people on a regular basis and it provides tools for exploring, socialising, learning, trading and travel.

It can genuinely be regarded as a civilisation with its own rules, currency and opportunities to create and own assets. It also builds bridges between the physical world and virtual world and enables virtual citizens (Avatars) to monitor and control real world devices and real-world devices to monitor and control virtual world equivalents.

In my opinion, in terms of functionality and acting as a genuine alternative to our physical world, it is way ahead of any current offerings that require the use of a VR headset. To fully understand the potential of the Metaverse and it enormous range of applications, a visit to Second life is essential.

It is a proprietary program that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. Unlike locations on Continent MEGA, it is not a game and does not run on games consoles.

2.????AltSpaceVR

I have shown Microsoft’s AltSpaceVR as being located on TOPR because, like Second Life, it is proprietary, is not a game and also runs on desktop computers. It is an important place to visit in this context because it also has a base on the TEMA continent where it is designed to be accessed by VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2.

It enables visitors to customise their own avatar and has many interesting places to visit and large scale events to participate in.

The Continent of BEW

1.????BrandLab360

The Continent of BEW is becoming a very important location for Metaverse enterprise. The platform is uses is the web browser and is what is often referred to as Web 3.0 or the 3D web. It transforms the internet and any suitable computers, laptops, mobile devices and VR headsets into truly immersive experiences in ways which allow visitors to explore virtual worlds, interact with other visitors/hosts. Socialise and trade.

The locations I have selected as places to visit are some examples of how creative companies are beginning to focus their development opportunities on the Continent of BEW.

BrandLab360 is an example of such a creative company specialising in helping companies establish their brand in this exciting new space.

The YouTube video link gives an idea of the realism and functionality of these environments.

The only reason for the 3 star rating is that there is no provision for visitors to create their own avatars or to interact with other visitors.

2.????Maison TooFaced

Maison Too Faced was developed by BrandLab360 and has been included as an example of how the Metaverse can be used to create a special customer experience, especially for online retail sales. It uses Web 3.0 to deliver a unique brand experience that can reinforce sales both offline and online.

3.????YouTube Live 360 Degree Streaming

Both YouTube and Facebook use Web 3.0 to deliver interactive 360 degree immersive locations and videos. I have included this example of an early live streamed event which was watched in real time by visitors from Brazil, Thailand and Lithuania. The live event took place in a village hall and used a 4G mobile network to share the event via YouTube. The technology used involved a consumer camera linked to a mobile phone and laptop connected to a data projector so that all the people in the hall could participate and potentially interact with visitors around the globe.

The video quality is not so good because of the connection and the fact that this event took place 3 years ago. 360 Degree Live Streaming is a Metaverse application made accessible to computers, smartphones and VR headsets, connecting both physical and virtual audiences.

4.????360in360 Living Memories

The Metaverse allows visitors to travel through space and to teleport almost instantly to different locations. It also provides a potential gateway to travel through time. This is the reason for the inclusion of 360in360 Living Memories in the tourist guide. Web 3.0 applications, especially when experienced through a VR headset, allow visitors to revisit unique moments in the past that have been recorded on 360 degree video.

The nature of time does not allow us to normally experience past events but this combination of recorded 360 degree videos of special events and the Metaverse genuinely enables us to relive moments in time gone by.

5.???Room3D (Beta)

A new kid on the block is Room3D which is a selection of immersive room environments designed for work, education and Leisure. Room3D has only just opened for visitors but has already made a big impression because it is able to combine live video from visitor webcams within a range of attractive locations which are accessible on computers and smartphones via a browser such as Google Chrome.

The video link is a recording of my first visit to Room3D and I was very impressed.

The Continent of TEMA

The Continent of TEMA is the fastest growing and most active location on planet Meta. Most people working in or visiting this continent believe it to be where the future of the metaverse lies. It is the continent chosen by Facebook as their base around which all development with focus.

To visit TEMA, you must wear a virtual reality headset like the Oculus Quest 2 to visit the locations included in this guide.?Facebook (META) are forming partnerships with many different developers to create a range of different visitor attractions for work, tourism, socialising and entertainment. To visit TEMA, you will also need a fast internet connection.

