Gaming Metaverse: How It Will Change Gaming Experience?
Metaverse seems to be riding on the crest of a wave with each passing day. Today, more and more industries join Metaverse, but the gaming industry has been hailed as a milestone in this emerging world of Metaverse. In this article, we’ll give you detailed information on gaming Metaverse and its future. Just keep reading.
Table of Contents
Evolution of Online Gaming
From the early days of arcades to the current home consoles, the game industry has been constantly evolving. Video gaming has achieved significant breakthroughs, especially during the last 20 years of its existence. Today, the global game industry is worth an eye-watering $300 billion. Hence, a quick look at the changes the gaming industry has undergone.
Gaming Before Metaverse
The 1950s is thought to be the commercial birth of the most profitable entertainment industry. However, in this period, they were non-networking, two-player games such as Tennis for Two, SpaceWar, etc.
In the late 1980s, the first computers and home consoles, such as Macintosh and the Atari ST, enabled players to connect with other users, thus paving the way for multiple gaming. Later, the internet has become a key milestone for the evolution of the gaming community, increasing its social aspect. Before the rise of blockchain games, users were experiencing multiplayer games. Later, the advent of blockchain-powered games has brought dramatic changes in the world of online games.
Gaming After Metaverse
Nowadays, Metaverse takes the gaming community to a new level as it enables players to live inside an interactive, immersive digital world. Gaming metaverse has boundless opportunities to offer its players. You can create an avatar, which is your visual representation. You can even be issued a Passport to manage your digital identity. Your avatar lives in the digital world, just in the way you live in the real world.
Today, gaming metaverse is something based on social experiences. You can invite your friend, interact with other users, gather together for a virtual concert, or even celebrate birthdays. And what about a movie night with friends? Since Metaverse uses cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, the gaming experience is becoming more immersive and engaging.
The play-to-earn concept also makes the gaming metaverse distinct. It enables users to create, purchase or exchange virtual gaming items and sell them to earn cryptocurrencies.
What Does Gaming in the Metaverse Look Like?
Metaverse opens up new sorts of opportunities for players as it constantly improves the gaming platforms by updating and using advanced technologies. This takes gaming experiences to an incredible new level. You can install gaming applications on your PC, smartphone or VR (Virtual Reality) kit to enjoy an immersive version of traditional video games. Moreover, Metaverse improves your practice by stimulating your senses of perception.
The gaming environment is now a three-dimensional digital world where everything seems amazingly realistic. Imagine yourself attending a concert, swimming with dolphins, riding a roller coaster ride or hunting for a mammoth without leaving your own four walls.
The Most Popular Metaverse Games
Although Metaverse is still in its infancy, numerous gaming companies have already made significant investments in it. There is very little doubt that gaming Metaverse is the next big thing! Keep reading to discover some movers and shakers of the gaming scene.
Decentraland Metaverse
Decentraland metaverse comes as an experienced veteran in the world of gaming metaverse. It’s a three-dimensional, Ethereum-based virtual world, which enables players to buy parcels of land. In this truly decentralized utopia, you are not only a player but a creator as well.
You can create impressive buildings such as Chateau Satoshi or MetaZone Tower. And what about attending concerts? Yes, the Decentraland events and concerts are a thing! You can enjoy all these universal experiences, as long as you connect your digital wallet that Decentraland supports, namely WalletConnect, MetaMask and FortMatic.
The native token of Decentraland metaverse is MANA as well as LAND and ESTATE.
The Sandbox Metaverse
Another user-generated video game is the Sandbox metaverse, which allows you to play, create, purchase and reign over your virtual space. The three main components of Sandbox are VoxEdit, Game Maker and Sandbox Marketplace.
VoxEdit is a three-dimensional modeling tool to help you create everything you can imagine, ranging from avatars to vehicles and other decorative items. Then you can sell your items via Marketplace. Game maker, the third core product, enables you to develop games without using code.
Cryptovoxels
Cryptovoxels is another Ethereum-based gaming platform, which stands out with its real-life experiences. In this digital world, you can exploit all the great possibilities of NFTs including a three-dimensional luxury shopping trip, a visit to an extensive art gallery, an amusing city tour, and more.
