隨著科學技術的突飛猛進,有些想法明顯可以忽略,比如已經關停的Quibi,有些想法則是時候引起廣泛的關注了,比如TikTok,最后,而那些數十年難得一見的變革,效力極其強大,已經開始影響我們生活的方方面面。
元宇宙真正成為改變局面的關鍵因素。雖然尚處在起步階段,但再明顯不過,元宇宙將從根本上改變我們在線互動的方式、品牌進行廣告宣傳的方式、采用加密技術的速度以及生活眾多的其他方面。這篇文章通過對元宇宙的解讀,便于我們理解正在發生以及將要發生的變化。
何為元宇宙?
正如《財富》雜志的馬爾科?奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯所解釋的那樣,“元宇宙是指少數幾家互聯網平臺所構建的完整互動世界,其中包括虛擬娛樂及商業。在Sandbox及Decentraland這兩個最大的元宇宙平臺上,“土地”的面積都極其有限,而且這兩家公司都表示,他們永遠不會創造更多的“土地”。
某些影響深遠的變化催生了這些全新平臺的出現。
根據The Information的說法,經過15年的運行,第二代互聯網即將終結,我們將迎來第三代互聯網的黎明,所謂第三代互聯網也就是元宇宙。3股強大的力量推動著這樣的更迭:加密技術的發展,“借助增強現實及虛擬現實的體驗式網絡似乎迫在眉睫”,外加新冠疫情加速的文化革命,疫情導致人們更多地在虛擬空間中見面和互動。
“元宇宙”這個詞匯從何而來?
《財富》雜志的喬納森?瓦尼安這樣寫道:“元宇宙的概念源自尼爾?斯蒂芬森的科幻小說《雪崩》,在小說中,元宇宙是指可以通過虛擬現實訪問的數字宇宙。近期問世的眾多科幻作品,均經常使用這類情節,比如《黑客帝國》系列電影以及《頭號玩家》原著小說和電影。”
Facebook在元宇宙中扮演什么角色?
該公司不過是想要主宰元宇宙的眾多玩家之一,但它確實野心勃勃。今年早些時候,該公司正式更名為Meta(意思是元),加大了投入。正如《財富》雜志所寫的那樣:“扎克伯格聲稱元宇宙是社交網絡接下來的發展方向,它將超越靜態用戶資料,使人們不僅僅只能發表評論文字和照片。佩戴虛擬現實頭盔或者增強現實眼鏡,就能進入元宇宙,將數字空間疊加到物質世界上,還可以借助尖端的投影系統,向現實世界發送逼真的全息圖像。”
如何進入元宇宙?
這類問題最好由20多歲的年輕人來回答。幸運的是,《財富》雜志有一位出色的員工,費莉西亞·侯。在她的文章“22歲女孩教你如何進入元宇宙”中,她一步一步地解析自己如何進入元宇宙并開始探索。(劇透:在旅行過程中,她找到一家爵士俱樂部,但卻不知道如何讓自己的虛擬形象坐到沙發上……很顯然,這些都需要練習。)
在元宇宙中能做些什么?
在元宇宙中所能做的事情每天都在增加。眼下最流行的事情是探索世界,設計虛擬角色,以及欣賞數字藝術。在Sandbox及Decentraland這樣的數字世界,你也可以玩游戲,或者自己設計游戲。如果你在Decentraland擁有土地,便可以在自己的土地上創建游戲,供你和其他用戶玩。擁有阿爾法通行證或者Sandbox測試版門票的用戶,也可以玩游戲,或者參加虛擬賭場之夜及數字音樂會等活動,截止時間是12月20日測試結束。
如果你喜歡虛擬消費,請查看《財富》的元宇宙購物指南。哦,就像《財富》雜志本周報道的那樣,如果你供職的公司緊跟科技潮流,很可能已經推出回歸工作的計劃——當然,是在元宇宙。
可以在元宇宙里購買房地產嗎?
