Chapter 8
Decentralized Metaverses
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering decentralized metaverses
Getting started on Decentraland
Exploring things to do in the metaverse
Sci-fi enthusiasts have long been fascinated by the prospect of virtual open worlds. The earliest iterations of such worlds allowed nonlinear gameplay, though the interactions were limited to simulated characters within the game.
By the late 1990s, the 56K dial-up modem enabled households to access the internet at speeds that allowed for more meaningful virtual experiences. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) soon followed, and games like Ultimate Online (1997) and Everquest (1999) allowed thousands of actual players to interact through avatars in the online realm.
Soon after these developments, broadband cable internet allowed for truly immersive virtual experiences, and Second Life (2003) emerged as the first credited implementation of a metaverse — a meta universe facilitating social connections by way of a three-dimensional online world that mimics the physical world. Second Life players, known as residents or inhabitants, are part of an internal economy. Within this virtual world, players can buy, ...
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