The metaverse is the future, or so is the claim of many interacting with the industry — a claim that can be backed up by the amount of activity pourin
The metaverse is the future, or so is the claim of many interacting with the industry — a claim that can be backed up by the amount of activity pouring into the Web3-metaverse domain.
Engagement in the metaverse of 2022 is looking less like a Sims-esque video game and more like government agencies creating virtual offices to connect with future generations of clients or nations facing the existential threat of climate change using the metaverse to create digital versions of themselves.
One way brands and organizations are using the metaverse is by hosting large-scale virtual events similar to those they already hold in-real-life.
This type of metaverse activity has been seen in many iterations over the last year, one of which was the metaverse’s first-ever fashion week in April 2022. The event invited fashion enthusiasts, designers and brands into virtual reality to participate in activities that mirrored real-life events at fashion weeks around the world. Catwalks, DJ-led afterparties, talkbacks and more were all included in the digital version of the iconic fashion industry event.
In The Sandbox metaverse, a Pride festival was held in June. Similar to fashion week, what could be experienced at a physical event was recreated but with extras only made possible through digital reality, such as a Pride-themed game to be played by festival goers.
Follow the rainbow path to the Valley of Belonging to celebrate #Pride, where you can be your most authentic self!@People0fCrypto presents a game that highlights cultural experiences amongst underrepresented communities in #Web3.
Let’s go! ⤵️https://t.co/w55FEwKjSZ pic.twitter.com/KHuB0exKWd
— The Sandbox (@TheSandboxGame) June 24, 2022
Most recently, Decentraland held a four-day music festival with mega-headliners which included Björk, Ozzy Osbourne and Soulja Boy. The event had multiple stages designed with the aesthetic of the artist performing, along with other interactive attractions for festival goers.
Stunning performance, thanks for the show @bjork @decentraland pic.twitter.com/LATzhvQyEl
— Agus (@Agus0xyz) November 14, 2022
Physical festivals of such caliber cost hundreds of thousands, even hundreds of millions of dollars in cases like the popular Coachella music festival. Aside from the costs, some festivals take years of advanced planning, with months of physical prep time. To call it a big feat to pull off a mega event is putting it lightly.
As festivals and large-scale events like fashion week continue to become digitized and built into the metaverse, the question arises as to what it takes to create such an experience. Moreover, how is it different from its physical counterpart?
Complex yet creative
A common thread among those involved with large-scale metaverse events is that it is indeed complex. As it is still a relatively new evolution of online activity for both planners and users, there is a greater learning curve for everyone involved.
Akhbar Hamid is the co-founder of People of Crypto Lab — which hosted this year’s Pride festival in the Sandbox. He told Cointelegraph:
“An important thing to remember is that throwing festivals and experiences in the metaverse is a very new experience and we are building and creating what that blueprint looks like everyday.”
This “blueprint” includes a different set of logistics and planning depending on the virtual world.
Related: Al tech aims to make metaverse design accessible for creators
Hamid gave the example of The Sandbox. As it is not yet a fully open metaverse and still in alpha, there is a bit more planning involved:
“With metaverse worlds you can create and build within existing worlds and reskin existing user experience, which can allow you to execute in a shorter time frame.”
Generally, building experiences from scratch can take months, he confirmed, with additional time allotted for bug testing afterward.
Boundaries don’t exist
One thing that everyone commented on is the limitless possibilities for utilizing space in the metaverse, which simply doesn’t exist in the physical world. Raluca Cherciu, the CEO and co-founder of Unpaired — which operated the OxArena venue in Decentraland’s four-day music festival — told Cointelegraph:
“In the metaverse, what’s possible takes on a whole new meaning and the laws of physics do not apply.”
She continued saying that as a venue with no spatial limitations, from an architectural point of view, they could really create whatever the imagination conspired. In the metaverse, “you don’t have to worry about things like permits and can have much more expansive areas to play with and build in.”
Related:Spatial digital art exhibitions to level up metaverse experiences
Hamid also touched on the fact that apart from no limitations for space in the metaverse, there are also no borders. People from anywhere can attend a metaverse festival and minimize typical festival travel costs like airfare and lodging:
“This opens…
cointelegraph.com