沒錯,有人在搶購土地。
奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯這樣寫道:“在大多數平臺上,“土地”的地塊在構成整個元宇宙世界的地圖上用X和Y坐標表示。每個地塊都轉化為非同質化代幣,由平臺直接出售給消費者,或者在二級市場出售,其中最受歡迎的二級平臺是OpenSea。一旦使用非同質化代幣購買地塊,銷售記錄便會存儲在給定平臺的區塊鏈上,購買者也會成為元宇宙該地塊的唯一所有者。”
元宇宙的土地價格如何?
“OpenSea的數據顯示,截止到周三,Decentraland地價最低約為3.087以太幣,相當于13675美元。根據OpenSea數據,周三上午,Sandbox最便宜的地塊價格在2.968以太幣左右,約合13135美元。”奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯寫道。但是,跟在現實世界中一樣,預計土地價格會隨著需求而波動。一個明顯的例子是:著名說唱歌手史努比·狗狗在Sandbox上創建了史努比宇宙,他剛剛以45萬美元的價格將成為他虛擬世界鄰居的權利出售。
如何購買元宇宙的土地?
如果你想在元宇宙購買土地,就必須習慣使用加密技術。
奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯在《財富》雜志撰文,詳細分析了如何在元宇宙中購買數字房產:“購買土地之前,必須設置加密錢包。購買元宇宙土地最經常使用的加密錢包是MetaMask,目前已經得到Sandbox、Decentraland和OpenSea的認可。設置MetaMask錢包時,要在手機上或者通過谷歌Chrome瀏覽器擴展程序下載應用。下載MetaMask(或其他加密錢包)后,首先創建密碼,還可能獲得之后用來驗證身份的短信密碼。一旦創建了加密錢包,就可以在Sandbox或Decentraland上開通賬戶。請記住,投資某個元宇宙平臺之前,摸清該平臺的情況至關重要。”
“擁有錢包后,就需要將美元(或其他貨幣)兌換成加密貨幣。使用借記卡或信用卡,可以在MetaMask的谷歌Chrome瀏覽器擴展里輕松購買到以太幣,以太幣也是購買元宇宙地產最常用的加密貨幣。MetaMask將引導用戶到加密貨幣承兌商Wyre或Transak那里完成兌換。請記住,用美元兌換以太幣(或其他類型的加密貨幣)時,Wyre和Transak都會收取手續費。”
若拿不定主意在哪里購買土地,眾多代理商和專家,包括NFT Property Group、MetaMetric Solutions和Metaverse Group,會現身說法,幫你搜尋合適的目標。WeMeta是另一個可以幫你搜尋購買目標的網站。
元宇宙的土地有什么用?
最近,《財富》雜志報道了一家幫助客戶在元宇宙擴建新地塊的建筑公司:“伴隨著元宇宙土地的出售,還出現了一個新問題,那就是買下數字土地之后要做些什么?一家名為Voxel Architects的公司將這個問題變成了一項業務,該公司今年已經設計了大約40座數字建筑,與蘇富比拍賣行和ConsenSys Software等客戶展開合作,最受青睞的加密錢包MetaMask便出自后者之手。”
其業務蒸蒸日上。Voxel Architects首席設計官喬治·比萊卡表示:“4個月前,公司每周收到大約10份設計報價的咨詢,而現在,這一數字已經增加到每周近30份。”Voxel Architects母公司NFT Studios的首席執行官萊昂德羅·貝羅尼透露,這些項目的價格從1萬美元到30萬美元不等,價格高低取決于項目的規模、所包含的功能數量以及建造它所需的時間。
借助每個平臺的本地構建應用程序,也可以自己建構這些數字世界中的大多數空間。在Sandbox,可以使用其游戲制作程序;而在Decenttraland,則可以使用游戲內置的建筑工人在你所擁有的土地上大興土木。
如何保護在元宇宙購買的一切?
