For many gamers, the ability to completely immerse one’s self in a game has always held a particular appeal. We have seen controllers that were molded to resemble characters’ weapons, motion-based consoles that track player movements and gestures, and even attempts at virtual reality that go as far back as the 80s and 90s.
But an exciting development in technology is set to usher in a new era of gaming — one that’s poised to introduce new ways games are played entirely.
Last October 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a significant shift in the global tech giant’s plans when he announced that the company would be renamed Meta. This rebrand symbolizes Meta’s aim to build the metaverse, which the company describes as a “hybrid of online social experiences…that will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together.”
But what does that even mean?
Simply put, the metaverse is a virtual world or a digital environment that mimics the physical world we live in today. In other words, it’s the result of bringing our physical reality into the digital world through the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, and other “meta” technologies designed to foster digital connections among its users.
While this seems like an amazing breakthrough for things such as social media and how we communicate with other people online, one big beneficiary of the introduction of the metaverse into the mainstream is the gaming industry.
But how will gaming in the metaverse be different from games that have utilized virtual and augmented reality in the past? Isn’t it just the same thing?
The beauty of ‘Meta’-gaming
As mentioned above, the idea of a digital universe or a virtual world is not at all a novel concept in gaming. One need not look far— Minecraft, dubbed the most successful video game franchise of all time, largely revolves around players living in a three-dimensional, block landscape with the ability to build their own houses and structures, all while sharing the same world with fellow players online.
Gaming in the metaverse takes this idea and breaks it wide open. According to TechGuide, the metaverse will allow gamers to play with anyone in the same virtual universe without the need to be playing in the same game. This then would allow metaverse users to exponentially increase the number of players they can play games with, the variety of games they can play, and the different types of experiences game makers can make through the metaverse.
In addition to that, the metaverse would create a more diverse online marketplace in games as shopping for items physically would theoretically translate to the space in the same way. Real money could be used to buy items in the metaverse in the same way you can buy them in your local store.
Lastly, there is no denying that the virtual and augmented reality aspects of the metaverse will surely be its biggest draw. Being able to feel like you yourself are living in the game through virtual headsets and specifically-tailored controllers that the metaverse comes with is an easy sell for newcomers and hardcore gamers alike. We already have virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, and it’s safe to expect that more companies will jump the trend and develop their own hardware for the metaverse.
This all translates to a gaming experience like no other, and only a question of when this type of gaming will become the industry standard of how games are played.
Facebook’s impact
Despite the overwhelming number of opportunities that the metaverse brings to the gaming industry, we shouldn’t minimize the impact of Facebook’s rebranding to Meta to how the metaverse can actually affect or influence games. In fact, Facebook’s transformation into Meta is a huge turning point to how this can be achieved not just because of its existing technologies but more so because of the company’s enormous reach and user base.
As of April 2022, DataReportal reported that the number of monthly active Facebook users had reached over 2.936 billion people. To put things into perspective, there are roughly 7.96 billion people worldwide. This means that over 35% of the whole Earth is actively using a Facebook account and are strong potential users for any metaverse product that Meta releases.
Why is this important, you may ask? Because this presents an amazing opportunity to bring the metaverse to even the most average of consumers. The more people who know about the metaverse, the better, and the more metaverse consumers there are, the more prospective gamers can join the fun.
This then will (hopefully) trickle down to how the metaverse is utilized by game companies, who will now see developing metaverse games as a good shot at success and not merely a one-off gimmick or experiment. What was once cool but definitely, the niche genre of gaming is now slated to become one of the most interesting and most anticipated changes the industry has seen in quite a while.
With these exciting new developments, be sure to check out http://joystickgames.com/ for the latest and greatest news, tips, and guides on gaming in the metaverse!