Metaverse "Father" Neil Stephenson Launches Metaverse Blockchain

Neal Stephenson, the writer who coined the term “Metaverse” 30 years ago, is launching a Metaverse-centric blockchain project called LAMINA1.

He also changed his mind about the Metaverse, saying the experience will likely be geared more toward flat 2D screens rather than virtual reality or augmented reality, like the headsets and lenses proposed by Meta and Microsoft.

Stephenson is a popular science fiction author who explored the concept of a virtual reality world called the "Metaverse" in his 1992 science fiction novel "Avalanche." In addition to writing, the 62-year-old was chief futurist at augmented reality company Magic from 2014 to 2020.

According to a June 8 announcement by veteran cryptocurrency investor and former Bitcoin Foundation chairman Peter Vessenes, Stephenson and him have co-created a new layer-1 blockchain called LAMINA1, which they hope will serve as "The Base Layer of the Open Metaverse".

“A place to build something closer to Neal’s vision — a place to privilege technology and art creators, a place to support, spatial computing technology, and a community to support those building the Metaverse,” Vessenes wrote Dow, adding that the network "could" be carbon negative.

There aren’t many specific details about the project at this stage, but ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin is a notable name on the project’s list of early investors.

Commenting on the co-founder's role at LAMINA1, Vessenes said:

"Neil brings his vision, wisdom, experience, and some core goals: to help artists and other value creators get paid properly for their work, to help protect the environment..., and to build a truly open Metaverse, while It’s not about seeing the vision of the metaverse being taken over by a monopoly.”

Vessenes noted that he will focus on getting the blockchain off the ground quickly, as he works to get "the necessary governance, technology, node operators, IP partners, artists, business partners and funding up and running."

Stephenson's 1992 novel described the Metaverse as a virtual urban environment accessible via a global fiber optic network and VR headsets. Themes such as social inequality, centralized control, and constant advertising are described in the book, while the concept of virtual real estate also appears in the book.

Earlier today, Stephenson shared some thoughts on the Metaverse on Twitter, predicting that most of the Metaverse will be created for screens rather than VR headsets.

Stephenson noted that when he first wrote this piece 30 years ago, he didn't foresee the future of high-quality video games coming to consumers on a large scale.

"Thanks to games, billions of people can now comfortably navigate 3D environments on flat 2D screens. The UI at their disposal (like WASD+mouse) is not what most sci-fi writers predict. But that's how path-dependent the tech world is." Mode of operation."

The writer went on to add that modern game development still revolves around screens for both developers and consumers, and if anything, we will use a hybrid approach to developing the Metaverse, covering 2D screens and AR / VR technology, not pure VR.

“We fluidly navigate and interact with incredibly rich 3D environments using keyboards designed for mechanical typewriters. This is what steampunk looks like brought to life. If the metaverse left these users and the developers who created these experiences behind, That would be a false start."