若在現實世界擁有房產,很可能會為房子買保險,也可能設置安全系統。而現在,要保護在元宇宙所擁有的一切,最好的辦法就是使用硬件錢包。“硬件錢包是實體USB驅動設備,從錢包中轉出資金或非同質化代幣時,可以添加兩步驗證,確保土地不會遭到網絡釣魚攻擊。用戶還可以利用驅動設備訪問土地,在額外保護下從全球任何一臺計算機安全地出售土地。”奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯寫道。
知名品牌如何利用元宇宙?
一場購物狂歡已經在這里展開。據彭博社報道,古馳、巴黎世家以及巴寶莉等品牌均在元宇宙布局,為他們的顧客在這個虛擬世界提供瀏覽、購物甚至閑逛的空間:“知名品牌已經在元宇宙占據一席之地。比如,古馳在在線游戲Roblox搭載快閃店“古馳花園”,出售該品牌的商品,一款包包能夠賣到4000美元現金。耐克也宣布與該平臺建立深度合作伙伴關系,以該公司位于俄勒岡州的總部為模型,創建名為Nikeland的虛擬世界,出售獨家商品。今年9月,巴黎世家在射擊游戲“堡壘之夜”上推出了一系列服裝。若想購買這些“皮膚”或者說游戲角色的服裝,得使用“堡壘之夜”的通用貨幣V幣購買,而V幣則需要花真錢才能買到。
元宇宙能達到多大規模?
上了幾歲年紀的朋友們,應該還記得“第二人生”這款游戲,21世紀前10年,這款類似“模擬人生”的游戲所營造出的世界曾經短暫地吸引了人們的注意力。雖然它從未成為主流,但仍然擁有一批忠實的粉絲。但20年過去,交互作用的各種力量——更不用說在此期間巨大的技術飛躍——使元宇宙絕不會僅僅是個利基產品。據彭博社報道,今年11月,“堡壘之夜”的制作公司Epic Games首席執行官蒂姆·斯威尼表示,元宇宙極具潛力,有望成為世界經濟中價值數萬億美元的重要組成部分。”(財富中文網)
譯者:袁楓
隨著科學技術的突飛猛進,有些想法明顯可以忽略,比如已經關停的Quibi,有些想法則是時候引起廣泛的關注了,比如TikTok,最后,而那些數十年難得一見的變革,效力極其強大,已經開始影響我們生活的方方面面。
元宇宙真正成為改變局面的關鍵因素。雖然尚處在起步階段,但再明顯不過,元宇宙將從根本上改變我們在線互動的方式、品牌進行廣告宣傳的方式、采用加密技術的速度以及生活眾多的其他方面。這篇文章通過對元宇宙的解讀,便于我們理解正在發生以及將要發生的變化。
何為元宇宙?
正如《財富》雜志的馬爾科?奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯所解釋的那樣,“元宇宙是指少數幾家互聯網平臺所構建的完整互動世界,其中包括虛擬娛樂及商業。在Sandbox及Decentraland這兩個最大的元宇宙平臺上,“土地”的面積都極其有限,而且這兩家公司都表示,他們永遠不會創造更多的“土地”。
某些影響深遠的變化催生了這些全新平臺的出現。
根據The Information的說法,經過15年的運行,第二代互聯網即將終結,我們將迎來第三代互聯網的黎明,所謂第三代互聯網也就是元宇宙。3股強大的力量推動著這樣的更迭:加密技術的發展,“借助增強現實及虛擬現實的體驗式網絡似乎迫在眉睫”,外加新冠疫情加速的文化革命,疫情導致人們更多地在虛擬空間中見面和互動。
“元宇宙”這個詞匯從何而來?
《財富》雜志的喬納森?瓦尼安這樣寫道:“元宇宙的概念源自尼爾?斯蒂芬森的科幻小說《雪崩》,在小說中,元宇宙是指可以通過虛擬現實訪問的數字宇宙。近期問世的眾多科幻作品,均經常使用這類情節,比如《黑客帝國》系列電影以及《頭號玩家》原著小說和電影。”
Facebook在元宇宙中扮演什么角色?
