These virtual metaverses that everyone still advocates can promise digital nirvana full of fluffy clouds and people behaving as if they were in a Disney movie, but just offering a place to chat isn’t enough, we need entertainment. Some might say that these virtual worlds are entertainment, but not everyone wants to be creative, some of us like to lift our feet and turn ourselves off. Well, all this and much more is being dreamed and taken care of.
Hello
First, these digital realms are designed as communication platforms. Able to connect friends and family with a greater sense of coexistence than a video call or phone call can provide. Or you can meet completely new people, entering an area dedicated entirely to your favorite hobby, TV show, or even your occupation. Spend hours talking about topics that other people don’t have or have any interest in.
Staying with colleagues is a very natural thing for any human being, most of us need to connect with each other in some way and the pandemic has highlighted this like never before. That is why VRFocus will delve into the social characteristics and problems of metaverses in a future edition. For now, what we really want is to have fun in a digital universe with unlimited potential.
Burn the dance floor …
Numerous social platforms appear that support VR and non-VR devices and are trying to persuade new users with various means. They are also looking for different markets, i.e. younger audiences with a fresh, colorful feel, while adult-focused ones tend to have a much more serious atmosphere.
It is this last segment where a real boost can be seen in specific entertainment marketing. Instead of building blogs, users are given art, music and culture to explore and enjoy. For example, Sensorium Galaxy, which will be released later in 2021, is very much focused on the dance music route. It will have a dedicated musical world called PRISM, where DJs will perform exclusive sets. Some big names have already signed up as Eric Prydz, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta. So if you like to dance your socks on, it would be worth a look.
Sensorium Galaxy isn’t the only one harnessing the power of music. Sansar, who is already well versed in this medium, has been celebrating events for some time. The latest will be Australia’s digitally recreated Splendor in the Grass music festival as Splendor XR for two days in July.
Music easily overcomes many differences and unites people with a kicking rhythm, so it’s no wonder it’s a great catalyst for metaverse adoption.
We are things like dreams come true …
Still, music is just a small avenue that these platforms can use. There is a vast cultural resource that metaverses can take advantage of (and have already been) when it comes to entertaining the masses. Over the last year, one of the best examples has been film festivals. Unable to host premieres in person, events such as the Venice Film Festival, Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance have resorted to interactive media to connect with audiences around the world. They have even found greater success as these events are no longer elite, seemingly prestigious showcases that few outside their industry can attend, providing a true global appeal like never before.
This is even more so for niche technologies such as virtual reality (VR). Cannes XR, Tribeca Immersive and NewImages Festival combined this summer to create XR3, an immersive film festival through the Museum of Other Realities (MOR), which explores an art space that allowed guests to enter each experience as if it was a live installation.
MOR is not really a metaverse as such. VRChat, on the other hand, is and was the host of SXSW Online XR, one of the best performances of this theme to date. SXSW is usually held in Austin, Texas, but by 2021 organizers recreated areas such as Congress Avenue and the Red River Cultural District, all of which are freely exploreable. There was even a cinema to watch regular 2D content.
When you access all this immersive entertainment why go anywhere else?
Make these creative juices flow
Undoubtedly, however, the biggest attraction for any of these virtual realms is the creativity of the users. Places like Rec Room, Roblox (No VR) VRChat, and the next Facebook Horizon all are based on the premise of creating content for users, giving people who inhabit these worlds the freedom to build whatever they want. Because it simply keeps everyone invested and coming back for more.
Rec it has millions of users on various virtual reality platforms and not VR, allowing them to create their own rooms, which can be as simple as a place to hang out or whole games to run. You can even make money, where tokens are exchanged for -elements of the game. Collect enough tokens and they can be redeemed for real cash. Rec Room expects to pay more than a million by the end of the year. Play and charge, if that’s not an incentive, what is?
Places like Rec Room, Roblox and others are certainly geared towards this younger age group mentioned, such as giant Lego toy boxes to jump on and explore. Finding a happy medium where all of these scenarios can easily coexist is the ultimate goal, as none of these virtual planets adapts to everyone. How these worlds collide is another matter entirely.