Many people might be familiar with the word metaverse as Mark Zuckerberg renamed “Facebook” to “Meta” in 2021. But do you know, that the metaverse plays a significant role in bringing a revolution of online gaming? As the metaverse grows quickly, the gamer culture might look very different by 2025.
Nowadays. gaming developer is always tried to provide realistic graphics in their games. The play station VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive can be a great example of realistic graphics. Where people enjoy games as if they were a part of the real world. These VR devices not only improve the visuals but also allow players to interact with the virtual environment.
What is Metaverse?
The metaverse is a 3D-enabled digital space which can connect people virtually. It also can be considered a collective virtual space that merges the physical and digital realities. It allows users to interact with the virtual world in real time.
The metaverse is the integration of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 3D technology that seamlessly create a digital environment where users can interact with each other if they have a stable internet connection. Mark Zuckerberg used the word “Meta” to rename his company and introduce different features to enhance social interactions in virtual space. Following him, several social media platforms bring different features including AI avatars, virtual gaming, virtual meetings, digital marketplace and more.
The word metaverse is extracted from two Greek words “meta” and “verse”, the combined meaning of these two words is “beyond the universe”. However, the original appearance of the concept found the “Snowcrash”, a 1992 science-fiction novel by Neal Stephenson. This novel represents a vast cyberspace where virtual avatars of people are connecting and interacting with each other through the virtual world.
The concept gained further popularity through the novel “Ready Player One”, published in 2011 by Ernest Cline. The story of the novel depicts a future world where millions of individuals explore the virtual world to escape from their daily lives. However, from these novels, the idea of VR headsets, online gaming and others can be seen.
Metaverse can be understood through three different worlds. The first one is AR. This can be understood with the “Pokemon Go” game’s features. If you ever play this game, you might have noticed how it overlays Pokemon (digital creatures) onto the real world using the camera of smartphones.
The second world is virtual reality. To experience the VR world you need a VR headset. By wearing the headset, you can experience a completely different world. Games like “Half-life: Alyx”, “Beat Saber” and more can bring an individual into fantastical realism. However, VR headsets allow individuals to do impossible things like taking a roller coaster ride, sitting beside their favourite movie character and more.
The third world is mixed reality (MR) or hybrid reality where VR and AR are merged. In this technology, holograms have been created with whom we can interact in the real world. Microsoft’s HoloLens is an example of it. By using this device, users can see and manipulate 3D holograms as if they existed in the real world.
These three worlds of AR, VR and MR together build the base of the metaverse. Henceforth, rather than calling it a virtual world, it can be phrased as time. Metaverse is a time when the virtual world gets more value than the physical world. Well, it is already happening that people love to spend time with online friends rather than relatives, playing online multiplayer games than outdoor games and more.
However, the metaverse contains several features. One of the significant features can be considered to be a digital avatar. This can be considered a unique method to express emotions and ideas by customising their avatars. The people who do not want to reveal their identity can create avatars of their own and the avatars will interact with people and connect in the virtual world.
Decentralization is also a core component of the metaverse. In the decentralized platforms, people can open and manage their virtual spaces without relying on a central authority. The decentralized platforms enable creators to control their work and ensure transactions of their assets are transparent and secure.
Potential changes in gamer culture by 2025
Imagine you are playing GTA-5 (Grand Theft Auto) and instead of controlling your character, you are driving cars through a fully immersive virtual city. Well, that might sound interesting for gamers. Well, the metaverse can change the traditional gamer culture by doing this by 2025.
The gaming industry evolved with modern technologies. The introduction of a virtual world can create new revenue streams through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and play-to-earn models, where gamers can collect NFTs and sell them to earn real money.
Besides multiplayer games, blockchain-powered games are also becoming popular in the gaming world. The blockchain technology has huge potential in the gaming industry. It can bring revolution in giving the ability to tokenize in-game items and allow the players to sell these items for cryptocurrency.
The shift towards reward-based or NFT-based games can revolutionise the gamer culture by attracting gamers to earn real money through their gameplay in the form of NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The gaming industry is moving towards this new culture of games.