該公司不過是想要主宰元宇宙的眾多玩家之一,但它確實野心勃勃。今年早些時候,該公司正式更名為Meta(意思是元),加大了投入。正如《財富》雜志所寫的那樣:“扎克伯格聲稱元宇宙是社交網絡接下來的發展方向,它將超越靜態用戶資料,使人們不僅僅只能發表評論文字和照片。佩戴虛擬現實頭盔或者增強現實眼鏡,就能進入元宇宙,將數字空間疊加到物質世界上,還可以借助尖端的投影系統,向現實世界發送逼真的全息圖像。”
如何進入元宇宙?
這類問題最好由20多歲的年輕人來回答。幸運的是,《財富》雜志有一位出色的員工,費莉西亞·侯。在她的文章“22歲女孩教你如何進入元宇宙”中,她一步一步地解析自己如何進入元宇宙并開始探索。(劇透:在旅行過程中,她找到一家爵士俱樂部,但卻不知道如何讓自己的虛擬形象坐到沙發上……很顯然,這些都需要練習。)
在元宇宙中能做些什么?
在元宇宙中所能做的事情每天都在增加。眼下最流行的事情是探索世界,設計虛擬角色,以及欣賞數字藝術。在Sandbox及Decentraland這樣的數字世界,你也可以玩游戲,或者自己設計游戲。如果你在Decentraland擁有土地,便可以在自己的土地上創建游戲,供你和其他用戶玩。擁有阿爾法通行證或者Sandbox測試版門票的用戶,也可以玩游戲,或者參加虛擬賭場之夜及數字音樂會等活動,截止時間是12月20日測試結束。
如果你喜歡虛擬消費,請查看《財富》的元宇宙購物指南。哦,就像《財富》雜志本周報道的那樣,如果你供職的公司緊跟科技潮流,很可能已經推出回歸工作的計劃——當然,是在元宇宙。
可以在元宇宙里購買房地產嗎?
沒錯,有人在搶購土地。
奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯這樣寫道:“在大多數平臺上,“土地”的地塊在構成整個元宇宙世界的地圖上用X和Y坐標表示。每個地塊都轉化為非同質化代幣,由平臺直接出售給消費者,或者在二級市場出售,其中最受歡迎的二級平臺是OpenSea。一旦使用非同質化代幣購買地塊,銷售記錄便會存儲在給定平臺的區塊鏈上,購買者也會成為元宇宙該地塊的唯一所有者。”
元宇宙的土地價格如何?
“OpenSea的數據顯示,截止到周三,Decentraland地價最低約為3.087以太幣,相當于13675美元。根據OpenSea數據,周三上午,Sandbox最便宜的地塊價格在2.968以太幣左右,約合13135美元。”奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯寫道。但是,跟在現實世界中一樣,預計土地價格會隨著需求而波動。一個明顯的例子是:著名說唱歌手史努比·狗狗在Sandbox上創建了史努比宇宙,他剛剛以45萬美元的價格將成為他虛擬世界鄰居的權利出售。
如何購買元宇宙的土地?
如果你想在元宇宙購買土地,就必須習慣使用加密技術。
奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯在《財富》雜志撰文,詳細分析了如何在元宇宙中購買數字房產:“購買土地之前,必須設置加密錢包。購買元宇宙土地最經常使用的加密錢包是MetaMask,目前已經得到Sandbox、Decentraland和OpenSea的認可。設置MetaMask錢包時,要在手機上或者通過谷歌Chrome瀏覽器擴展程序下載應用。下載MetaMask(或其他加密錢包)后,首先創建密碼,還可能獲得之后用來驗證身份的短信密碼。一旦創建了加密錢包,就可以在Sandbox或Decentraland上開通賬戶。請記住,投資某個元宇宙平臺之前,摸清該平臺的情況至關重要。”
“擁有錢包后,就需要將美元(或其他貨幣)兌換成加密貨幣。使用借記卡或信用卡,可以在MetaMask的谷歌Chrome瀏覽器擴展里輕松購買到以太幣,以太幣也是購買元宇宙地產最常用的加密貨幣。MetaMask將引導用戶到加密貨幣承兌商Wyre或Transak那里完成兌換。請記住,用美元兌換以太幣(或其他類型的加密貨幣)時,Wyre和Transak都會收取手續費。”
若拿不定主意在哪里購買土地,眾多代理商和專家,包括NFT Property Group、MetaMetric Solutions和Metaverse Group,會現身說法,幫你搜尋合適的目標。WeMeta是另一個可以幫你搜尋購買目標的網站。
元宇宙的土地有什么用?