The locations included in this guide are the tip of a big iceberg and are mostly first impressions.

1.????Multiverse

Multiverse acts as a kind of Gateway or portal to a variety of locations. After entering your own private portal room, you can quickly teleport to a Grand Central area where you can mingle with other visitors and explore different portals to other locations. Multiverse is a good starting point for your trip to TEMA.

2.???Multiverse Meeting Rooms

From Multiverse Grand Central lobby, you can teleport to a range of destinations?and this early part of the trip looks at some of the locations designed for commercial use. One of these is the area where you can take part in lectures and meetings. These rooms are very well appointed and can host large numbers of visitors.

These locations will be available for hire.

3.????Horizon Workrooms

Horizon Workrooms is another work-oriented location in a very pleasant virtual location. It is more advanced than the Meeting Rooms in Multiverse and is designed to create a bridge between your physical desktop computer and a virtual workroom that you can use to collaborate with others.

It is also designed for using hand gestures to carry out functions instead of always having to use a VR controller. For visitors interested in using the Metaverse for work collaborations, Workrooms is a good place to visit.

It can be accessed through the Oculus store.

4.????Spatial

An alternative to Multiverse meeting rooms is offered by Spatial, accessed via the Oculus store. Designed for work collaboration it is a powerful alternative to Workrooms and has a very good set of induction tutorials.

5.???AltSpaceVR?

AltSpaceVR is the location developed by Microsoft for hosting of events so if you are interested in experiencing a wide variety of different types of events for education or entertainment, AltSpaceVR is a good place to visit. It can be accessed via the Oculus store but you can also join in these events from the Continent TOPR using your desktop computer.

6.????AltSpaceVR Events

The Tribe Night Club is an example of a location where you can hang out with other visitors and spend an evening dancing, listening to music or even playing pool. Watch the YouTube video to check out this example of Metaverse leisure spaces. It can be accessed via AltSpaceVR.

7.????Horizon Venues

Horizon Venues is Meta’s answer to AltSpaceVR events. The video link shown is a promotional video showing how to access this location and what it can offer.

8.????Alcove VR

Moving away from work locations and socialising/entertainment spaces, one of my favourite Metaverse locations is Alcove VR. It can be accessed via the Oculus store free of charge and, in my opinion is a brilliant example of what the future of the Metaverse should look like.

In Alcove VR, you have your own virtual apartment which you can customise with your own photos and videos, including panoramic 360 degree photos and videos. As well as your own content which is uploaded easily from your desktop computer, you also have access to a range of travel and leisure locations, therapeutic applications, lifestyle and health advice and a selection of movies and music which you can share with your friends and guests you invite to your apartment.

9.????VZFit

For keep fit and exercise experiences on Continent TEMA, there are a growing number of places to choose from in your Oculus store. My favourite exercise location is VZFit which brings a wide range of exercises to choose from, supported by a virtual trainer with or without any exercise equipment. My favourite activity in VZFit is to create my own cycle rides in real locations anywhere in the world.

Check out the YouTube video link to see how this works with a low cost desktop exercise bike.

10.????Tripp

For a location the brings mindfulness, meditation and relaxation therapies, TRIPP is a great location to visit. It can be accessed via the Oculus store and is a wonderful way to chill out on your journey through the Metaverse.

The Continent of NOFU

The Continent of NOFU is populated by speculators and investors seeking to make money from the technologies behind NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) i.e. Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies. The 2 locations I have included in this new continent both seek to make money from the ownership of digital assets, primarily property.

In my opinion, NOFU is like the Wild West with opportunities to get rich quick or get your fingers burnt.

The low ratings for NOFU locations reflect the fact that, unlike almost every other location on Planet META, you are expected to invest in a highly speculative venture with limited evidence of a quality experience.

1.????Earth 2

Earth 2 is a digital mirror of planet earth in which the developers of Earth 2 are selling land for development. It is possible to invest in the virtual equivalent of any piece of land on Planet Earth, including major city like London. It is a Gamified experience with leaderboards based on the amount of funds invested by its users.

