What is the Metaverse?

Imagine a virtual world parallel to the physical one where you can buy, sell and work. There are already pilot projects to understand and prepare.  

The Metaverse is a virtual world to which we will connect through a set of devices that will give us the impression that we are actually inside it, interacting with all of its elements. Virtual reality glasses and other accessories that allow us to interact with them will be like teleporting to a new world.

Virtual worlds are nothing new, and they abound, particularly in the video game industry. You create a character or avatar for yourself and enter that world through your computer to experience adventures. The Metaverse, on the other hand, does not aspire to be a fantasy world but rather an alternate reality in which we can do the same things we do outside the home, but without having to leave the room. 

The key to this Metaverse is that it can be totally immersive, or at least much more immersive than current virtual reality is. Yes, we will have glasses that are possibly similar to the current ones to immerse ourselves in it, but also sensors that record our physical movements so that our avatar within that Metaverse does exactly the same. 

It even remains to make sure that the devices we use can interpret our facial expressions so that our avatar in the Metaverse can recreate us, and that way, the rest of the people with whom we are interacting can understand how we feel. Come on, that body language is also part of these virtual interactions. 

What the Metaverse can offer  

The Metaverse can offer us the next great evolutionary leap on the Internet. It is still very early, and companies like Facebook are only beginning to create the infrastructures and the first concepts that lead to a future where there are devices capable of taking us to it. Therefore, it is more of an idea, a blank canvas, than a reality that we can connect to today.

It can also be used for practical purposes, such as business meetings where participants connect from their homes to share a virtual office. They don’t even have to prepare for the meeting. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing pajamas or if you’re unkempt; what others will see is your avatar or virtual character.

A metaverse’s economy could include a virtual currency that we can buy with real money or earn in some way through the interactions it provides. It’s possible that jobs will be created.

And finally, looking for something closer and more humane, it will also allow us to interact with people who are physically far away in a more realistic way, looking into our virtual eyes and our gestures reproduced by the sensors of the virtual reality helmet that we wear. We can talk to each other and walk through virtual worlds, and it will not matter where we connect, and we can even express how we feel we are, not how we are physical.