Photologue @theuostimes7
These days, the word “metaverse” often appears on the Internet or in the news. It is difficult to understand the meaning from its name alone. The term metaverse is a compound word of “meta”, meaning virtual, and “universe”, meaning world. It refers to a three-dimensional virtual world where social, economic, and cultural activities like the real world take place.Metaverse is an expanded concept of virtual reality (VR). While VR is a one-way system in which users experience the virtual world from a first-person view, metaverse is a two-way system in which users can communicate with other users in the virtual world.
Games are the field where metaverse technology is applied the most. “ZEPETO”, the avatar game application operated by NAVER Z, is a representative example. Avatars’ lives in ZEPETO are much freer than our real lives. They can have a job they want, travel abroad, marry the person they want, and buy luxury goods. There are various worlds in ZEPETO. Some are unrealistic, and some are modeled after reality. For example, the picture was taken in the ZEPETO world that is modeled after the subway station in Seoul. By freely roaming these worlds, users can live various lives without any restrictions.
The metaverse is also being used in a wide variety of fields, not only in games. For example, Soon Chun Hyang University held the entrance ceremony for freshmen in a virtual world, since it could not be held face-to-face. In addition, The Korea Tourism Organization made Hangang Park World in ZEPETO, and 257,000 people from all over the world visited it in one day. Moreover, American hip-hop musician Travis Scott held a virtual live concert within the game “Fortnite”.
The metaverse is attracting the attention of many people, especially young people. They should be aware that excessive immersion in the virtual world can ravage their everyday lives and cause identity confusion. If used correctly, the metaverse could open a wonderful new world.