Metaverse services will be the foundation of the next Web3 Internet era

The concept of the Metaverse has been around since the 1980s, but it's only in recent years that we've seen hundreds of projects pop up in the space.

We are living through a gamified world with limited integration and engagement capabilities, and for now, the Metaverse remains a blank canvas for early adopters to test and play with the concept.

However, as we look to the future of participating in the Metaverse and bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds, we need to push the boundaries beyond what is currently considered the Metaverse.

Let's get started with a look at the leaders who are already starting to build the next internet that promises to have a powerful impact on commerce, engagement and entertainment.

For the Metaverse to succeed and become a regular tool that people use in their daily lives, it must enable users to interact with it.

As a sci-fi concept, or in a game world, the metaverse sounds great. However, in order for them to thrive as social and business tools, we must ensure that there is a layer of utility or incentives to keep users invested.

Web3-driven technologies are playing an important role in helping to advance the concepts and ideas of the Metaverse, thanks to blockchain technology, NFTs, extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and more.

Metaverse, with the ability to customize, talk to customers and select industries, and build new avenues for virtual engagement will find the most value in Metaverse-as-a-service (MaaS) offerings, which will enable AZ Customize your own city and it will be the foundation of the next internet.

So, what is MaaS?

It's a service model where brands can define their spaces to be anything they want. MaaS platforms enable others to create digital locations tailored to each user's unique needs, no matter how they look.

For the Metaverse to succeed as a practical concept, MaaS solutions will be key, for the following reasons.

Everyone has an opinion or vision of what the Metaverse might become, whether it's a world of gamification or an access point to Web3.

Users want the opportunity to define the space and shape it into a platform that reflects the most vivid imagination.

A world where users can connect with their favorite musical or visual artists will be very different from one built to engage with sports fans.

While Web3 acts as a common thread for many metaverses, the idea is to use decentralization to ensure that each metaverse is unique and serves a different purpose.

One size fits all is not the nature of the Metaverse, nor should it be. With MaaS, customization will be crucial and in the hands of the creator.

The esports metaverse will rely more on tokenization of team branding and gamification, while entertainers may want to create an event space to host virtual concerts.

Each metaverse has different requirements depending on the industry and the engagement layer they are considering activating with end users.

The Metaverse is where brands grow their fan bases and build communities as an extra layer of engagement. So not only would the elements be different, the branding of the entire metaverse had to look different as well.

As more brands choose to extend their community engagement efforts into the Metaverse, the more customizability it needs to be.

Not everyone has the skills to build this type of metaverse - just like not everyone can learn to code to build a website.

But then came platforms like WordPress and Shopify, which offered the opportunity for a core foundation built by technologists and experts in the field, while allowing customization by the end user for branding and strategy. This is the benefit of MaaS.

Virtual environments are places to socialize, build relationships and create communities where people can interact with other users in real time.

To take it a step further, users should not be locked into one metaverse or community, but must be able to interact with, and teleport their avatars between, other metaverses.

Imagine if you had to change browsers every time you visited a website, depending on how it was built or where it was hosted, chances are you wouldn't.

Interoperability ensures that no metaverse constructed will become a virtual island, and people across multiple metaverses will be able to exchange experiences and possessions.

Therefore, every element has to be designed around interoperability, because every Web3-based solution needs to work in every metaverse — be it tokens, avatars, NFTs or other digital assets.

Building with interoperability in mind will connect people, have open borders and make the Metaverse more accessible to all. Borderless solutions have emerged in other industries, but the same concepts must apply to the digital realm as well.

For example, avatars in the esports metaverse should also be able to travel to the metaverse of their favorite fashion brands to make purchases.

The Metaverse should not serve as a replacement for the physical world, but rather an additional layer of engagement that augments the real-world experience. MaaS will also enable users to integrate the participation layer into their own physical world.

For example, if a person displays an NFT in their physical home, a visitor can scan a QR code and end up in that person's virtual world, where the visitor can continue to view the owner's NFT library - a feature that can be activated via XR.

Without MaaS as an option, the Metaverse would continue to be a gamified world that exists only digitally in a single disconnected space.

MaaS will bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds through immersive experiences and an always-on engagement layer.

As metaverses continue to roll out, and it’s not just the blockchain experts behind them that determine what they’re going to be, MaaS will be a catalyst for creativity and the next necessary step for a thriving creator economy.

When the internet launched in the 1980s, it would never have become what it is today without the people who started building it.

Early adopters will lay the groundwork for how the Metaverse will develop and what it will become. Mass adoption of the Metaverse will only occur when MaaS enables users beyond the crypto-native generation to start creating their own Metaverse, paving the way for the next generation of digital ecosystems.

Reference source | cointelegraph

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