The Metaverse

As with many terms and concepts with roots in science-fiction, it is becoming ever more apparent that we are moving towards the Metaverse becoming science-fact. But what does this term mean?

The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet. The word “metaverse” is made up of the prefix “meta” (meaning beyond) and the stem “verse” (a backformation from “universe“); the term is typically used to describe the concept of a future iteration of the internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe.

Wikipedia

Rather than an entirely virtual world such as the Oasis which features in the science fiction book and film Ready Player One, I envisage a more mixed reality Metaverse, where the real world is overlaid with potentially infinite virtual layers which can be created by anyone at any time.

I imagine a world where artists can create virtual graffiti on surfaces in their neighbourhood for others to see. Or add contextual notes or artefacts for the purpose of social commentary or interaction. Where children can decorate their local architecture how they wish.

I imagine people being able to hide a ‘treasure’, whether that’s a cryptocurrency key with monetary value, or a virtual artefact also with value, or a voice or video recording. These could be tied to a location or object, and, (by utilising suitable protocols), become unlocked when someone arrives at a place and or time.

The possibilities for creators and audience that I can envisage for the Metaverse are inspiring; creativity would be unrestricted and unparalleled.

User-generated content

User-generated content, also known as user-created content or customer generated content is any form of content posted by users on online platforms.

Many platforms that are based around user-generated content have proved extremely successful, some notable examples being; YouTube which features second in a list of the most popular websites worldwide according to the global “Top Sites” lists published by Alexa Internet, as of November 18, 2020.

Another shining example is Wikipedia, the multilingual open-collaborative online encyclopedia which is ranked thirteenth in the Alexa list. This is a standout case because, significantly, it is not run by a proprietary for-profit organisation and thus features no advertisements. It’s a shining example of a highly successful project that relies on a community of volunteer editors. For these reasons it is of high relevance to my vision of the Metaverse.

These platforms enable and empower people to become content creators and storytellers.

One example of a user-generated content platform I have come across is VRChat which offers a high degree of customisation to users through, among other tools, its own Udon programming language, as well as it’s Unity SDK, all detailed in the VRChat documentation. Some examples of user content being worlds and avatars. Altspace is another platform that offers world building as outlined here. But these are still limited within the bounds of those platforms…

So far I haven’t seen any examples of open-collaborative user-generated content platforms in mixed reality. It seems inevitable that these tools and platforms will emerge.

Mixing and merging 3D applications

Currently most VR apps can not be mixed or merged, they have hard limits of functionality- closed gardens defined by the developers, one must close an app to launch another. As a basic example from 2D software- the ability to copy an asset such as an image from one app and paste it into another- cross application functionality where the combination of the apps can create entirely new capabilities and workflows.

The future will most likely evolve into a more mixed experience that greatly empowers users. In order to make this possible there needs to be substantial progress on cross-application 3D world sharing. One app I have discovered trying to achieve this is Pluto which is essentially a 3D overlay application which allows the mixing of multiple 3D apps into one experience. One use example given being enabling a user to bounce a 3D ball that exists in one app off a wall that exists in another- a simple use case, but with quite profound implications for creators and audiences. As augmented reality tech improves and reaches more people, these applications will be able to mix 3D virtual objects and experiences with real world objects and spaces into unique and novel experiences, making my vision of numerous user-created dynamic overlays possible.

WEBXR

WebXR Device API is a specification for accessing VR and AR devices on the web. Many VR and AR apps currently are built for one platform or another, so this specification enables experiences to be delivered through a web browser, so long as the device supports WebXR, which many already do.

The explainer site immersiveweb.dev lists the following benefits of doing XR on the Web;

• Instant deployment to every XR platform with a WebXR enabled Web Browser
• Future proof experiences, new AR and VR hardware comes about regularly, your experience should continue working on new hardware without needing to push new code.
• An experience can choose to target both VR and AR, Handheld and head mounted devices with a single release. Minimal code changes needed to support VR and AR together.
• No app stores or large downloads required, users get immediate access to your experience without needing to leave your web site.
• Since the rendering is handled by WebGL, which has been around since 2011, you gain the benefit of WebGL’s rich development tool ecosystem and a large, active developer community.

From a content creator perspective these points are highly significant. The ability to work with one codebase and deploy to multiple devices will lower development time and costs. This opens up development to more people, and will result in more experimentation.

From an audience/consumer perspective this means access to more experiences, and, significantly, experiences which are easier to share with others who have different devices.

This makes the creation and distribution of spatial experiences much more like that of websites and web apps- I think this will significantly contribute to these experiences becoming ubiquitous.

OPENXR

OpenXR is a royalty-free, open standard that provides high-performance access to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)—collectively known as XR—platforms and devices.

Khronos Group

Released on July 29th 2019, the OpenXR 1.0 specification is already being publicly supported by many significant companies including, to name just a handful, Mozilla, Google, Facebook, Valve and Unity.

As can be seen from the infographic below, OpenXR greatly simplifies the tech stack- from software to device. As with WebXR this will greatly contribute to a healthier ecosystem for creators and consumers, leading to increased innovation, making new applications and platforms possible.