The future of gaming will be aligned with the decentralized platforms. The players can engage in Web3-based games where games will be hosted on the blockchain. This will make the games unhackable. In these games, players can earn, trade and use the gaming assets outside the game transparently and securely.
The Gamers, for instance, can explore the virtual world with their friends in the multiplayer mood. Even gamer communities can participate in virtual events, customize their own space and attend concerts. Hence, the metaverse can blur the line between the virtual world and the physical world with the advancement of technology.
With the evaluation of virtual world technologies, the barrier between gaming platforms and devices is breaking down. Cloud gaming can be a great example of it, where gamers don’t require a full gaming set-up, rather they can play games directly through online platforms with the help of a stable internet connection.
The vibrant culture of user-generated content creation will also go to empower gamers. Different tools and platforms will be provided to games through which they can create a customised virtual environment with avatars, items and entire landscapes. With collaborative gaming ecosystems like multiplayer games, they can share their content with other gamers and in the gaming community.
Metaverse can change the meaning of playing games and make it a key part of our daily lives. The virtual world created with VR, AR and blockchain technology can provide gamers a chance to build their own business rather than just play games. This virtual space can allow people to socialize and learn besides playing games.
As soon as the digital universe matures, several brands have been expected to build a significant presence in the virtual world. The chance of increasing virtual stores, branded NFTs and immersive brand experiences can help gamers to attract brands. In this way, brands also became able to connect with targeted customers and the gamers can also earn higher revenue from brand sponsorships.
Several companies including RuneScape, Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft and more are investing in metaverse to make the potential changes into reality. The key element of bringing this shift in the gamer culture is interoperability. The interoperability means that gamers can seamlessly move from one to another virtual world. Moreover, it heavily relies on NFTs and other digital assets. Therefore, it might take four to five years for full revolutions.
The evaluation of Gamer culture
The metaverse gaming has a long history. The history of gaming began in the 1940s. Dr. Edward Uhler Condon introduced a gaming machine at the New York World’s Faire in 1940. This machine was based on an ancient mathematical game, Nim. Around 50,000 people played this game within six months.
However, the home gaming system was introduced after 30 years of these gaming machines. Ralph Bear and his team created the “Brown Box” in 1967. The “Brown Box” was a prototype gaming system designed for use in the home. Because of this invention, Bear was often called the “father of video games.”
However, the prototype gaming system could be connected to a television that allowed two users to control cubes on the screen that chased each other. This gaming system was a vacuum-circuit system that could be programmed for various video games such as sports games, ping pong and more.
Ralph Bear realized that this game could be a marketable product when they played a ping pong game on the “Bear Box.” The prototype gaming system was licensed to Magnavox in 1972 and released the system as the Magnavox Odyssey. This was the first commercial home video game consoled which was often overshadowed by Atari’s Pong.
The Odyssey sell in the market around 300,000 units between 1972 and 1975. Although the gaming prototype was a groundbreaking technology, due to its poor in-store marketing the sales were not increased at that time.
In the mid-1960s, the origin of arcade gaming was initiated by Sega and Taito with the release of electro-mechanical games. These games included “Periscope”, “Crown Special Soccer” and the like. The public interest towards electronic games was then gained by Atari, founded by Nolan Bushnell in 1972. Atari released Pong which quickly appeared in bars, malls and bowling areas and gained huge popularity.
By seeing the success of Atari, more than 15 companies emerged with them to develop video games. In the late 1970s, video games started to appear in restaurant chains across the US. The growing market became highly competitive. These games were played by individuals and high score was also recorded, but multiplayer gaming concepts were limited then.
The first multiplayer game with a separate screen was released in 1973, “Empire”. PLATO network created this game which was a turn-based strategy game. This game allowed up to eight players to compete with each other. During the same year, a 3D space shooter game, “Spacim” for 32 players was released giving the multiplayer concept a step forward.
