Building for the virtual world is hard, but I think that it should also be fun!
Welcome to Week 01 of my newsletter, where we discuss the fundamentals of the metaverse, together!
Meta-wha?
Everyone is using this word “metaverse.” It’s kind of weird, isn’t it?
It’s been used by Facebook, ha! – I’m sorry… Meta. And it’s used by brands from Budweiser, to Adidas to Gucci. But, what does it really mean? Why are brands flocking to it? Why are tech companies making it part of their core strategy? What’s going on?
Well, there is this concept that, because of our ever increasingly connected lifestyle, we are moving toward a persistent virtual world. We can imagine an infinitely extended version of the massive multiplayer games that overwhelmingly own our time. (Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft.)
But there is more to this concept than just that. Much, much more. And it’s in that “much much” part, that it’s easy to get lost.
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Are you scared of the Metaverse?
Understanding this concept of the “metaverse” is hard, let alone figuring out how to build and participate in it. I think, regardless of what we call it, there is a great opportunity for artists to build for it. However, understanding it and the opportunity it presents, is not so clear.
For the last three years, I have been very deep in the research of it, and my take away?
1. Few people really understand it. (Even I struggle – So it’s ok if you don’t get it either!) There is a lot of guess work and hear-say out there. It’s sometimes impossible to gage what is truth and what is fantasy.
2. A lot of the “beginner” content, is not actually beginner. (I’ve read a lot of them!) And in some cases, the people who purport to help, are simply mean.
3. We need to be very careful. Scams and greedy people abound.
After 20 years in computer graphics, I wanted to understand this evolution. To do that, I need to think and write in public. I want to open other people’s mind to the concept, without the marketing, the anxiety or the capitalist agenda that is driving it. We need creators (artists, thinkers, developers) who are willing to build this persistent world. And build it for the right reasons.
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So, this is it.
Each week, I’ll be doing little drawings and talking about concepts like game engines, virtual production, blockchains, AI, virtual characters – Man, the stuff is crazy! I’d love it if you signed up and came along.That’s it for this time.
Remember, you can always reach out to me on @nyewarburton on twitter.
My DM’s are always open.And, hey, if this email inspires you to write or comment?
Do it! I hope we can start a dialogue about what you think the metaverse is!
We’ll see you next week for: INFRASTRUCTURE
