Metaverse virtual worlds are one of the most intriguing aspects of the digital domain. These custom-made realities serve as a whole metaverse world that you can explore, enjoy and even help create. Of course, that comes with some complexity. But you’ll soon see how you can get the most out of virtual worlds and how the crypto world fits in. 

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Metaverse Virtual Worlds and the Metaverse as a Whole

Metaverse virtual worlds are intriguing because they are a whole other reality. Each metaverse world is something that you can step into with the right technologies. These might be virtual reality (VR) goggles that fully immerse you in that new world. Or, it could be augmented reality (AR) systems that overlay the metaverse onto the offline world. But no matter how you look at it, the metaverse contains countless virtual worlds to explore.

The metaverse can contain entire worlds due to the fact that it’s a boundless 3D universe with no limits. And that doesn’t just apply to the physical world. Social lives can also move seamlessly into the metaverse’s worlds. As the metaverse is right now, you can invite friends and family to come along with you on your digital adventures. Or you can make new friends along the way. The metaverse is an inherently social experience thanks to all the people within it.

However, it’s also important to remember that the metaverse is still developing. It’s a continually developed system with emergent properties. The systems in the metaverse are continually growing and changing. Different people all have different visions of the metaverse’s future. Read a more in-depth overview about the metaverse in the “Metaverse Guide; Understanding The Basics Will Open Up a New World” article.

What is a Metaverse Virtual World?

Metaverse virtual worlds often seem overly complex at first. But a metaverse world or crypto world can be understood by simply learning about a few basic concepts. The first is decentralization.

Decentralization means that part of a metaverse world is built on blockchain technology. A single organization or individual controls standard systems. But the blockchain is a system that sits independently of any central authority. Everyone working with the blockchain essentially owns part of it. The same goes for metaverse virtual worlds built with the blockchain.

The use of the blockchain also explains why metaverse virtual worlds are often user governed. Crypto worlds like Decentraland use decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to keep users in control of the more extensive system. A metaverse world will also operate with provable provenance. This is essentially thanks to the fact that they use NFTs. NFTs make it easy to prove the provenance of user-generated content.

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What Are the Most Significant Metaverse Virtual Worlds?

What are the most significant and exciting virtual worlds with these criteria in mind? There are a lot of different metaverse worlds to choose from. But the following metaverse virtual worlds are particularly noteworthy.

Decentraland

Decentraland is one of the metaverse virtual worlds that emphasizes ownership. On the surface, it seems to be a vast virtual universe that fulfills most people’s ideas about virtual reality. Decentraland is filled with lush forests, beautiful skies, thriving cities, and vast oceans.

Decentraland also consists of individual virtual plots. Each plot is essentially its own metaverse world. Because Dectraland is tied to the blockchain, every new plot of land also becomes a crypto world. And this is also where Decentraland’s emphasis on ownership comes in. Decentraland has 90,601 plots of land in the form of the LAND NFT.

When you own LAND, you can also develop it however you like. With the LAND Estate feature, you can even merge multiple plots into a single whole. And groups with similar themes can be linked together as districts to form shared communities around a single shared theme.

For more information about Decentraland, read “Decentraland Guide; Overview, Components, Things To Do & More!”

Video: First Look Inside Decentraland

Horizon Worlds

Horizon Worlds is the virtual reality experience provided by Meta. It’s one of the metaverse virtual worlds that heavily emphasizes gaming. Users can easily create scripts to generate their own environments. And many of the people who do so have created fun, collaborative gaming experiences.

Users have also created fun environments to just hang out. Wand & Broom, Mark’s Riverboat, and Pixel Plummet are some of the most popular examples. However, Meta has also created a similar environment with their new 3v3 laser game called Arena Clash. This type of community involvement is a cornerstone of Horizon Worlds. This metaverse world puts a heavy emphasis on socialization.

At the moment there are three options for users when they start up Horizon worlds. Users can choose to play, attend or hang out. Play lets people play games. Attend is for attending events. And hanging out is for socialization.

For more information about Horizon Worlds, read “Horizon Worlds Guide; Everything to Know To Start Playing”.

