We hear about the Metaverse, or Metaverses, more and more often, but when and where was this term born? We have a key reference for the birth of this concept: “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson. In this 1992 novel, the setting is profoundly different from the one we are used to in today’s reality. Everything takes shape thanks to code, which also allows interaction between the inhabitants of the world the writer describes. People spend their time in an urban environment, interacting with their fellow beings: everyone is the digital twin of themselves.
How far has the Metaverse come since then? How much has it evolved? Let’s find out together in this article.
The different Metaverses that have followed one another through history
History holds several examples of a Metaverse. Let’s run through a series of games that we could place under this concept that is so widely discussed today.
Active Worlds and Second Life, virtual universes parallel to reality
Active Worlds is a game we could classify as the first example of a Metaverse in history. Released in June 1995, it is a three-dimensional platform where a user could construct 3D buildings or entire building plots. The player even had the chance to create unique objects to trade or sell through a shop.
All of this came with a messaging system inside the video game that made it possible both to communicate with other users nearby and to send virtual telegrams to players who were very far away on the map.
The second example I want to give you is Second Life, a game born in 2003 that we can consider the first true forerunner of modern Metaverses. It is a game that lets users access, freely and at no cost, a world of content generated by the community itself.
On this gaming platform things have happened that are absurd and perfectly attributable to the modern concept of the Metaverse. There have been many countries, such as Estonia, Sweden and the Maldives, that even opened an embassy on Second Life! Just think that the Egyptian site Islam On Line even bought land so that all the faithful could visit and pray at the sacred mosque of Mecca, before going there in the flesh or when unable to do so in person. Finally, there have been universities that held courses of study in the world of Second Life. A true parallel reality that was therefore taking shape.
The breaking point of this “Metaverse”, which consequently caused a substantial loss of active users, could coincide with the fact that on the Second Life platform anyone can take on false personalities and so generate fake profiles. What could ever attract people to a completely abstract setting, populated by bogus identities? This excessive “freedom” generated a disconnect between what is allowed and accepted in real life and what can be done in the virtual one.
If, at first, this logic generated euphoria and a sort of search for the “continuous high”, later on it led first to habituation, then to rejection, with many users leaving as a result.
Roblox, the game closest to the modern concept of the Metaverse
If Active Worlds and Second Life are the most important “quasi-Metaverses”, I cannot fail to mention Habbo and the recent Roblox, which I consider the closest to the contemporary idea of the Metaverse. Born in 2005, it combines the concept of a room-based game, introduced by Habbo, with that of creation (in the true sense of the word) typical of Second Life. Roblox makes it possible to build games of every kind and share them with other users. Inside it there is even a marketplace of objects that the platform’s premium players can sell. It became hugely popular and used by millions of users when the company behind it released a version that was also compatible with smartphones and tablets, overcoming the limit of its earlier use on computers only.
So it is that, in a certain way, Roblox represents the passage between the Metaverses in history and the Metaverse understood in its modern concept. I like to picture it as the link between the past and the present of this abstract reality.
Metaverse or Metaverses?
After this “historical” list of Metaverses, it is clear that several different ones have followed one another, so now the question I put to you too is this: should we talk about a single Metaverse or about many? What we certainly know is that many companies have launched the beta version of their Metaverses.
The concept of “Metaverse” can be interpreted in different ways, and this interpretation can influence whether we should talk about a single Metaverse or about many.
A single Metaverse
If we imagine the Metaverse as a single entity, then there should be a high level of interoperability between the different platforms and virtual worlds. This means that users could move easily from one virtual environment to another while keeping their identity, their digital assets and their experiences.
The idea of a single Metaverse implies that different technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality, blockchain, etc.) are integrated and work together harmoniously to create a unified experience.
Multiple Metaverses
At present, there are multiple platforms and virtual worlds that operate independently of one another. Each platform has its own ecosystem, its own rules and its own unique characteristics. Different Metaverses could emerge for different purposes, for example one for entertainment, one for collaborative work, one for education. This approach recognises that a single platform might not meet all the needs and preferences of users.
Current Trend: towards multiple Metaverses
At the moment, the trend seems to be heading towards the creation of multiple Metaverses, with various projects exploring and experimenting with different technologies and approaches. However, there are also efforts to create bridges and connections between these platforms, suggesting that in the future we might see a sort of “network of Metaverses” that are interconnected.
Talking about a single Metaverse or about many depends on how this virtual space is defined and imagined. Both concepts have advantages and challenges, and the future will probably see a combination of both visions, with different platforms coexisting and collaborating in new and innovative ways.
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