I understand that the aim is to build virtual properties on purchased land but I was unable to find any examples.

2.????Villa

A different approach to NFTs is found in Villa which can be accessed via the Oculus store. After an immersive entrance to Villa, you are required to spend money before you can sample what Villa has to offer.

I declined the invitation.

Travel Options

There are many ways to travel to Planet Meta, all of which are enabled by different cocktails of digital technologies, the most essential of which are internet connectivity (wired or wireless), a combination of computer and graphics processing power and audio visual technologies.

Although all of these travel options make it possible to access the metaverse in cost effective ways, they vary in cost, accessibility and richness of experiences

1.????Desktop Computer

Modern desktop and laptop computers can provide great access to the TOPR, BEW, NOFU and MEGA continents and can also be connected to VR headsets to create a link to TEMA. Travel on desktop and laptop computers is cheap but lacks the control and rich tourist experience of VR headsets.

Your travel via these modes relies on you navigating with your keyboard and/or mouse rather than turning your head or using a joystick. Also, without the immersion of a VR headset, the experience is not as rich.

2.????Games Consoles

Games Consoles were originally developed to overcome the limitations of desktop computers by providing extra processing power and audio visual capability. They also created early Metaverse tourist trips to MEGA using purchasable disks or cartridges that did not need access to the internet.

Although games consoles with internet capability and VR headset options still have advantages over the desktop computer or laptop, they are being rapidly overtaken and a travel medium by smartphones and other devices with greater portability and often lower costs.

3.????Smartphones - Spark AR?

Whilst games consoles, desktop computers and VR headsets have provided passports to many different locations on Planet Meta, the smartphone also offers some interest destinations and provides tools for creative to build their own personal tourist experiences.

Spark AR is a technology platform that turns the smartphone into an augmented reality device that can blend the real world with virtual overlays. As a destination it is probably a favourite with the younger generation with agile minds and active imagination but it does create opportunities to unleash creativity.

4.???Smartphones - Google Cardboard

Google Cardboard is a low-cost passport that uses the smartphone to access virtual reality destinations via the smartphone. It represents a great value for money alternative to the VR headset and so makes travel on Planet Meta very affordable although, without a controller, it relies on turning your head to look around.

For new Metaverse tourists, it is a great starting point.

5.????Televisions and Displays - Portal?

As well as smartphones, we should not forget televisions which have long been a passport to other worlds and immersive experiences with ever improving visual and sound experiences and connectivity via the internet. Facebook Portal seeks to use the television and a range of its own display monitors to create a personalised augmented reality experience which also takes advantage of Spark.

1.????Smart Glasses

A new travel option for Planet Meta is the Smart Glasses which try to combine the physical world with a virtual overlay which, by using the internet of things (IOT) and GPS technology has the potential to enrich physical locations as well as providing stand-alone travel around Planet Meta.

7.????VR Wireless Headsets

Virtual Reality Wireless Headsets such as the Oculus Quest 2 provide a totally immersive luxury travel option to Planet Meta with an impressive range of destinations, many of which are completely?free to visit. The travel costs with a VR headset such as the one shown involve an initial capital cost for the headset (increasingly affordable) and any internet costs for the gateway access to Planet Meta.

The Achilles heel of the VR headset is both in its strength and weakness. The strength is the total audio-visual rich immersion of the headset but this is also its weakness because it creates a disconnect from the physical world and although travellers are able to interact with each other in virtual space, they are isolated from other people in their physical surroundings.

8.???VR Projection Systems – BroomX

One of the best ways to travel to Planet Meta is via a VR projection system such as BroomX. This involves a 180 degree projected video on blank walls, combined with an immersive sound system. The great advantage of this mode of travel is that it can be shared with others in the same physical space.

Summary and Conclusion

Planet Meta is already open for tourists, visitors and potential residents. As I mentioned in my introduction, there has never been a more opportune time in human history to develop a new world for hosting the future of the human race. Pandemics, climate change and global conflicts make physical contact and interaction between humans increasingly difficult, costly and risky.

The videos in this tourist guide are intended to give a taste of what the metaverse has to offer now and in the future. The ratings and reviews are personal opinions of the locations visited and the experiences they can offer today and in the future as technology continues to evolve.