However, home gaming became popular as gaming consoles and personal computers were gaining popularity. The first microprocessor of Intel was considerably contributed to games like Gunfight which was released in 1975. It was a multiplayer game human-to-human combat shooter. It introduced new gaming styles using dual joysticks.
In the early 1980s, home computers including Commodore 64, Apple II etc. became popular because of their strong processor. These computers allowed users to play complex games and even encouraged users to create content using coding. However, in 1990s the multiplayer games had further growth with the advent of Local Area Networks (LAN).
The LAN allowed to creation of “LAN parties” where gamers can connect and compete in first-person shooters. The access to a larger audience was gained through the release of Windows 95 and Ethernet card mode network gaming. The internet eventually revolutionises the gaming industry by enabling large-scale multiplayer experiences.
Coming to the 2000s, the rapid advancement of technology and the enhancement of internet connectivity initiated the modern gaming era. The way of playing and purchasing games has changed. Now different services like Xbox Live, PlayStation Network (PSN), mobile platforms and more started to support online multiplayer games.
The advent of smartphones and app stores in 2007 shifted to mobile gaming. The mobile gaming trend contributed to different games like Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, Pokemon Go and more.
The video gaming industry evolved from “Brown Box” to the modern multiplayer game “World of Warcraft”. Video game companies are investing in modern technologies like AR, VR, MR, blockchain and more to provide the ultimate experience to gamers.
Market overview of metaverse gaming
The metaverse gaming market is growing rapidly. In 2023, the global market size was $17.82 billion and the current value of the market for 2024 is $24.79 billion. It has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% for which it is expected to be $648.24 billion by 2034.
The faster growth of VR, AR and MR plays a crucial role in revolutionising the market of metaverse gaming. However, the growth of the gaming industry in the virtual world heavily relies on internet connectivity and increased bandwidth. The inclusion of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the development process of this industry can bring more security and transparency to the transactions in the virtual world.
The average global internet speed has increased by 21% in the last two years with the advent of 5G. The nature of connectivity and the speed of the internet will play a significant role in providing a seamless experience to gamers while handling their customised avatars online.
By analyzing the market share according to the region, North America contributed 43% market share in 2023. The region has major key players and gaming platforms with a tech-savvy population. The Europe, Asia-specific regions, Latin America and Middle East and Africa are also experiencing notable growth.
The technology behind the Metaverse gaming
The prominent technologies in the metaverse gaming are AR and VR, 3D construction, IOT and blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
AR and VR Technology
The VR and AR are highly significant in the current gaming world. VR allows users to fully emerge in the virtual world, whereas AR allows them to integrate virtual elements into the real world. The VR market is expected to grow $62.1 billion by 2027 highlighting that both technologies can create immersive metaverse gaming.
3D Reconstruction
To power up the modern gamer culture 3D reconstruction is another significant technology. It can help to create lifelike avatars, landscapes, buildings and other elements inside a game to make it more realistic. This technology can capture real-world images of objects and locations to transform them into 3D vision so that players can experience real-world feelings.
Internet Of Things (IoT)
The IoT technology is normally used in interconnecting devices to communicate and exchange data. However, in the virtual world of gaming, this technology can help to link the physical world with the virtual one by allowing real-world data exchange. It can create new possibilities where gamers can engage in more interactive and responsive environments.
Blockchain And Cryptocurrency
In building decentralised platforms the role of blockchain and cryptocurrencies plays a significant role. When gamers exchange NFTs with real money, the blockchain allows secure and transparent transactions. CryptoKitties, a blockchain-based game introduced the concept of owning virtual assets that can be transformed into real economic value.
Challenges and ethical concerns
The metaverse gaming has privacy, trust and government challenges besides the groundbreaking opportunity. The ultimate experience of virtual gaming can heavily impact health. To provide a personalised experience, companies must have to collect vast data including location, behavioural data, biometric information and more. If all this sensitive data is misused then the issue of data breaches can appear which ultimately impacts the economic landscape.
The gaming setup to experience the metaverse including the VR headset and other advanced gaming technologies is so expensive that lower-income groups might not be able to gain access. The users who are physically imbalanced might not be able to access the virtual world. Henceforth, these factors also be challenging for developers and video game companies.
