Metaverse and Web3

Tracking projects and reads around blockchain, metaverse and web3.

My attempt at defining what the 'metaverse' is - The word “meta” in Greek means “transcending” while the word “verse” is abbreviated from universe, which represents all of space and time. When these two words are combined, a brand new word “metaverse” comes into the picture, where the traditional experiences of interaction, social systems and communication are transcended into novel reimagined digitally augmented living spaces, enabled by VR, AR, crypto, blockchain, mobile and perhaps more technologies coming.

The term was first coined by Neal Stephenson, in his famous science fiction novel called Snow Crash where people utilize digital avatars to control and compete with each other to upgrade their status.

Useful Reads to Share

Books

• Blockchain Revolution by Tapscott - I read this book when it was first released around 2017 and it has singlehandedly reframed my thinking around tech, decentralization and what's possible. Blockchain and crypto are enablers for the metaverse.

• The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything - Forthcoming book by Matthew Ball who runs the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF index and was formerly Head of Strategy at Amazon Studios.

• Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson's seminal book on metaverse, published in 1992.

Videos

• Meta Reality Labs Chief Scientist on AR VR XR - Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist at Reality Labs, spoke at the 67th IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in December 2021. In the talk, Abrash describes his vision of the AR and VR future and some of the semiconductor innovations that will be necessary to bring it to life.

• Webcast - Unlocking the potential of Web3 and the Metaverse for financial services firms - Participation and operating opportunities and models for FI's in Web3 and the Metaverse. Via KPMG.

Links

• VR Usage & Consumer Attitudes via ARtillery Intelligence - how do consumers feel about VR? Who’s using it? How often? And what do they want to see next? Perhaps more importantly, what are non-users’ reasons for disinterest? And how can VR software and hardware developers optimize product strategies accordingly?

• Omigroup - Sandbox for discussing interoperability among metaverses, consensus strategy via git

• The Metaverse Primer - 9 Part series from Matthew Ball -Crypto, web3, and the Metaverse Overview of crypto’s core concepts, along policy questions raised by its increasing adoption by citizens and organisations.

• The Future of Media: Movies, the Metaverse - Investor field guide to the Metaverse by Matthew Ball

• A Primer on the Metaverse - Venturebeat article on the next iteration of the Internet

• Parts List for the Metaverse - List by Philip Rosedale

• Blockchain for the Metaverse an extensive survey on the applications of blockchain for the metaverse

• web3 foundation grants program and its current web3 projects and its 20-lecture MOOC

• The Metaverse Explained - Loup Ventures take on the Metaverse in 4 parts

• Metaversing - Exploring issues related to the Metaverse and design choices and challenges

• Makers Guide to the Metaverse - 2015 article on 5 principles to build into the Metaverse

• Metaverse Lab - Experiments with VR/AR, Neural Networks, and 3D Internet

• PUDDLES to OASIS - Wired article on connecting disparate virtual worlds

• A Multiverse, not the metaverse - 5 Part series on Multiversing by Techcrunch

• The library inside Minecraft and our future in the Metaverse - The Uncensored Library

• Roblox believes user-generated content will bring us the Metaverse - Roblox wants players to build the metaverse

• Balaji Srinivasan on Building a “Pseudonymous Economy” - Pseudonymity is already the norm in virtual worlds

• What is the Metaverse and do I have to care? - Verge article that's one part definition, one part aspiration, one part hype

• The Economy of the Metaverse - Interview with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney

• Mark Zuckerberg Metaverse Interview - Zuck on Facebook becoming 'a Metaverse Company'

• The Metaverse is Everything - Article by Doug Thompson on why we're talking about the Metaverse now

• Building the Metaverse with janusVR - From 2015 but still relevant for building 3D internet experiences

• The Seven Rules of the Metaverse - A framework for the coming immersive reality by auradeluxe

• Building the Open Metaverse Podcast - Hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games)

• Into the Military Metaverse - Synthetic, virtual military training use cases being envisioned by folks in military.

• US Military Is Building Its Own Metaverse - Metaverse-related ideas are already part of some of the latest military systems.

• Horizon metaverse platform - promise of Horizon Worlds as synchronous, real-time immersion, monetized

• Apple Vision Pro Dev Developers who have been building 3D apps and games with Unity’s robust authoring tools can port their Unity apps to Apple Vision Pro.

• Awesome list maintained by m3org

web3 unicorns (companies valued at > $1bn as of Q1/2022)

• Ripple - an international payments provider
• Aave - a protocol for borrowing and lending crypto assets that runs on Ethereum
• Chainalysis - a data analytics platform for compliance, risk management, and cybercrime investigations
• Forte - a gaming infrastructure platform
• OpenSea - a digital collectibles marketplace
• Sorare - an Ethereum-based fantasy football game in which virtual player cards can be bought and traded
• Recroom - gaming infra platform and its $3.5B valuation

License