Cryptovoxels also has a native token— the CryptovoxelsParcel (CVPA), You can buy CVPA on the game’s official secondary marketplace, OpenSea.
Cryptovoxels supports virtual reality, that is to say, you can have an immersive experience using any VR headset or kit.
Fortnite
Millions of players around the world play Fortnite, which is a world of many experiences. Epic Games and community creators have made numerous games to play inside Fortnite, including Battle Royal, Zero Build, Creative and Save the World.
Fortnite is a free game, just download and enjoy. However, if you want to buy all kinds of cosmetics for your character, you should use Fortnite’s in-game currency, V-bucks.
Axie Infinity
Last but not least, the game we want to discuss is Axie Infinity inspired by Pokemon. It is Ethereum based card game, which enables users to breed, raise, collect and battle cartoon axolotls called ‘axies’. These tiny creatures have main characteristics:
- A class (orange Beast, green Plant, blue Aquatic, purple Reptile, pink Bird and red Bug)
- Body parts (eyes, ears, horn, back, mouth and tail)
- A purity level (from 0 to 6)
- Life stages (egg, larva, Petite, Adult)
- Breed counts (from 0 to 7)
Players get a prize token for every battle they win. The token is called ‘smooth love potion’ or SLP. Axie Infinity uses a play-to-earn ecosystem, as its main selling point is to turn in-game tokens into real-world money.
Technologies Empowering Gaming Metaverse
Metaverse uses different devices and technologies to stimulate your senses and give immersive experiences. VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and extended reality technologies, for instance, give you rather realistic and interactive experiences. These technologies support smartphones and different digital devices, which enables users to enjoy on-the-go gaming activities. If you want to fully enjoy your immersive trip to the digital universe, you need to use VR devices.
A standalone VR headset is the best option as it offers you physical freedom, whereas a tethered headset is connected to your PC. For more enhanced VR interactions you may need other input and output devices, namely sensing gloves, tracking balls, joysticks, haptic feedback masters, etc.
Blockchain technology is one of the most important and advanced technologies empowering the gaming metaverse. Blockchain provides digital asset ownership. In other words, every digital asset, be it a prize, a purchase or an artwork created by players, belongs to the players. In traditional video games, on the other hand, any digital asset belonged to the publisher. Moreover, players can transfer their digital assets from one game to another.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another technology behind the gaming metaverse. The development of AI leads to bridging the gap between the digital and actual worlds. AI helps us improve our experiences as well as our communication and comprehension skills.
Gadgets to Access Gaming Metaverse
To access the gaming metaverse and start playing, you will need different gear depending on the specific platform and game you want to play. Here is a short list of gaming gear for the Metaverse:
- A computer or gaming console like the PlayStation or Xbox
- VR headsets
- Motion controllers
- Stable Internet connection
- Audio equipment like headphones or speakers
But before investing in any gear, research the requirements for the chosen platform and game.
Can You Play Games in the Metaverse Without VR?
You can play some games without VR, but, to be honest, you can never dive into the immersive world and get a VR experience. For that, you need at least a headset. In fact, playing without VR means playing without VR experience as well.
What Are Blockchain Games?
Blockchain technology acts as a recording and storing system for the video game’s information and supports its digital economy. Blockchain game powers two financial instruments, namely digital currencies (cryptocurrencies) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Due to blockchain technology, players have complete ownership over their in-game assets.
What Are the Risks of Gaming Metaverse?
Of course, with a lot of fascinating and immersive experiences, gaming metaverse could not come without certain risks. So the main concerns to navigate are child-appropriate services and controls, NFTs ownership rights and Infrastructure shortcomings.
Conclusion
We have covered all the information you will need in the virtual world of gaming metaverse. Now you are ready to be one of the movers and shakers in this immersive world. Although Metaverse is still in its development stage, various companies, like Decentraland Metaverse, Cryptovoxels, Sandbox, etc, are shaping the future of gaming in this digital universe. Moreover, they convey immersive experiences by adopting Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technology.
We are more than sure, although the next chapter of gaming metaverse still appears unclear, it is undoubtedly the next thing!
