What Is Metaverse?

Mark Zuckerberg, who is in the spotlight both with Facebook and his other top-tier social brands and virtual reality projects such as Oculus Rift, is currently in the news referring to his declarations that he will create a metaverse!

Microsoft too has lately announced its project of developing an “entertainment metaverse”, while big companies such as Amazon and Epic Games also seem to have jumped on the bandwagon!

So the question on everyone’s mind nowadays is: What is the Metaverse? The concept of the metaverse, which is often hinted in a slew of movies and stories for many years, will soon become a part of our daily routines. So, we have listed all the information you may need while exploring this virtual universe, which is likely to replace the internet soon!

What Does Metaverse Mean?

The metaverse is a concept derived from the word “universe”. It is a portmanteau word combining the words “universe” and “meta”, the latter meaning “beyond” in Ancient Greek. It stands for a new environment at the center of the real and virtual worlds, where the best of both worlds converge.

The word “metaverse” was coined in the 1992 novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. In this novel, a metaverse is depicted as a universe where virtual environments, augmented reality and the internet coexists.

One of the most important aspects of the metaverse you will experience is that you will directly find everything you are looking for in the online world. You can safely take this literally because the metaverse is a 3D world where you can experience everything you’re looking for!

You will definitely open the doors of a completely different life with the metaverse. The metaverse will be your new alternative not only for entertainment but also for all your needs including your work and study life!

Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, defines the metaverse as “an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it.” Quite soon, you can find whatever you see on the screen next to you! You will even be able to try, experience and touch what you see.

Metaverse in Popular Culture

It is possible to find many examples of the metaverse in futuristic approaches portrayed in popular culture. Let’s talk about some popular movies to understand the concept better:

The Matrix

The Matrix is ​​the most popular movie that features the concept of the metaverse on the big screen, perhaps in the most obvious fashion. The first movie of the franchise begins with Neo choosing the red pill over the blue leaving the metaverse where he lived, to being awakened by Morpheus and joining the real world. Realizing that the life he thought is real was nothing but a virtual utopia, Neo can connect from the real world to the Matrix universe, which is a metaverse, via various machines throughout the movie. You can clearly find the hints of the metaverse that is tried to be created today in the Matrix, which thoroughly reflects the intricacy of virtual reality.

Ready Player One

An absolute gamer favorite, Ready Player One by Steven Spielberg is one of the recent movies set in a metaverse. The movie narrates a breathtaking adventure set in a virtual reality world called OASIS, where real people and heroes from video games coexist. While the Matrix critiques virtual universes, Ready Player One playfully explores the limits of possibilities. It particularly inspires consistent ideas about the future of gaming technologies.

Metaverse in Video Games

Second Life

When it comes to the interactive metaverse, the first game that comes to mind is, of course, Second Life. Although the graphics and game mechanics are a bit old, the game still offers an in-depth real-life simulation since all the characters in Second Life are controlled by real people. All the players, including you; construct buildings, buy islands and shape their own worlds as they wish. During the heyday of this game, many brands tried to get embedded in Second Life via virtual brand stores, virtual products and ads, which proved the value of the simulation to businesses.

Fortnite

Epic Games is among the companies that closely follow the metaverse. The Ariana Grande concert organized as an in-game live event on August 7, 2021, in Fortnite was enjoyed by millions. The number of live viewers went beyond 12.3 million when the phenomenal rap star Travis Scott took the stage after Grande’s performance. While the artists, whose 3D models were created with Fortnite aesthetics, performed a virtual stage show with ravishing visuals that involved oceans reaching up to the sky and glowing swings. The reality was rewritten for the players who watched this festivity and joined the mini-games at the event.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most popular productions with metaverse aspects in gaming. In this game, you can be both the creator and the user of the universe that is devised completely up to your imagination and talents. So, everything in this game is in the hands of the player. Being able to change the environment as you wish with unlimited creative power will be one of the biggest features of the up-and-coming metaverse world.

World of Warcraft

We have seen in many video games of the past that a virtual environment can create a form of the economy at least as strict as in reality. MMORPG games such as World of Warcraft and Eve Online have a solid economic structure that impacts the real world through both in-game and item sales. Another feature of the metaverse will be that it will have its own peculiar economic system.

So, When Will Metaverse Come Out?

Considering the development of necessary technological infrastructures and the recognition of the concept, it is not possible to announce a certain timeline for the release of the metaverse. Futurists think that the birth stage of the metaverse is already happening. So, it is currently defined as a process in development, just like the Internet was back in the day.

From augmented reality to Instagram filters, from our spending methods to virtual reality, there is no doubt that the metaverse has gradually entered our lives. According to the statements issued by Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon, the internet is likely to be replaced by the metaverse in the next 5 years.

In the realm of the internet, which changes at a pace so tremendous, it is of particular importance to recognize the digital revolutions contributing to the formation of the metaverse. The use of superapps, which is perhaps one of the most functional categories among all, has already kicked off the metaverse of the digital finance world.

Take off by using the digital finance features offered by Ozan SuperApp, the most robust SuperApp initiative in Turkey! Download Ozan SuperApp now, and step into a unique universe where you can instantly meet your every need from 24/7 money transfer to QR code use; from cashback advantages and games to digital services!