Metaverse… The very utterance of the word would have made it sound like it was taken straight out of a science fiction movie… Until recently. Today, thanks to NFTs and the blockchain, it has been made a reality. There is a quote that says truth is stranger than fiction, and it cannot be any more relevant than it is for the metaverse.

What Is A Metaverse?

While the etymological definition of the metaverse would mean ‘a universe beyond’, in the context of what we are speaking about, the metaverse is a digital universe where a person/physical entity can have a parallel digital existence. The catch, however, is that the digital existence of that person or any entity for that matter is an extension of what it is in the real world.

Let us look at it in a bit more detail. In the metaverse, you can meet people and interact with them. You can even purchase virtual products for experiences built on augmented/virtual reality. You can even trade these items and make a profit out of them.

This becomes even more bizarre… But in a welcoming fashion. For all you know, you could be neighbors with someone like Snoop Dogg or Sebastian Vettel in the metaverse. The best part is that you could be neighbors either in a place like the Maldives or even downtown Manhattan.

A metaverse is, therefore, a complete technology-powered extension of a lot of things in the real world but in the digital realm.

Metaverses And Gaming

We would urge you to read the paragraphs above. You would find that it has striking similarities with what gaming is about. Most games require you to grind through different levels, acquire gaming assets that will enhance your gameplay, get skins that will give you a visual identity, and above everything, proclaim your supremacy in the game.

How would it be for you to not just play the game but be in the game, albeit virtually?! This is precisely what gaming metaverses provide.

Why Gaming Metaverses?

Gone are the days when a game used to be a standalone engagement that lasts for a very short period. Remember playing those 8-bit games on your CRT monitors? Well… You would just play a car race and that’s it! Once you have won the car race, you do not have any reason to continue playing the game, leave alone a story.

Even in the 8-bit era, there were a few games that had a strong story. Let us take the universal favorite Super Mario Brothers. You could describe the game as an ongoing quest of a man to rescue a princess going through multiple worlds and battling multiple beasts, plants, fishes, birds, bullets, and fire-throwers, raising flags for every fortress he conquers. This does present an interesting story, right?

To understand why NFTs and metaverses are relevant, we will need to understand the shortcomings of gaming.

Games have evolved a lot from the simple 8-bit games we have been talking about. The enhancement of graphics, the availability of high computing power, and even specialized hardware for games, the connectivity offered, the availability of games to be downloaded over the Internet (as opposed to buying game disks from retail stores), and the inception of gaming communities has changed the notion of gaming.

While it might have been laughable a couple of decades ago to say this, today, people take pride in telling that gaming is their profession… And their breadwinner.

All these have meant that people have started to look at games and investments in gaming more seriously. This has also created a passive compulsion for game developers to create the best games with a strong story.

What Makes A Game Or A Story More Interesting?

Ask any enthusiastic reader and they will tell you that it is the uniqueness of characters, the relatability, the instant recall they can get with certain elements of the character, and the qualities/attributes of the elements that make a story interesting. Since games are becoming stories, it is important to have such characters as well.

Characters do not get built overnight. It requires a lot of patience, perseverance, and in some cases, money to make a character what it is.

Gamers do not hesitate not only in spending time but also in spending money to enhance the game characters with accessories, power-ups, and anything it might take to make their character stand out and reign supreme. The catch, however, is that when the gaming company decides to pull the plug on the game, all the time and money they spent vanishes in thin air.

On a side-note, it is to be noted that Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, created the Ethereum blockchain only because his World of Warcraft character got nerfed by the gaming company!

The solution to this is giving lies in making the gaming character extend its longevity beyond the game itself. Thanks to the induction of the immutable digital ledger called the blockchain, game characters can now live on the blockchain as NFTs… Forever (at least theoretically!). 

NFTs And Gaming

The introduction of NFTs into gaming has also introduced the dimension of tradability. Since the game assets are presented as NFTs, they can be sold on marketplaces and people can make revenue out of these sales. Some people have even considered flipping gaming NFTs as a good source of income. Since the NFTs have relevance and a purpose in the metaverse game story, they are sought after by gamers who enter into a particular gaming metaverse. Some people are also willing to spend a good chunk of money on purchasing oh well-developed gaming NFT.

Some problems get solved and the solution not only addresses the precise problem alone but also creates avenues for new and interesting possibilities. This is precisely what happened when NFTs and games mated. Gaming companies started to build highly sustainable games that are driven by the community. They have also developed metaverses with a strong roadmap, so the game has a purpose in the long term. 

Some of the best metaverse games have a strong story and are powered by NFTs. The roadmap is always focused on the community and they endeavor to build a sustainable gaming environment. To top it all up, metaverse games powered by NFTs have also given people an opportunity to monetize their time and skills. This type of gaming, known as P2E gaming, is one of the latest trends in the gaming industry. 

The Start Of A Revolution?

There have been instances of people making a livelihood out of playing these games in countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Needless to say, we have our own Meta Cricket League, the cricket metaverse game that enables people to earn rewards for playing cricket and topping the leaderboard. You would have also seen that the Meta Cricket League game has a strong roadmap that includes metaverse stadiums as a passive source of income generation in the future.

There is no question about the fact that the metaverse will be the future of gaming… And to get the best out of the metaverse and the possibilities it offers, NFTs are crucial. With a metaverse in place, the story forms a crucial part of the game. 

After all, we are talking about the metaverse being an extension of real life! Would we not want our life to be an interesting story with unique characters!?