最近,《財富》雜志報道了一家幫助客戶在元宇宙擴建新地塊的建筑公司:“伴隨著元宇宙土地的出售,還出現了一個新問題,那就是買下數字土地之后要做些什么?一家名為Voxel Architects的公司將這個問題變成了一項業務,該公司今年已經設計了大約40座數字建筑,與蘇富比拍賣行和ConsenSys Software等客戶展開合作,最受青睞的加密錢包MetaMask便出自后者之手。”
其業務蒸蒸日上。Voxel Architects首席設計官喬治·比萊卡表示:“4個月前,公司每周收到大約10份設計報價的咨詢,而現在,這一數字已經增加到每周近30份。”Voxel Architects母公司NFT Studios的首席執行官萊昂德羅·貝羅尼透露,這些項目的價格從1萬美元到30萬美元不等,價格高低取決于項目的規模、所包含的功能數量以及建造它所需的時間。
借助每個平臺的本地構建應用程序,也可以自己建構這些數字世界中的大多數空間。在Sandbox,可以使用其游戲制作程序;而在Decenttraland,則可以使用游戲內置的建筑工人在你所擁有的土地上大興土木。
如何保護在元宇宙購買的一切?
若在現實世界擁有房產,很可能會為房子買保險,也可能設置安全系統。而現在,要保護在元宇宙所擁有的一切,最好的辦法就是使用硬件錢包。“硬件錢包是實體USB驅動設備,從錢包中轉出資金或非同質化代幣時,可以添加兩步驗證,確保土地不會遭到網絡釣魚攻擊。用戶還可以利用驅動設備訪問土地,在額外保護下從全球任何一臺計算機安全地出售土地。”奎羅茲-古鐵雷斯寫道。
知名品牌如何利用元宇宙?
一場購物狂歡已經在這里展開。據彭博社報道,古馳、巴黎世家以及巴寶莉等品牌均在元宇宙布局,為他們的顧客在這個虛擬世界提供瀏覽、購物甚至閑逛的空間:“知名品牌已經在元宇宙占據一席之地。比如,古馳在在線游戲Roblox搭載快閃店“古馳花園”,出售該品牌的商品,一款包包能夠賣到4000美元現金。耐克也宣布與該平臺建立深度合作伙伴關系,以該公司位于俄勒岡州的總部為模型,創建名為Nikeland的虛擬世界,出售獨家商品。今年9月,巴黎世家在射擊游戲“堡壘之夜”上推出了一系列服裝。若想購買這些“皮膚”或者說游戲角色的服裝,得使用“堡壘之夜”的通用貨幣V幣購買,而V幣則需要花真錢才能買到。
元宇宙能達到多大規模?
上了幾歲年紀的朋友們,應該還記得“第二人生”這款游戲,21世紀前10年,這款類似“模擬人生”的游戲所營造出的世界曾經短暫地吸引了人們的注意力。雖然它從未成為主流,但仍然擁有一批忠實的粉絲。但20年過去,交互作用的各種力量——更不用說在此期間巨大的技術飛躍——使元宇宙絕不會僅僅是個利基產品。據彭博社報道,今年11月,“堡壘之夜”的制作公司Epic Games首席執行官蒂姆·斯威尼表示,元宇宙極具潛力,有望成為世界經濟中價值數萬億美元的重要組成部分。”(財富中文網)
譯者:袁楓
As tech trends go, there are the obviously skippable ideas (Quibi), the ones you finally admit it's time to pay attention to (we see you, TikTok), and, finally, the small basket of once-in-a-generation changes that are so powerful that they start to exert a gravitational pull on multiple aspects of our lives.