Video: Horizon Worlds | Meta Quest 2

Roblox

Roblox has a special place among metaverse virtual worlds. It’s often thought of as a game, but that’s a vast oversimplification. Roblox is instead a metaverse world focused on game creation. It’s essentially a metaverse filled with user-made content. Much of this is indeed gaming content.

What’s unique about Roblox is that all games are made by users rather than the Roblox company. Roblox makes creating your own games easy, fun, and even potentially profitable. Roblox reports that an estimated 20 million games have been made within its metaverse.

Many of the games are freely available for anyone to enjoy. But people can also monetize their games. Some game developers have earned up to $1 million in a year by doing so. The system also has an entire digital economy and currency called Robux. This currency is often used in-game for an avatar’s clothing.

For more information about Roblox, read “Roblox Games; The Top 10 You Should Start Playing Today”.

Video: Roblox Cinematic 2021

Somnium Space

Somnium Space is VR based metaverse world that first launched in 2017. It consists of 5,000 land parcels which all support full ownership. However, as with most metaverse virtual worlds, space for land isn’t limited. New land can be added to Somnium Space as needed.

One of the system’s most essential points stems from the fact that it’s tied to the blockchain. This makes it a full crypto world with easily defined asset ownership. In fact, the system has a strong economy and a native erc20 token called Somnium Space CUBEs. CUBE tokens also make it easy to publish or buy avatars. These avatars are usable in a wide variety of other metaverses.

Somnium Space also makes it easy to buy land parcels (PARCELs). Land parcels can additionally be purchased and sold as a standard NFT on other systems. PARCELs also support new NFT placement within themselves as additional assets.

Video: Somnium Space Trailer – Decentralized Virtual Reality Metaverse

Sandbox

Sandbox began as a standard video game in 2012. But after Animoca Branda acquired the company in 2018, it shifted to a complete 3D environment. Users could now freely roam the world as a 3D sightseeing experience. This also marked it becoming a crypto world after tying into the blockchain. In 2021 the system would evolve one step further and become one of the metaverse virtual worlds.

The Sandbox’s world consists of a large number of land plots set out into an even grid. Users can combine properties to create a singular whole. But the total amount of land has a firm limit. These land plots are typically sold on Binance using the SAND currency.

The Sandbox is particularly notable because rapper Snoop Dogg has his own mansion within the system and performs at shows. Virtual land near his estate sold for $450,000 USD.

For more information about Sandbox, read “Sandbox Game; An Overview of a Groundbreaking Virtual World”.

Video: The Sandbox New Official Teaser 2021

Cryptovoxels

Cryptovoxels has been heavily tied to the blockchain since it was first created. The system’s ties to the Ethereum blockchain more than qualify it as a crypto world. And Ethereum can be used natively to buy land and build on top of it. It’s one of the metaverse virtual worlds where users are particularly interested in the process of making their own thriving universe.

The building process is aided by the sheer amount of content supported by Cryptovoxels. Users can embed audio, video, standard images, or any number of other media within their landscapes. Collectibles representing real-world objects are also available. But the way that content is accessed is unique to Crytovoxels.

Cryptovoxels has combined the metaverse with Web 3.0 to create a universe that’s available in a variety of different ways. Users can load it up through a standard Web browser. But it’s also accessible through virtual reality headsets.

metaverse virtual worlds cryptovoxels

Image attribution: Cryptovoxels

Breakroom

Breakroom is a reasonably new metaverse world created in response to coronavirus concerns. At the time, people were struggling to transition existing workplaces into video chat. Sine Wave Entertainment felt that they could offer an entire virtual workplace to companies that wanted to move beyond that simple video-chat model.

Breakroom emerged as a way for companies to create their own business-themed virtual world. The fact that Breakroom was designed for any type of business also provided a lot of ease of use and customizability. After all, it needs to fit in with any company, no matter how formal or informal that company culture might be. Breakroom is easy to configure to provide a virtual world that fits everything from virtual conferences to boardrooms, offices, and even classrooms.

Breakroom is available for almost any conceivable platform. This includes PC, Mac, and VR headsets, even smartphones are supported.

