Origins and Web3
Where does this term come from?
The word metaverse appeared for the first time in the novel Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson in 1992, to pick up a concept that had already existed in sci-fi for a few decades. Video games appeared quickly, doing pioneering work in the creation of a metaverse, as early as 1985, with Habitat, which represents one of the first large-scale multiplayer video games. Other publishers have contributed to the evolution of this technology, but the most important is probably Second Life. This virtual world, available for free since 2003, allows users to embody an avatar and design the world around them (infrastructure, clothes, objects, animations, sounds...). They can also acquire plots in the game and use the virtual currency made available by the company that created it (Linden Labs). In the general idea, a metaverse allows users to work, interact, exchange, travel and access educational content in a three-dimensional space, possibly via a virtual or augmented reality interface. This space requires the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchains, to testify to the authenticity and ownership of the objects within it, and to protect exchanges between users. By definition, there should be one global metaverse and not several. In reality and with the decentralized direction we are taking, there will necessarily be several metaverses. The most important thing is that these metaverses should be interoperable and interconnected.
Oh yes, decentralization! Welcome Web3!
Given the link that has formed between Web3 and the metaverse (or metaverses ?), we can define the latter as a decentralized platform built on a blockchain, which incorporates virtual objects and properties, and in which users embody a virtual identity, usually through an avatar(1). A metaverse is often defined as a three-dimensional space. However, some have proven their ability to go beyond this definition, which should no longer be so restrictive. It will therefore be necessary to admit the possible qualification of a 2D space as a metaverse(2), even if the vast majority of these environments are in 3D.
The categorization of a space as a metaverse is frequently made publicly and implies in most cases a commercial aspect that cannot be neglected. Sometimes, it can come out of a shift from a more classical category, such as video games, during an event(3) or permanently. This distinction must force us to redefine the notion of metaverse, especially since a large part of the spaces classified as such are not directly built on a blockchain. Rather, they interact with this protocol, which is radically different since these platforms are not entirely decentralized. This first definition, which is very restrictive, certainly ensures that an environment is a metaverse. However, it does not correspond to reality, in the minds of users and in the applications that we find.