Is The Metaverse The Next Frontier For Games?

Game development is closer than ever to becoming a reality!

It has always been clear that gaming would be an ideal virtual reality (VR) application. Early immersive games in 2D, such as Minecraft and Second Life, incorporated elements of the current Metaverse. In these games, 3D avatars, world-building, and observation were previously integrated into the gameplay.

As companies such as Meta Platforms, Unity, and Epic Games create interconnected world-building platforms, immersive technologies have found a new home for Metaverse games. According to a recent survey, 59 percent of industry experts believe gaming will dominate VR investments over the next few years, while 64 percent think gaming has the highest VR potential of any other application.

Below is a quick overview of how the metaverse gaming industry may develop, along with some potential pitfalls to avoid.

Metaverse Games: A Closer Look

The Metaverse is an interoperable virtual space that facilitates user interaction and real-time 3D content. Human-computer interfaces (HCIs) and emerging technologies will facilitate the rise of the spatial communications platform.

As a result, VR gaming will become more immersive, interactive, and realistic than ever before. Nowadays, VR gaming is a standalone application that can be installed on your desktop, VR headset, or mobile device to engage in immersive renditions of popular video games.

As defined in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, the Metaverse extends this concept further. Future users can connect interoperable worlds across VR games, spaces, and apps.

Additionally, people can navigate seamlessly between gaming applications and immersive spaces and transfer non-fungible tokens, data, and avatars without switching headsets.

Examples of Metaverse Gaming

Here are the top use cases of Metaverse:

Using games as platforms

With this new technology, gaming will become much more flexible. Users can create virtual worlds, develop creative content, build sub-games within titles, and use gaming as a platform for other activities.

Playing social games

Unlike solo VR experiences, the Metaverse is intrinsically social. Multiplayer gaming will be enhanced as players invite real-world friends to interact with each other, build relationships, and engage in other activities. In the Metaverse, platforms such as Fortnite, Roblox, Decentraland, and The Sandbox offer large-scale competition and socializing opportunities for gaming.

A play-to-earn (P2E) program

A crucial component of the Metaverse’s gaming experience will be this. In addition to following linear storylines and rules, players can engage in activities that generate revenue streams. They could, for example, sell digital assets acquired from popular games to other users in exchange for cryptocurrencies.

Assets for portable gaming

As a result of metaverse interoperability, assets may be portable from one game to another. Users can transfer weapons, clothing, or enhancements from one environment to another, and NFT rules will govern persistent ownership.

Experiences in mixed reality

Gaming in the Metaverse will utilize VR, AR, and MR technologies to provide a more organic experience. Users can seamlessly shift from a group text in AR to a multiplayer board game in MR to a fully immersive VR experience.

Metaverse Gaming: Who Leads the Charge?

Two companies are head and shoulders above the rest regarding metaverse games and can serve as examples when planning your metaverse gaming campaign. 

Epic Games

The company behind Fortnite is Epic Games. Fortnite is a virtual reality game and an event destination. It was the most popular game of 2021. In April 2020, Travis Scott held a concert that 12.3 million people attended. Fortnite has metaverse-like features. Epic Games recently announced that it would invest $1 billion in developing its Metaverse to enhance the gaming experience.

The XANA 

Another metaverse platform, the XANA, offers users the ability to play, create, own, and govern virtual spaces. The platform’s economy is based on user-generated crypto assets, and it has partnered with top global brands to provide users with unique and enriching virtual world experiences.

Facebook (formerly Meta)

Despite being relatively new to the Metaverse, Meta has a long history with virtual reality and is the parent company of Oculus. This company has been at the forefront of VR gaming innovation for years. Meta is building its Metaverse, which it perceives as a virtual reality alternative to the internet.

Decentraland

In addition to having a massive platform with allocated real estate, a native token backed by Ethereum (LAND), and designated virtual spaces for multiplayer gaming, Decentraland is among the first companies to set out to develop a fully functional metaverse explicitly. Further, it has invested in Decentral Games to enhance its game-hosting capabilities.

Conclusions 

In addition to the immersive experiences it promises to deliver, the Metaverse will provide game companies with tremendous opportunities for creativity and profit. Gaming in the Metaverse may look slightly different than gaming in the present. Still, with so many VR headsets and immersive metaverse game experiences already available, it should be easy for gaming companies to adapt.