Video: Breakroom Virtual World Platform

Spatial

Spatial was one of the earliest metaverse world projects to focus on the workplace. It was released in 2018 as an “infinite desktop” and collaboration tool for augmented reality. It also puts a strong emphasis on integration with 3rd party apps and services. For example, Spatial provided Google Drive implementation even in its earliest days.

Spatial has evolved at a rapid pace. The former infinite desktop has turned into one of the most popular options among the metaverse virtual worlds. The system makes it easy to wander virtual landscapes with full 3D avatars. But it’s perhaps best known as a perfect gallery and hosting space for NFTs.

Spatial’s engaging in additional partnerships to take this NFT focus even further. At the moment, groups as diverse as The Hermitage and the NBA are working with Spatial. Developers are also looking into selling and renting NFT environments across metaverse apps.

Video: Spatial – The Metaverse for Creators, Artists, Exhibitions, and More

Gather

Gather was created as a way to emphasize humanity in virtual interaction. The creators saw that the metaverse virtual worlds opened up new ways to meet people. And they wanted to make sure that these new social connections were created in a way that promoted positive emotions.

This intent culminated in an artistic presentation that’s quite distinct from most examples of a metaverse world. Gather uses a 2D aesthetic with simplistic but fun pixel art. People who love 2D JRPGs like Final Fantasy will typically fall in love with Gather’s art style.

Gather’s simple aesthetic also makes it easy to leverage as a creative tool. People have created all sorts of events within Gather. This ranges from a launch event for “Magic: the Gathering” to theater shows and birthday parties. Interactive socially based games such as murder mysteries or escape rooms are popular in Gather.

Video: 2021 Gather Sizzle Reel

Second Life

Second Life is arguably the platform that first popularized the concept of metaverse virtual worlds. It’s the creation of Linden Lab and was first released in 2003. People were amazed to find a virtual economy and a rich 3D world to explore and create content.

Users can create custom avatars and deck them out in anything they desire. Second Life is a metaverse world that’s continually supported complex item creation. Users can even combine items they create with special scripts created in a simple programming language. For example, people could create a flashlight that lights up when used. The system is so flexible that users have made virtual pets that exhibit rudimentary AI.

Second Life also highlighted one of the first examples of land deals within a virtual environment. Much like in a modern crypto world, users can purchase land in Second Life to use in any way.

Video: Second Life Destinations – 2021 Winter Attractions

Metaverse Virtual Worlds Often Combine With Established Companies

Metaverse virtual worlds are inherently impressive. It’s natural to wonder about the companies that have been able to bring those concepts to life. Some of the biggest names in modern technology are bringing their history of innovation into the metaverse. This includes Meta, formally known as Facebook.

They’ve even made the leap from software to a dual software-hardware model to help the process. Companies like NVIDIA often move in the opposite direction to do the same. This story is complex. But you can take a deeper dive into metaverse companies through the article “Metaverse Companies Building The Future: An Overview”.

Metaverse Virtual Worlds and Web 3.0

You may have noticed that metaverse virtual worlds intersect with many aspects of Web 3.0. Web 3.0 is a technological leap on par with the metaverse. And in fact, a lot of the technologies used in Web 3.0 are also used within the metaverse. AI, the blockchain, and many other technologies are shared between the two.

Concepts like decentralization, or the machine learning used with AI in the metaverse, are also foundational elements of Web 3.0. It’s also a large subject of its own. You can learn about Web 3.0 through the article “Web 3.0 Guide; Clearly Explained With Examples”.

Metaverse Devices Provide Access to Metaverse Virtual Worlds

Metaverse virtual worlds benefit from new technologies. The better the devices used to access the metaverse the better the overall experience. The gear used to access the metaverse is growing at a rapid pace. The early Oculus models have grown into the impressive Quest series.

Large game companies like Valve and Sony are bringing the metaverse to gamers. And companies like Microsoft and Epson are innovating with augmented reality. It’s a huge topic with some exciting prospects for the metaverse’s future. You can learn more about metaverse devices in the article “Metaverse Devices: The Best Gear To Enter the Metaverse”.

Metaverse virtual worlds encompass a vast array of events, people, economies, and even ecosystems. You have a chance to explore not just one but many digital worlds. It just takes that first step into the virtual landscape of the metaverse.

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