To accompany ‘Welcome to the metaverse’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1. In Ready Player One, a virtual realm called the OASIS offers a fictional example of the metaverse. (If you haven’t seen the movie, watch the trailer here.) Imagine having access to such an immersive, expansive virtual world. How would you feel? Would you like to spend time there? How much time and how often? What would you be most excited to try in such a digital universe? Do you see any potential risks or drawbacks to spending time in this realm?

During Reading:

1. What is the metaverse?
   
2. How does Jeff Kember imagine people will use the metaverse in the future?
   
3. What existing video games could be considered examples of the early metaverse?
   
4. What limitation did Fortnite encounter in holding Travis Scott’s virtual concert? How did the game overcome this issue?
   
5. What is an “open” metaverse?
   
6. How does Kai Frazier use the metaverse to make the real world more accessible?
   
7. What is one worry that Liv Erickson has about meeting people in the metaverse?
   
8. What are digital twins? What are they used for? What are some potential risks of building digital twins for real places?

After Reading:

1. Consider some of the ways people in this story are already using the metaverse — from making friends to building roller coasters to replicating cities. What uses do you find most exciting or interesting? Why?
   
2. As Wade Watts says, the only limits of the metaverse “are your own imagination.” Brainstorm one or two ways you could use the metaverse. Explain why your idea(s) would be better suited to the metaverse than the physical world. Research a couple of the early metaverse platforms described in this story, such as Minecraft, Roblox and others. Are there any existing platforms that would allow you to pursue your idea in the metaverse? If not, what would it take to make your metaverse ambition(s) a reality?