Gaming has always been at the forefront of new technology and VR and the metaverse are no different.
Early immersive games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing include elements such as world-building, observation as gameplay and personal avatars that are all going to translate to the metaverse and its VR world.
As companies such as Meta and Epic Game continue to push the boundaries with the metaverse, it's likely that this is where gaming's new home will be.
A recent study named the “Global Virtual Reality In Gaming Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)” found that 59% of industry experts believe that gaming will dominate VR investments over the coming years.
In addition, 64% also believe that gaming, in comparison to other use cases, has the highest possibility to benefit from VR.
So, gaming is likely to make a new home in the metaverse. But how soon will that be? And what will this type of gaming look like?
Some elements of immersive gaming such as those mentioned above (3D avatar, world building etc) are likely to look very similar and cross over nicely in the VR world of the metaverse.
However, there are also elements that might look a little different. The characteristics of games in the metaverse will shift from what users are currently experiencing.
Gaming in the metaverse will have some (if not all) of the following characteristics:
Immersive gaming experiences will become more flexible. In their VR world, users can build their own additions to the game. They will be able to build sub-games within a game and use the games ‘world’ as a platform in which they can do other activities beyond following a game arc.
The metaverse is a social world. This is where it separates from the VR experiences we have been familiar with up to now. Multi-player gaming will give users the opportunity to play with and invite friends into their world.
Play to earn games will likely make up a crucial part of the metaverse. Users will be able to earn money through completing tasks within the games. For example, a player might earn a rare item from completing a quest and then go on to sell it to another player in exchange for crypto.
The architecture of the metaverse presents the possibility for portable game assets. For example, a player may earn a weapon in one game and then could transfer it to another game. In these instances, NFTs would be able to be used to verify the persistent ownership of an asset.
Gaming in the metaverse could incorporate mixed reality. Users will be able to move an AR to an MR experience to a VR world seamlessly.
Some companies are ahead of the curve and are already investing huge sums in metaverse gaming. There are two that are head and shoulders above the rest and can be looked to for inspiration when planning your metaverse gaming strategy.
You’ve heard of Fortnite, well Epic Games is the company behind it. Fortnite is both a VR game and an event destination that was the most popular game of 2021.
Fortnite has metaverse-like capabilities. For example, Travis Scott held a concert back in April 2020 that 12.3 million users attended.
Recently, Epic Games announced that it will invest $1 billion to develop its own metaverse for gaming.
Meta is fairly new to the metaverse. However, the company has an impressive history with VR and is the parent company of Oculus who has been at the forefront of VR gaming innovation.
Meta is building its own metaverse that it sees as a virtual reality replacement to the internet.
The metaverse will be the new home for gaming and gamers. With the immersive experiences that it promises to deliver there are incredible opportunities for game companies to get creative and to make big profits. Gaming in the metaverse might look a little different than gamin does right now but with so many VR headsets and immersive gaming experiences already available, it will not be hard for gaming companies to adapt.
See inspirations here:
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