OpenXR seeks to simplify AR/VR software development, enabling applications to reach a wider array of hardware platforms without having to port or re-write their code and subsequently allowing platform vendors supporting OpenXR access to more applications. With the release of the OpenXR 1.0 specification, AR/VR developers can now create true cross-platform XR experiences.

Brent E. Insko, Lead XR Architect at Intel and OpenXR Working Group Chair 

Designing for resilience with distributed and decentralised protocols

By utilising protocols and systems which allow for distributed or decentralised networks, data created by users can become immutable giving a permanence (as long as the network remains active), as opposed to a centralised system. In this way freedom of speech and expression can be upheld, I see this as essential for artistic expression and for activism.

One such protocol which I think may be suitable for this is Scuttlebutt which is a decentralised secure gossip platform. By using a tool like this a network with strong trust can be built which 1. ensures the validity and relevance of content and 2. eliminates noise such as false news which is prevalent in centralised networks such as Facebook.

In this way art and experiences can be built on systems designed for resilience. Individuals are empowered, more equitable communication platforms become possible, connections between people are strengthened.

How the Metaverse will change us

When it becomes effortless to augment our world with whatever we choose, when we want, in an intuitive way with few limits, it will be intriguing to see how far artistic expression will go. In her book The Second Self (1984) Sherry Turkle writes:

Technology catalyzes changes not only in what we do but in how we think.

Sherry Turkle 1984 (Source)

As the Metaverse emerges and evolves, the way humans think will evolve with it- the technologies will influence the evolution of our consciousness- as I wrote about in my earlier article What is story, and why tell stories?. New and exciting storytelling and experience design opportunities will become possible.

The Metaverse will most likely bring a revolution in content creation and consumption. Interfaces will be more intuitive- better reflecting how humans move, think and interact in the real world- spatially. More intuitive interfaces reduce the time taken to learn the uses of an artefact leading to faster integration of its uses into one’s toolset.

For good and for bad- some ethical considerations

The Metaverse will rely on huge amounts of data, both personal and environmental. This will be used for great good but with this comes huge ethical implications, some of which I cover in my article Ethics in immersive storytelling. Also of concern is the amount of data that will be available for people to consume- negative impact of smartphone usage on mental health being one already well researched area. “Depression; anxiety; stress; poor sleep quality; and decreased educational attainment” (Sohn et al. 2019) were all identified as issues amongst children and young people. I have concerns for how these issues will evolve when the data we have access to is no longer restricted within the bounds of our rectangular framed devices.

With capitalism the stories we see are often placed there by the highest bidder to influence us in some way- to make a purchase, to cast a vote. What will the impact of those stories be when they can surround us wherever we go, as we see in Philip K. Dick’s 1956 science fiction book and later film Minority Report ?

A key aspect of The Minority Report story is ‘precrime’ which are crimes detected by three mutants before they occur. I find it unsettling and alarming that the role of these mutant ‘precogs’ today is starting to be carried out by algorithms for some police forces. The fact that algorithms are often biased is of high concern here, as detailed in the film Coded Bias. As more data is fed into such algorithms, what will the implications be for individuals, freedom of speech and expression? The Metaverse will open up the floodgates for data in new ways- big data will become much bigger. How will users be able to grasp the scale and implications of this for them and humanity?

By designing the first initiatives of the Metaverse with ethical considerations of high importance, we can move towards a Metaverse that serves humanity, not just the highest bidders- those at the top of the pyramids of capitalism.

The Centre for Humane Technology is doing a good job of raising awareness and providing guidelines and tools for organisations and end users. I feel strongly that these initiatives will play an essential role in building an equitable, fair and positive Metaverse that works for instead of against humanity.

As long as social media companies profit from addiction, depression, and division, our society will continue to be at risk.

Imagine a world built on humane technology that operates for the common good, strengthening our capacity to tackle our biggest global challenges.

The Centre for Humane Tech

What others are thinking about The Metaverse

Tim Sweeney (founder and CEO, Epic Games) during his SIGGRAPH 2019 Talk, “THRIVE: Foundational Principles & Technologies for the Metaverse.” outlines his vision for the Metaverse based on learnings from the game Fortnite and others, as well as many of the technical requirements needed for building it. He also discusses some of the ethical considerations and some ways these can be addressed.

References

Metaverse, Wikipedia, Retrieved 04/01/2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse

“Smart, J.M., Cascio, J. and Paffendorf, J., Metaverse Roadmap Overview, 2007”. Accelerated Studies Foundation. Retrieved 2021-04-01.

Sohn, S., Rees, P., Wildridge, B. et al. Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people: a systematic review, meta-analysis and GRADE of the evidence. BMC Psychiatry 19, 356 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2350-x

Sherry Turkle (1984), Twentieth Anniversary Edition (2005). The Second Self – Computers and the Human Spirit. ISBN: 9780262701112

https://www.w3.org/TR/webxr/

https://immersiveweb.dev/

https://www.khronos.org/openxr/