What Is the Metaverse, and Why Should I Care?
Updated: Mar 22
When I started doing this post I was so overwhelmed with all the information I was finding.
The metaverse was a completely new topic for me, but through my research, I've learned just how important it will be. More importantly, I've learned that if you don't start riding the wave now, you will be left behind.
I hope this will help you understand better what the metaverse is, how it will (or might) look like, and why it is important to you as an architect to start thinking about your future.
-Eeva
What is The Metaverse?
The term Metaverse was first originated by futurist writer Neal Stephenson. It refers to a communal and spatial virtual territory. Now that seems hard to understand.
In a nutshell, the Metaverse is the successor of the internet in a virtual space. The way it will look or feel, or how we will interact with it is still unclear. However, what we do know is that it will be interactive, immersive, in 3D and VR, and it will evolve just as rapidly, if not even faster than the internet did.
It is hard to predict what the Metaverse will eventually look like, or how we will access it. However, as of now, it will grow to become a virtual, 3-dimensional space, where users (or avatars) can interact with each other, create content, and engage on a deeper level. Maybe through Virtual Reality, maybe through Mixed Reality. Only time will tell.
If this prediction proves true, there will need to be someone in charge of designing these 3-dimensional spaces where people will spend time in and connect with each other. Who better to do that than an Architect?
What does it have to do with architecture?
An architect creates spaces for a living, spaces that we are surrounded by constantly. The same will happen in the metaverse. Users will need spaces to be surrounded by, spaces that encourage conversation, relaxation, or even transportation.
There are environments that need to be designed for the metaverse that game developers can't do alone. Architects are specialists in making spaces that are meant to be lived in and immersed into, environments that engage and have a specific purpose other than to entertain. That is their greatest strength and that is why the metaverse needs architects.
Why should I care?
The Metaverse is coming - fast. It's no longer an if, it's a when. It will have as big of an impact on everything you do as the internet once did. It has the potential to affect virtually everything. That is why you should care, because you can help build it.
Eeva Kavenius
Marketing Specialist