EXPLAINED | What Is Metaverse? The Enthralling Concept That Merges Virtual And Real Worlds

The metaverse concept is becoming a buzzword in the fields of technology and business. From Facebook and Microsoft to Roblox and Epic Games — all are joining the metaverse

is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse | Photo: Getty

New Delhi: From Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Big Tech has been talking about the metaverse. 

On September 27, Facebook announced an investment of $50 million in the metaverse project. “We’ll collaborate with policymakers, experts and industry partners to bring this to life. We’re announcing a $50 million investment in global research and program partners to ensure these products are developed responsibly,” Andrew Bosworth, VP, Facebook Reality Labs, and Nick Clegg, VP, Global Affairs, wrote in a blog.

The metaverse has been a fictional concept until now, in which the real world and the virtual world came together. Like many other fictional concepts, the metaverse now appears to be turning into reality — bringing together virtual and augmented reality, the Internet and real life. 

Metaverse: Origin Of The Concept

The metaverse concept originated in the science fiction novel, Snow Crash (1992), by Neal Stephenson. Since then, many movies have shown a metaverse. 

The Matrix (1999) had humans living in a virtual world created by artificial intelligence, unaware that this is not the real world. 

What Is The Metaverse?

The Metaverse can refer to digital spaces that appear more lifelike due to the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR).

The term is also used to describe gaming worlds, where users have a character and they walk around interacting with other gamers.

A specific type of metaverse also uses blockchain technology. In this, users can buy virtual land or other digital assets by paying in cryptocurrencies. 

Is It Possible For Real World and Virtual World To Merge Into One?

It may not be like 'The Matrix' immediately, but there may be small steps in the direction of a metaverse. 

With the help of the metaverse technology, one can wear virtual reality glasses that will give the person the feeling of being exactly in front of a friend, though the person is far away in reality and is connected only through the internet.

The metaverse, a virtual reality version of the internet, is believed to blur the lines between the physical world and the digital world. Facebook visualises the metaverse as the future.

On Monday, Facebook said in a blog post that it plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union for the metaverse project. 

It said access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities can be unlocked using the metaverse technology.

"Today, we are announcing a plan to create 10,000 new high skilled jobs within the European Union (EU) over the next five years.", the blog post read.

Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, The Verge reported on Wednesday. 

In July, Zuckerberg told The Verge, that “we will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company" over the next several years. 

Horizon Workrooms, which Facebook unveiled in August, is a feature that enables workers wearing VR headsets to hold meetings in a virtual room. This is one of the steps towards the direction of a metaverse. 

Facebook Not Alone

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella recently said the company is heavily investing in the “enterprise metaverse”, according to news reports.

Popular children's game Roblox describes itself as a metaverse company. Also considered to be part of the metaverse is Epic Games' Fortnite.