The metaverse is officially a game-changer. Though in its infancy, it's clear that the metaverse will radically change how we're able to interact online, how brands advertise, how fast crypto is adopted, and any number of other facets of life. Here's an explainer to help understand what changes are underway—and what's to come.
What is the metaverse?
As Fortune's Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez explains, "The metaverse refers to a handful of platforms on the internet that have built interactive worlds complete with virtual entertainment and businesses. There are only a limited number of plots of “land” in the two biggest metaverse platforms, the Sandbox and Decentraland, and both companies have said that they will never create more."
The launch of these new platforms is underpinned by some powerful changes.
According to The Information, after a 15-year run we are nearing the end of Web 2.0 and entering the dawn of Web 3.0., aka the metaverse. This is being driven by three powerful forces: the rise of crypto, the "the seeming imminence of the experiential web via augmented and virtual reality," and a cultural revolution accelerated by COVID which spurred people to meet and interact in virtual spaces.
Where does the term metaverse come from?
As Fortune's Jonathan Vanian writes, "The concept of the metaverse was popularized in the science-fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson to refer to a digital universe that can be accessed through virtual reality. It’s a frequently used plot point in many recent works of science fiction, such as the Matrix films and the novel and movie Ready Player One."
What's Facebook's role in the metaverse?
The company is just one player that wants to dominate the metaverse, but it has huge ambitions. And it doubled down on its bets earlier this year when it officially changed its name to Meta. As Fortune wrote: "Zuckerberg says the metaverse is the next evolution for social networking, moving past static user profiles that let people merely post comments and photos. To reach it, people would need to wear VR headsets or augmented reality glasses that superimpose the digital realm onto the physical world. There could also be lifelike holograms beamed into the real world from cutting-edge projection systems."
How can I enter the metaverse?
This is one of those questions that is best answered by a 20-something. Luckily Fortune has a terrific one on staff, Felicia Hou. In her piece "A 22-year-old breaks down how to join the metaverse," she breaks down step by step how she entered the metaverse and started exploring. (Spoiler: On her travels she found a jazz club to hang out in, but couldn't figure out how to sit her avatar down on a couch... These things takes practice, apparently.)
What can I do in the metaverse?
The possibilities of what a person can do are expanding every day. Right now some of the most popular things to do are explore the world, design a virtual avatar, and view digital art. In some digital worlds such as the Sandbox and Decentraland you can also play games or design them yourself. If you own land in Decentraland, you can build games hosted on your land for you and other users to play. Users with an alpha pass, or ticket to a test version of the Sandbox, can also play games until the test version ends on Dec. 20. You can also attend events such as virtual casino nights or digital concerts.
If virtual consumption is your thing, check out Fortune's guide to shopping in the metaverse. Oh, and if you work at a tech-forward company, as Fortune reported this week, your company may already be rolling out return-to-work plan—in the metaverse, of course.
Can you buy real estate in the metaverse?
Oh yes, there is a land grab going on.
Quiroz-Gutierrez writes that, "On most platforms, plots of “land” are represented by X and Y coordinates on a map that makes up the entirety of a metaverse world. Each plot is turned into an NFT, which is sold either directly by the platform to a consumer, or by a secondary marketplace, the most popular of which is OpenSea. Once you buy a plot through an NFT, your sale is recorded on the blockchain of the given platform, and you become the sole owner of that piece of land within the metaverse."
How much does metaverse land cost?
"The minimum price for land in Decentraland, as of Wednesday, was about 3.087 Ether, or the equivalent of $13,675, according to OpenSea. The cheapest piece of land in the Sandbox on Wednesday morning was worth about 2.968 Ether, according to OpenSea, or about $13,135," writes Quiroz-Gutierrez. But prices are expected to fluctuate with demand, just like in the real world. One out-there example: Snoop Dogg, who is building out the Snoopverse on the Sandbox, just sold the rights to be his virtual next door neighbor for $450,000.