These are my thoughts on the Future of the Metaverse :-

Planet Meta as a Place to Live (Holiday Home)

Planet Meta has potential for a personal living space in much the same way that a Facebook Page is a space to record and share your life experiences with others. The difference with Planet Meta is that acquiring and personalising an immersive space in much the same way as you would buy/rent and decorate a home in the physical world is not easy. Most of the places on Planet Meta are communal, shared and not able to be personalised.

The nearest equivalent to the physical world is Second Life where you can effectively rent your own home for an annual fee of around 100$ and even buy furniture and decorations to create your own unique space that you can invite visitors to.

Most development activity is on the Continent TEMA which you need a VR headset to visit and where opportunities to buy/rent/personalise your own space are very limited at present. The nearest equivalent is Alcove VR where you can choose your own paintings in a standard apartment as well as personalising your own album of photos and videos to show guests.

The Continent BEW (Web 3.0) has a lot more potential to create your own immersive home, work and leisure experiences by using a consumer 360 degree camera to capture real world environments and events and publish them using platforms like YouTube, Facebook and 3D Vista.

The big challenges for the Metaverse as a place to build a permanent home and place to live your life is that :-

·????????the physical world is persistent 24 hours a day – we are immersive in it every second whereas the Metaverse is likely to only ever be a place we visit for specific purposes such as entertainment, meetings, education etc

·????????The physical world impacts all 5 human senses – vision, hearing, taste, touch and smell whereas, at present, the metaverse only really gives us an audio visual experience although there are advances in both haptic and smell technologies

All this means that Planet Meta is destined to be a place to visit for specific purposes.

Planet Meta as a Place to Work

The Metaverse already has many opportunities to deliver richer virtual work experiences, especially for meetings and education. Room3D is the latest example of an immersive environment that could overtake platforms like Zoom and Teams for collaboration, socialising and education.

Web 3.0 is the enabling technology that provides the platform that gives access to virtually the whole of Planet Meta.

Just as COVID-19 served to accelerate the use of technology to shift the workplace from the office to the home, these combined driving forces of pandemics, climate change and global conflict could accelerate the adoption of Planet Meta as a place of work, with the added advantage that it could also be used for leisure and socialising.

Planet Meta as a Place for Entertainment

There is already a lot of competition between developers to create and host entertainments spaces ranging from large scale concerts to small night clubs and including traditional hang-out locations such as pubs.

The YouTube video recording of the AltSpaceVR Tribe night club gives a glimpse of how people interact socially and get to know each other on Planet Meta.

Planet Meta as a Place for Education

This is one of the biggest development areas on Planet Meta with multiple locations being used to provide educational experiences either as self-directed solo learning or via larger scale lectures, conferences and on-line exhibitions.

Planet Meta as a Place for Tourism, Rest and Relaxation

The immersive nature of the Metaverse makes it a rich development ground for therapeutic experiences ranging from beautiful tourist locations to meditation and digital therapeutics, especially for mental health conditions

Planet Meta as a Place for Trade and Commerce

From immersive retail experiences dealing with both digital and physical goods to virtual property sales, there are few human commercial activities in the physical world that cannot be mirrored or exploited in the metaverse.

Key to the commercial exploitation of Planet Meta is the consumer experience. This not only has to be attractive and affordable but also easily accessible. In my opinion, although I am a great fan of the VR headset experience, I think it is likely to be eventually made obsolete by smart glasses once nano-technologies and other advances in miniaturised processing power make smart glasses which can incorporate the best of augmented, extended and virtual reality experiences.

Technologies such as blockchain and cyber-currencies have served to facilitate the fast growing NFT market opportunity for registering ownership of digital assets in much the same way as antiques and works of art are traded in the physical world. Currently, this seems to me to be a Wild-West environment inhabited by speculators.

I do think NFTs have substantial potential for commercial exploitation and could be a way for creatives to protect and monetise their intellectual property.

I hope this tourist guide has been of some value in helping to navigate what is still a massive building site that no-one truly knows what it will look like in 5 years time

David Wortley FRSA

March 2022