Metaverse gaming, for instance, can be addictive. Gamers might get overly absorbed in the virtual worlds which can impact their real-world responsibilities and personal relationships. The reward system of NFTs and cryptocurrencies might create a trap for the players where they can struck into a feedback loop that can exploit their personal lives.
The AI algorithm used in the metaverse sometimes operates as black boxes. These black boxes make it difficult for users to comprehend the decision-making process behind the interactions of AI. It can create difficulties in maintaining transparency in the AI-based gaming models.
Virtual gaming thrives on user-generated content which blurs the line between the creators and the consumers. Nowadays AI-generated contents have no difference between the human works and AI works. A legal question for virtual property and copyright arises from here regarding the ownership of the contents.
Potential opportunities for gamers and developers
Real-world examples of metaverse gaming
The VR, blockchain and other technologies are already revolutionizing the online gaming industry. There are already some multiplayer and 3D games available in the market. However, some of the metaverse gaming can be referred to as Fortnite, Roblox, Decentraland and The Sandbox.
Fortnite
Fortnite was started as a battle royal game but evolved into a social space by escaping from the boundaries of traditional games. Epic Games introduces a new mode “Party Royale” in 2022 in Fortnite by integrating the metaverse. In this mode, gamers can attend live concerts, in-game events, movie screenings and more inside the game.
Decentraland
From the game Decentraland, a glimpse of blockchain-powered games can be found. This game allows gamers to buy, sell and build upon a virtual world. In the game, the cryptocurrency name is MANA, which has been used for all transactions.
The Sandbox
It is similar to Decentraland. The Sandbox is another blockchain game where gamers can buy virtual elements. It is backed by NFTs. In the voxel-based world, gamers can build, own and even monetize their virtual assets. Major companies like Atari, Snoop Dog and the like build partnerships with each other to create a virtual world inside the game that can be used for real economic value.
Roblox
Roblox is an online gaming platform where millions of gamers build a community to play user-generated games. This game enabled gamers to design, share and play games that have been created by another user from the community. Gamers can purchase virtual goods, even participate in events and socialise with others. It has 207.14 million monthly active users and 79.5 million daily active users.
FAQ
What is metaverse gaming?
The gaming industry evolved with modern technologies. The introduction of a virtual world can create new revenue streams through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and play-to-earn models, where gamers can collect NFTs and sell them to earn real money.
Is metaverse going to bring revolution in the gamer culture by 2025?
Well, the metaverse can change the traditional gamer culture by doing this by 2025 through decentralized platforms, user-generated content, Web-3-based games and more.
What are some real-world examples of metaverse gaming?
Some of the metaverse gaming can be referred to as Fortnite, Roblox, Decentraland and The Sandbox.
What is metaverse?
The metaverse is a 3D-enabled digital space which can connect people virtually. It also can be considered a collective virtual space that merges the physical and digital realities. It allows users to interact with the virtual world in real time.
What is the global market size of metaverse gaming?
In 2023, the global market size was $17.82 billion and the current value of the market for 2024 is $24.79 billion. It has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% for which it is expected to be $648.24 billion by 2034.
When was the multiplayer game first released?
The first multiplayer game with a separate screen was released in 1973, “Empire”. PLATO network created this game which was a turn-based strategy game. This game allowed up to eight players to compete with each other.
What are the ethical concerns of metaverse gaming?
The ultimate experience of virtual gaming can heavily impact health. To provide a personalised experience, companies must have to collect vast data including location, behavioural data, biometric information and more. If all this sensitive data is misused then the issue of data breaches can appear which ultimately impacts the economic landscape.
Which are the prominent technologies in metaverse gaming?
The prominent technologies in the metaverse gaming are AR and VR, 3D construction, IOT and blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
What are decentralized platforms in online gaming?
In the decentralized platforms, people can open and manage their virtual spaces without relying on a central authority. The decentralized platforms enable creators to control their work and ensure transactions of their assets are transparent and secure.