How do you pay for land inside the metaverse?
You've got to get comfortable with crypto if you want to be a landowner.
Writing in Fortune, Quiroz-Guiterrez breaks down how to buy digital real estate in the metaverse: "Before you buy land, you have to set up a crypto wallet. One wallet commonly used to buy land is called MetaMask, and it’s accepted by the Sandbox, Decentraland, and OpenSea. To set up a MetaMask wallet, you will need to download the app on your phone or via the Google Chrome browser extension. After you download MetaMask (or another kind of crypto wallet), you will be asked to create a password and will likely be given a secret phrase which you’ll use to verify your identity later on. Once you’ve created a crypto wallet you can use that wallet to open an account on the Sandbox or Decentraland. And remember, it’s important to explore a given metaverse platform before you invest in it."
"Once you get a wallet, you will need to exchange U.S. dollars (or whatever currency you’re using) for a cryptocurrency. You can easily buy Ether, the most commonly used crypto for land purchases, in the MetaMask Google Chrome extension using your debit or credit card. MetaMask will direct you to the crypto exchanges Wyre or Transak to complete the purchase. Keep in mind that both Wyre and Transak charge a processing fee for converting U.S. dollars to Ether (or other types of cryptocurrencies)."
If you need help figuring out where to buy land, a crop of brokers and specialists have popped up to help you with your search, including NFT Property Group, MetaMetric Solutions, and Metaverse Group. WeMeta is another site that will let you scout properties.
What do you do with metaverse land?
Fortune recently wrote about an architecture firm that is helping clients build out their new land parcels: "Along with those real estate sales, a new question has emerged: What do you do with a piece of digital land after you buy it? One company, Voxel Architects, turned that question into a business and has designed about 40 digital buildings this year, working with clients like Sotheby’s auction house and ConsenSys Software, the creator of the popular crypto wallet MetaMask."
And business is booming. "While before the company got about 10 requests for design quotes per week as recently as four months ago, that number has jumped to nearly 30 per week, said George Bileca, chief design officer at Voxel Architects. The price of a project can range from $10,000 to $300,000, said Leandro Bellone, CEO of Voxel Architects’ parent company NFT Studios, depending on the scale, the number of functionalities included, and the time needed to build it."
You can also build in most of these digital worlds yourself by using each platform's native build application. On the Sandbox you can build using its gamemaker and Decentraland you can use the in-game builder to create structures on lands you own.
How can you protect your metaverse purchase?
If you own a home in the real world you probably have insurance and maybe a security system. For now, the best you can do to protect your metaverse holdings is use a hardware wallet. "A hardware wallet is a physical USB drive that you can use to protect your land from phishing attempts by adding two-step verification for whenever funds or NFTs are transferred out of your wallet. You can also use the drive to access the land to sell it securely from any computer in the world with an extra layer of protection," writes Quiroz-Guiterrez.
How are brands using the metaverse?
There's already a shopping spree happening. As Bloomberg reports, brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Burberry are building out virtual worlds where customers can browse, shop, and hang out: "Already, big names are staking a claim in the metaverse. The Gucci Garden, for example, a pop-up on Roblox that sold the brand’s designs, saw one bag fetch $4,000 in real-world cash. Nike Inc., too, announced an in-depth partnership with the platform to create Nikeland, a virtual world modeled after the company’s headquarters in Oregon that offers exclusive goods for sale. In September, Balenciaga brought out a collection of clothes in Fortnite. These “skins,” or outfits for game characters, are purchased using V?Bucks, the currency of the Fortnite world. (V?Bucks cost real money to obtain.)"
How big can the metaverse get?
Some of us are old enough to remember Second Life, the SIMS-like world that briefly captured imaginations in the 2000s. Though it never went mainstream, it still has some devoted followers. But the forces at work two decades later—not to mention the huge technological leaps in the intervening years—promise to make the metaverse much more than a niche offering. "Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games Inc., which makes Fortnite, said in November that the metaverse has the potential to become a multitrillion-dollar part of the world economy," according to Bloomberg.